Changing Expectations

On Christmas morning, when my son was 2 years old, and after he had opened all of his presents, I told him that now he was going to tell me what was his favorite present.  After he chose, I announced that we were starting a new Christmas tradition and that we were going down to a Homeless Shelter and donate this present to a child who was less fortunate than he was.  

Of course, I was doing this for his own good.  I wanted him to appreciate all that he had and I wanted him to grow up having a generous heart and spirit.  I wanted him to do good.   

When next Christmas came along, he identified his favorite present as a pair of pyjamas.  I told him that I didn't believe him and that I would pick what would be the present that he donated.

In early December of the next year, we were shopping and my son pointed out a very plain and inexpensive toy that I had never seen him have any interest in before.  He wanted this to be added to his Christmas list.  He talked about it all December and even mentioned this toy in his nightly prayers.  It was odd behavior on his part but I really didn't think much of it.  Christmas morning came.  My son opened all of his gifts and then proudly announced that the plain and expensive toy was his favorite and he wanted to donate that toy.   

What I did to my son was a lot like what is currently happening at a lot of workplaces.  I was changing the expectations of Christmas for my son without even consulting him.  Workplaces are changing expectations of their employees without any consultation all the time.  They are doing this to increase profits and help their bottom lines.  They are fooling themselves to think they are doing this for the benefit of the employee.   Just like I was fooling myself into thinking I was doing this for the betterment of my son.  I was truthfully doing it so people could see what a great mom I was.  What really happened was that my son was angry at me, yet, he couldn't tell me, so he figured out a way to manage the change to make it work for him.  Then, when I changed the expectations again, he still found a way to manage me.  Groups of employees find a way to manage their employers as well.  They figure out a way to manage the change to benefit them, and they are resentful.  The resentment spills into other aspects of their jobs.  

I would have been better if I consulted my son and explained my goal.  Maybe we could have come up with a better solution in which we both would be happy.   That is not only a successful partnership, but it is the elements necessary for a respectful workplace.  

Sometimes, when employers change expectations without consulting the employees, they end up saving nickels and spending dollars.  

Richard Branson says that you don't need to worry about customer satisfaction; focus on employee satisfaction.  If the employees are happy, they make sure the customers are happy.  

Henry Ford knew how valuable employees were and he had a unique approach to management. Whenever he had a problem on his assembly line that was causing him time and money, he asked help from an unlikely source.  He went to the laziest employee he knew because he knew if there was ever a shortcut, the lazy employee would find a way.  

Changing expectations on employees may not be a big deal to employers.  Sometimes, it may not be a big deal to employees, but, you often may not know what is going to trigger resentments and lead to other problems.  All could be avoided by collaboration.  

Sometimes, we think we have complex problems that require complex solutions.  Maybe the problems and solutions aren't really as complex as we think and maybe all that is required is a common sense approach.  Maybe just consulting with affected parties and working out a solution together based on common purposes is what common sense tells us to do.