Images Magazine Digital Edition October 2018

TIPS & TECHNIQUES www.images-magazine.com 36 images OCTOBER 2018 Marshall Atkinson is a leading production and efficiency expert for the decorated apparel industry, and the owner of Atkinson Consulting, LLC. Marshall focuses on operational efficiency, continuous improvement and workflow strategy, business planning, employee motivation, management and sustainability. He is a frequent trade show speaker, article and blog author, and is the host of InkSoft’s The Big Idea podcast. atkinsontshirt.com and reduced job satisfaction. That’s when people start muttering under their breath, “Boy, I sure am tired of this place.” That’s when that person, who already isn’t too thrilled about working for you, starts their secret job search. In a short period of time, they are working for someone else and you are standing there wondering what happened. But what if they were asked for feedback or their ideas? Involvement means they matter. While everything can’t be run by a committee, enough things in your shop that affect the lives of your staff could be up for discussion. It doesn’t have to be policy initiatives either: workflow ideas; efficiency; how to improve something… Trust me on this: your staff has ideas on how to do it better. You should ask, “What can I get you to make your job easier or better?” Reviewing performance differently How frequently are you having a performance review? Not just the formal ones either. Often, you can significantly impact a worker’s performance by reviewing what they are doing right now. This means you have to be present in their work. That only happens by observing. Stand there and take note regarding what happens. How’s the organisation? What happens when? Are there any factors from other departments or people that affect their work? Do they have any ergonomic or equipment challenges? Do they constantly have to borrow a tool to complete a task? Your goal as a leader is improving your people. If you are truly committed to keeping your staff on the payroll, you should invest in time spent making their work easier. Your staff recognises when you are there and noticing, improving and tweaking. This shows you care. During the process, if you ask a question or two on how to improve, this demonstrates you listen. When that new gizmo shows up, or you give someone some extra training, that illustrates that you act. Employee ghosting problems usually happen because the staff member sees that their ideas don’t matter; that the boss doesn’t listen. They are no longer engaged in their work because “nobody cares“. You can flip the switch on that by making sure the management and leadership teams see that improving employee performance is their number one goal. That’s one criterion your leaders should be measured by. Themain reasons for employee ghosting The number one reason why employees leave their job and start this entire ghosting problem is that of bad managers. That’s no surprise: simply barking orders and waving arms around in the air isn’t managing. Constantly pointing out negative employee problems isn’t either. Let’s close by examining the top ten reasons why staff members quit. No credit for the work performed People want to be acknowledged for their hard work and effort. When that doesn’t happen, they completely lose any motivation. Trust issues Bad managers operate with the assumption that the employee will make mistakes. Command and control style managers don’t allow for empowerment. No empathy What does it say when the shop is crazy busy with overtime, yet the managers take extended lunches or leave early for a round of golf? It says nobody cares. Not advocating When an employee’s manager doesn’t go to bat for them regarding some point, they feel that they don’t care about them. Favouritism When one staff member is singled out over others, this creates a tremendous amount of ill-will. Weak leaders They might be experts in their area regarding skill, but they aren’t up to par with managing a team. Invest in people skills too. Micromanaging Every. Tiny. Detail. Excruciatingly. Examined. And. Discussed. Constantly. Always negative Nothing is ever correct. More emphasis is on the ‘how’ something is completed and less on the end result. Unclear expectations What is supposed to happen? How does anyone know what success looks like? What is the timeframe or due date? No training When things feel like a dead end job, they are. Take a look at the top ten list above. Do any of these seem familiar in your shop with your management team? You’ll also notice these aren’t about money. Money is always important, but it’s not what drives people to abandon their jobs. Have you had a ghosting problem in your shop? Maybe it wasn’t the employee that had the issue.