Many firms put in systems to improve productivity, by monitoring what is going on and how hard people are working. They manage – or micro-manage – the time of their employees and how it is filled.
But they’ve forgotten something.
Employees don’t work well when they are micro-managed. They work well when they know their role in the overall work system, when they have the correct tools and equipment to do their job, when they are fully and properly trained for their job.
Too many firms fail to address all of these factors.
“But what about motivation, what about rewards?” I hear you ask.
I am not ignoring these but, for me, motivation comes from employees knowing their role – their purpose. What do they do that helps the organisation achieve, succeed and grow?
So, forget time management of your employees. Concentrate on managing their purpose and their understanding of that purpose.