No

by Carel Two-Eagle

Created on: February 04, 2008

In order to write to this question of whether or not people work more if they are paid more, we must make an assumption. I truly detest making assumptions, and in my businesses, Rule # 1 is "Never assume anything! It will catch you up every time, due to lack of some key bit of information." The assumption here is in regard to the word "paid"; and it is that 'paid' means 'money', not the total package of various kinds of financial-type 'pay and perks that we generally term 'compensation packages'.

For at least the past 25 years, the Number One source of articles in management magazines has been on the subject of Employee Absenteeism and its causes. I've never had the problem, for the simple reason that I see employee absenteeism as the employees saying in the most emphatic terms they know, "I'm REALLY not happy with my working CONDITIONS, so I've found other things to do that make me happier, and when I can't stand any more of the stressors in my job, I won't come to work; I'll go do stress-relieving things instead." Actions speak louder than words.

Sad thing is, there is a gross excess of "massa-slave" mentality in American business, and from what I've seen, it has always been there. When I was on the Chamber of Commerce for a small town where I had a business some time back, everyone except me complained constantly how they "couldn't get any decent help" or how "everyone they hired did poor work or was so0o lazy". I finally got tired of hearing this 'stuff' repeated, and one day I said quietly, two things: "If you can't get any decent help, it sounds like your criteria need revision. I don't have that problem.." and "If they are all so lazy, why do you think that is?" Made myself hugely unpopular that day, of course. Not that I care much.. They made their problems; I tried to see problems ahead of time and prevent them from taking root.

I only lost 6 guys in 20 years; most companies lose 6 people every couple of months, every year they are in business. It isn't one-sided, takoszja.. It isn't 'only' the employees' 'fault'.. partly because, in any company that is incorporated, everyone is an 'employee'. Therefore, the 'bosses' are really talking about... themselves. Aren't they.

Just as the best helping hand you will ever get is at the end of your arm, so the source of the majority of your problems is you. You "let" them in, or you "bring" them in. Once in awhile, you just don't see the elephant in the living room and when it steps on you, it hurts more than you would expect.. but no one is perfect. You just keep working at improving.

Companies talk about their 'great' jobs, for example, but the truth is that their description is hype, not fact. Micro-managing the employees' behaviors when it isn't needed is a big cause of absenteeism. I hate having someone checking up on me constantly when it's unnecessary to the job. It tells me the checker believes I'm incompetent or a goof-off. If I'm that way, my 'helpers' must certainly feel the same way, with the possible exception of new hires that haven't proven themselves yet. And there's always, "it ain't WHAT you say, it's the WAY you say it; it ain't what you PLAY, it's the WAY you play it", as the old song says. I'll give you an example.

I was working on a job last year and the chief inspector came and watched me installing safety bar blocking in walls that had been finished, but the framers had left it out. sloppy communications and attitude cause this. I had to cut a hole in the wall, remove the sheetrock, install the wood that would hold the load of the safety bars when they were in use, then put the sheetrock back so the mudders could come in and make the wall look right again. He didn't say a word for the time it took to do the first one, but he wasn't more than three feet behind me or doing anything else, so he was obviously watching me work.

There aren't many females working construction, even fewer as trim-and-repair carpenters, so I expected him to come watch me sooner or later. He needed to know if I was competent or not. This isn't micro-managing, it's necessary to the job, and I was new there, so I didn't mind it. Part way through the second one, I asked him, "are you happy, or is there something you'd like me to do differently?" He said, "No, just keep working, please." OK - I kept on as I had. Half an hour later, he said one word, and left. That word was, "nice." Ahhh! Thank you, Mr. Inspector.

While the job itself was a royal pain in the psyche because there was so much that had to be redone (and shouldn't have had to be), I looked forward to going to that job because no one checked up on me unnecessarily. In fact, that inspector was heard to tell someone that when he saw my name on a punch list, he didn't have to inspect it because he knew it would be done right and meet Code. Ahhh! again!

I am of the opinion that if you make your instructions and expectations succinct and clear, you will get better results from your 'helpers', and my experience says I'm right.

I had another job with a similar job description at another site maybe three years ago, where the project boss checked up on me constantly but never either said he didn't like the way I did my work, or made suggestions as to how he might like it changed, even if I asked him. I finally asked him why he came by to check my work, since I noticed he didn't do that to everyone.

He said, "Well, you're an Indian and you're female, so I figure I have to make sure you're still on the job and working." I asked him what else he thought I'd be doing, if not working, and he turned red and walked away.

I filed a complaint with his company and with the state labor relations board, because you and I both know, takoszja, that he was saying indirectly that he believed the garbage about Indian females all being "loose" and "always out to get a man in bed". I wanted to nail him to a wall with big nails, needless to say, but my elders taught me to "consider the source and rise above it". It generally isn't that difficult to step over a dung pile, but some days....

Money isn't everything. It isn't the most important thing, either. Being treated as if you matter is important.. Being shown respect for your existence as another human being is important. Helpful team-like attitude throughout everyone in the company is important. You can add your own perspectives to this list.

I lost only 6 guys in 20 years in my first "big" business because I treated them like human beings. I had good criteria, high standards for everyone including me, I insisted we communicate, I said what I meant and meant what I said, there was no favoritism or establishment of in-groups and out-groups, I respected the intelligence and abilities of the people I hired, and I insisted on knowing if there was a problem in the offing from anyone's perspective so we could minimize any need for "Chinese fire drills to" repair damage..

None of this is very difficult, you know. Our secretary was a gay male; I encouraged a brain-damaged man to come in as he pleased and work on anything that he felt comfortable with; and I didn't micro-manage, for all that I kept close tabs on the cost of everything, in money and emotions.. It takes work to be a good 'boss'. That's the magic formula.. Show respect and insist that everyone else show it, too, to everyone. Some people go out of their way to make it hard to do this, making for grit-your-teeth days.

But basically, if you make the work place an enjoyable place to come to work in, people will work more and harder than if you simply give them more money. Actions speak louder than words and money doesn't buy harmony, after all.

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