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HOW TO GET YOUR EMPLOYEES TO WORK HARDER!
By Daniel Felsted
“People want to be proud of what they do and of where they work.”
—Kaj Storbacka & Jarmo R. Lehtinen
What Is an Interdependent Relationship?
In order to create an optimal work environment an interdependent relationship must exist so that each contact point with the customer is as positive as possible. An interdependent relationship is one where each employee, no mater what their position is, knows that they are an integral part of the company and that no single employee is entirely responsible for the success of the company. “Success comes as the result of the unified effort of all participants contributing to the whole.”1
When employees know that they are part of a team which has a goal of doing what is best for the customer/company you have a greater chance for a harmonious workplace. Foster a company culture where all of your employees are free from the pettiness of office politics. Don’t allow company politics to drive down productivity.
Look for signs of conflict. If there is backbiting, gossip, habitual tardiness, and martyrs in the office, you need to look for ways to bring your staff together and end these time killing activities, which rob you of your employee’s full attention. Don’t allow these productivity/morale killers to thrive.
Train you staff and conduct employee reviews. One criterion that you must judge employees by is how each employee works with their peers. It is important that each employee knows that it takes a team to accomplish the company’s goals and that their job is just as important to the company as the president’s job. When each employee knows he/she is valued they are freed from the unknown and will perform at a higher rate than an employee that is burdened by low morale.
One way to foster an interdependent relationship between your employees is to develop an employee review form. Explain to each employee how much weight is given to the comments of peers during their reviews and that it is a major factor in whether or not their review is positive or negative. Teach them that without teamwork they will have to work harder to get the same work done.
Teach them whom to turn to when different situations arise. “John is an expert in customer returns. Maria is one of our software experts; her specialty is Microsoft office. Jason is our computer expert.” Explain to each employee how these experts can help them and that they are always available to serve the employee. Also teach the experts that they are expected to help fellow employees when needed. This is important because if an employee knows where to turn and knows that the experts are willing to help, the workplace is more open and this fosters a positive working environment. When employees don’t have options to solve their problems, time can be wasted and productivity is not optimized.
Why An Interdependent Relationship Is Important
It is vital to let your employees know that they are an integral component of your business’s success. Without an interdependent relationship, the “that’s not my job” and “he did this …” negativity takes hold and you begin to suffer from employees and departments which protect their own parochial interests at the expense of others in the company. I often call this “government work mentality” where you do what ever you can to keep what you currently have and try to get more of it for the next year. With this mentality your business develops favorites, those that can do no harm, and their stepchildren, those that can do no good.
I have seen it happen time and again. Department “A” is important and they have large budgets, excess staff, and everyone gets on-the-job training. Where department “B” is not considered as important and they have no budget, old equipment, no job training, no incentives, little job satisfaction, high turn over, and are picked on or looked down on by others within the business structure. Where this is the case, the business is unhealthy and many of its functions are not running at optimal levels and the support people, whether internal or external, are not working as hard for the company as they could.
To avoid these kind of problems, you need to look carefully at how you treat your employees, you need to create an environment where interdependent relationships prosper! Employees want and need a good leader. A good leader doesn’t make company decisions based on personal opinions, prejudices or strictly on budget concerns. Instead, a good leader first asks for input from his employees. He also trains employees to make decisions on their own; decisions which are in the best interest of the customer! This kind of leadership takes time and planning. It involves retraining and reviewing employees on a regular basis. This is how you foster an interdependent relationship between all of your employees! And keep in mind, when you make your employees the best they can be, your customers will benefit and your company will grow.
When you don’t have an environment where interdependent relationships exist, your employees are worrying about their turf and are susceptible to all to common workplace practices which do your organization more harm than good. Your employees are not encouraged to excel and to become the experts that your buying customers depend upon in order to make the best buying decisions. If you are not offering your customers the best possible service, even extraordinary service, your customers will leave you in search of a company that will. So interdependent relationship means giving your customer what they really want…a good product with great service from a well trained employee—a relationship.
Also be aware of the standards your competition sets for you. Your customers will hold you to the standards set by others and if you don’t measure up your business will suffer.
For more information on how to strengthen your employees and customer service best practices send me an email and request a review planner.
1 Elaine K. Harris, “Customer Service A Practical Approach,”
New Jersey, Prentice Hall, 2003 3rd edition, p.120
Many thanks to my editor Katarina, katarina@agemni.com
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Daniel C. Felsted is a marketer of ideas. The Image Foundry is a full service corporate marketing training consultancy. Specializing in customer service, employee training and developing internal marketing strategies that grow your business—fast.
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