Little Things That Make A Big Difference

Monday 20 February, 2006

by Karen Schmidt

Little things make a big difference when you are a manager. Your attitude to the little things can make or break your relationship with employees. Get your people on side and they will do anything for you ... get them offside and they will do anything to make your life difficult.

What type of things?

Well, it has a lot to do with your attitude to ... toilet paper. Here’s what I mean.
When times are tough we cut out the free biscuits, replace the coffee with home brand and buy the cheap toilet paper to save money. But how much do we really save? A few dollars in comparison to overall spending. What it really does is reduce morale. Staff see it as a symbol of your attitude to them. They think “we don’t matter” or worst still “management can’t tackle the real problems so they’re going after the easy targets”.

What if you had a different attitude?

What do you think would happen if you did the exact opposite ... gave them Arnott’s Tim Tams, bought a Cappuccino machine and stocked the bathroom with Sorbent 3 ply? OK it would cost a few dollars but I’ll bet they would actually work harder and make you more money than you could possibly save. Morale and productivity would go up and so would your image in the eyes of employees.

What employees think

When you send messages like “you are important” and “we want to make it easy and enjoyable for you to do your job” people respond. It’s the old rule of “give and take” ... if you give a little they will take their work performance to new levels.

Other examples

These aren’t the only examples that come to mind. I’ve heard stories of companies where:

• Employees have to return their used pen before they’re issued with a new one.
  
• Bathroom breaks are timed and reprimands given to people who take too long.
  
• Purchase Orders for supplies, such as morning tea, have to be approved by the Managing Director.

Not only are these examples of penny pinching and rules gone mad, they are a waste of time. The effort that goes into policing such rigid policies could be far better used. Why not spend the man hours saved surveying staff to see what they think will improve sales and decrease expenses.

What about your organisation?

So what is it with your organisation ... do you cut out the biscuits, count out the pens or scrimp on the toilet paper? Yes, they are only little things but little things add up to make a big difference to morale and productivity.
Try it and see what happens. It might not be kitchen supplies that make the difference in your organisation. It could be subsidised parking, staff discounts on products or special celebrations for birthdays and other important events. The important thing is to consider the little things and the big impact they can have on the success of your organisation.

Source:ceoonline.com