The Friction Report 12.15.17

              The Friction Report 12.15.17

                                      Gray to black and white     

                                                           by Don Ford

            I was communicating with a good friend the other day, yes I do have some good friends, and we were commenting on management’s philosophies. I always thought of myself as the manager who followed the policies. I have always seen policies as black and white, in other words be consistent in following the written policies and rules. When a written policy or rule is broken, then the specified reprimand will then occur!

            I also believed that deviations from the written policies and rules, which I call gray areas, should only occur when upper management would approve the deviation from a written policy or rule!

            These deviations (gray areas) will more than likely upset some staff if the reason for the deviation is not explained. Hourly employees may tell management of their concerns, but most likely complain among themselves. A gray rule that is applied to one person, and not others, is inconsistent, and seen by most staff as, “Management being inconsistent and unfair.”  

           As I see it, following written rules and policies ensure consistency and fairness in the work place. When a deviation is introduced, from that point on that deviation should be administered consistently! When the so called gray area is administered consistently, it then becomes black and white, in other words, “The deviation is now a policy or rule”!

           

I believe in black and white policies and rules, even when they evolve from a gray area.

            I believe, all management teams should, “Be consistent, fair and open, in everything they do”!

            What applies to one employee should also apply to all employees. There may be different values to the policies and rules for different groups of employees, and these differences should be posted so everyone knows the difference and reasons for the difference.

            Let’s say one group gets more of a benefit, like time off, than another group. There are reasons why one group has more of a benefit that another group, these reasons should be known by all staff. There can be hard feelings in the group that does not get the extended benefit if they don’t understand the reason. Would you think something was fair if the person working beside you had more of a benefit than you, and you didn’t know why?

            What if you ask Management or Human Resources, “Why does that group get extended benefits and we don’t”, and the answer received is something to the effect, “That’s the way we are doing it”!

            Be consistent, fair, and open! Communicate, listen, explain, listen, explain…

Don Ford