Rethinking Work

It's interesting to read the papers and watch the news during our current economic crisis. We have cut a record number of jobs, yet the executives are still working and getting bonuses and raises. Hey, aren't these the guys (and women) that are responsible for the management of these business, making the financial and strategic decisions that got them in such a mess in the first place? So why is the solution to lay off or fire the people who are actually serving the customers, making the products, implementing the processes, procedures, and policies? I think it's time to rethink how work and companies are structured. Here is my solution (or at least idea) of how to turn things around.

I have spent the past 25 years working with all kinds of companies, consulting, training, speaking and writing on workplace issues, process improvement, quality and customer service. I have spoken to (and listened to) thousands of employees from all levels of the organization -- from the person on the assembly line and customer service help desk to the CEO and GM of the company. Hourly staff, for the most part, have the closest contact with the customers and can make or break the customer experience that causes a consumer to buy and continue to buy from a provider.

The housekeeper in a hotel has a lot more influence on my decision to stay at a hotel AGAIN than the GM does. Because I come in contact in a very intimate way with the result of their work. If the room isn't clean, the bed made correctly, and the light bulbs don't work, I may or not complain. If the hotel operator or front desk agent doesn't answer the phone at least by the third ring and are not pleasant and helpful when they do answer, I may not complain. If the breakfast eggs look green instead of yellow, and the eating area isn't clean, I may not complain. But I can also choose not to come back. These are the areas that I see and use, which are not directly the result of the managers, but of the hourly staff. They are also the ones that are paid the least, do physically and mentally challenging jobs, and are regarded as the least valued employees. They work closest to the customer, but have the least to say in the decision making process on how best to serve the customers and make them happy. They are occasionally included in a brainstorming session on process improvement, or encouraged to offer suggestions on how to make improvements, but often those suggestions are shot down or ignored. After awhile, they stop believing in all those "motivational" programs that are supposed to make people happier at work. What they really want is respect...for my work, my ideas, and my contribution. What would happen if all the housekeepers and maintenance staff didn't show up for work one day in a major downtown hotel? Chaos!!! What would happen if the managers didn't show up for one day? The rest of the staff would probably get more done without a lot of meetings, interruptions, micro-managing, and e-mails to respond to. It would be interesting to try it out and see.

TQM turned the pyramid upside down and made the customer the top, with management supporting the process at the bottom. I suggest we put the employees who work directly with customers and have the most influence day-to-day at the top of the pyramid, pay them more...on a par with their value to the company, value and respect their work and contribution, and utilize their ideas and suggestions for process improvement. Making beds may not have the glitz and status of middle management, but every person who stays in a hotel is going to eventually slip between the sheets and directly experience the expertise and talent of the housekeeper. That experience has more to do with the bottom line than a supervisor or manager sitting in a boring meeting.

Hire the best for the most important jobs in your company, and "important" doesn't necessarily mean the highest title. Ask your customers what matters most to them, and it will probably be having work done correctly, the phone being answered on time, the food hot and cooked properly and the premises clean and orderly. I would bet it won't be having a lot of managers hanging around.