I have been following the debate on the nurse’s strike in the Twin Cities and have listened to many opinions, questions, and thoughts on the matter.  The issue that, to me, is central in this whole thing is one I have yet to hear voiced.  In a nutshell it is this:  I don’t understand why nurses think that they should be able to determine staffing levels.  I tried to think of another industry in which skilled, semi-skilled, or un-skilled workers got to call the shots .

Manufacturing companies don’t let line workers dictate how many people are working.  Retail agencies don’t let clerks say how the business should be staffed.  “Well,” you may say, “nurses are different, because they are talking about patient safety. “ Let’s think about that.  Police officers don’t dictate how the patrol shifts are managed, firefighters don’t dictate how trucks are staffed, and air traffic controllers don’t get to determine staffing levels.

Whether safety is at stake, or not, determining staffing levels (in any industry) should be a function of administration.  Employers would be wise to listen and consider employees opinions, but at the end of the day, it’s up to the company.  I hope the Twin Cities hospitals stay strong and don’t let the tail wag the dog.

Much of what I do is help clients out with performance accountability issues.  A client will pose a scenario to me that involves an employee who has consistently underperformed.  If you have an employee who is underperforming, ask yourself these questions:

1. Does the employee know what they are supposed to do?
2. Have they been trained on how to do the work?
3. Do they have the skill and abilities to do what you hired them to do?
4. Do they know that their performance doesn't meet standards set?
5. Do they WANT to do the job?
6. Do they have the tools to do their job?
7. Is something negative happening to them when they actually do what you are asking them to do?  For instance:  You have a receptionist who is supposed to do an overhead page for a sales person when a customer is present.  Whenever the receptionist pages overhead she gets an earful from salespeople.
8. Is something positive happening when they are doing something they aren't supposed to do?  For instance, if you manage sales people and give them a commission for a sale they made to another salesperson's client, don't expect that behavior to stop soon.
9. Are there barriers to performance beyond the employees control (i.e. no raw products to manufacture, etc)

Many times, when talking with clients, I find that they tolerate employees with less than stellar performance.  When I question them as to why they are allowing that to occur I sometimes find that the employer is worried that they won't be able to find anyone to fill that employee's position.  This, invariably, leads to a discussion about how that business finds employees.     Businesses should treat finding employees at least as important as they treat finding other necessary and required resources to make their business run.  Merely posting an advertisement isn't good enough.  The platinum rule in recruiting is, "It isn't good enough to be the best employer.  You have to be known as the best employer." 

Think of recruiting creatively.  If you are filling a position that you can do openly (meaning you aren't trying to find someone to replace someone who is currently employed) use your local community colleges and tech schools.  Send your employees to network at schools that have programs that might feed into your business.  Ask the staff who they might recommend based on the position description. Don't forget about online networking sites such as Linked In, Twitter, and Facebook, when there is an open position.  And if it's a position that you don't have to hire for on the "down low" use resources like, well, your employees.   Ask them if they know anyone for the positions for which you are hiring.  If you find your employees willingly refer friends and family, you are probably fulfilling the platinum rule.

Fast-food restaurant Taco Bell found that its stores with low turnover of employees (this happens to be a key indicator of employee satisfaction) received double the sales and 55% higher profits than stores with high turnover. Based on what you know about the Loyalty Profit Chain from yesterday’s blog, what do you think it did to increase profitability across stores?   That right.  It enhanced its internal service quality.  One of the ways in which they did this was to increase the amount of on the job decision-making that could be made by employees.

Now here’s the thing.  Start thinking of your employees as your customers.  What do you do when an external customer comes to you with a complaint?  You listen, take them seriously, and try to make changes so that they are completely satisfied.  This is a great way to start with your employees as well.  Most employees will tell you what they need to do a better job.  Listen to them, start thinking of them as your customers, and give them the tools they need to be more effective at their job.  It will pay off in many ways in the long run.