JoB
Smitty…
again.. some of the most productive employees are those who take mental breaks at the water cooler and on the internet… those real or virtual chats stimulate new thought patterns that produce ideas.
Take a look around you at those employees. Do they look rested and energized to you or are they looking tired and worn down. Fatigue and stress affect performance.
The culture of fear may have produced an uptick in tasks.. but i am betting it hasn’t done much for innovation. Who has time to think when they are doing two or three or four jobs instead of one?
When what Americans are increasingly selling is either service or thought… employees who can provide both are literally the lifeblood of a business.
Due to the economy.. our local retailers are experiencing an surge in shoplifting. Their response is to pass the responsibility for store security on to their employees who are now treating all customers as probable shoplifters.
More than one local store has lost my business because of that recent change.
What those stores have failed to realize is that their customers can buy as cheaply on the internet as in the store and that customers who don’t feel valued in their local stores are more likely to do so… or to seek out one of their competitors who understand that service really matters in service businesses.
This really is very bad short term corporate thinking that is prompted by the surge in the bottom line that leads to rising stock prices when companies eliminate employees.
When will corporate America get it in their head that rising stock prices don’t produce a competitive product?