Clearly Defined Structure
July 2005
I My company had the reputation of being
structured and disciplined. I set guidelines and stood by them. I set goals and
strove to reach them.
I’ve had employees tell me that they were intimidated at first when they
considered coming to work for me because they were unsure about the “rules”
thing.
Auto dismantlers don’t like working from a list of how they should go about
taking apart a car. Salesmen don’t like to be told how to make a sale.
I’ve learned over time that although my employees may not like structure at
first, they soon learn to appreciate it. Most of these employees who were
initially apprehensive about working for me were coming from a previous job
which was unstructured. For example, they might be in the middle of dismantling
a car only to have the boss or manager take them off that job to put them on
another job. When their jobs are not clearly demarked and responsibilities are
not clearly defined, your employees cannot know exactly what they are expected
to do. The lack of clearly defined job tasks can create anxiety for some
employees and, in turn, may cause them to function poorly.
Those who have come to me from that kind of past have taught me that a total
lack of structure simply erodes the motivation behind work. Some say that they
could never predict what their boss was going to give them next. They had a hard
time feeling good about their work. When they came to me, as soon as they got
over their apprehension about any structure we might impose, they found
themselves completing more and feeling good about it at the end of the day.
I don’t tell them every detail. I just clearly define my expectations and make
sure they understand their responsibilities. Then I let them go to work. I
reward them with recognition and pay for performance when they show outstanding
achievement in their results.
If you are not already doing this, you’ll find that employees like structure
once it is imposed. They like knowing exactly what you expect from them on a
given day. They like achieving it. They like knowing exactly how much they’re
going to be paid, especially when they know that pay is based on their
performance.
It all adds up to not only happier employees but also happier customers because
the happiness rubs off on your customers. Given a little structure and allowed
the freedom to perform individually within that structure, employees can achieve
maximum output.
Create a business culture where roles are clearly defined and expectations are
laid out in plain view along with attainable goals, and you establish a happy
employee relationship. They’ll work hard for you, and they’ll reflect their
contentment and belief in you to your customer base.
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AutoSalvageconsultant.com was formed in 2001 to help recyclers improve their
businesses. With over fifty years of experience in three staff members, the
group is THE definitive source for recyclers’ management and training needs. The
founder, Ron Sturgeon is past owner of AAA Small Car World. You can review his
resume, with skills and experience at our web site. In 2002, his book How to
Salvage Millions From Your Small Business was published to help small
business owners achieve significant success, and was recently reprinted in the
U.S., and published in China, Korea and the Czech Republic. You can learn more
about how to help your business at
www.autosalvageconsultant.com.
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