It is very frustrating to be expected to do a good job, fast, accurate, and enjoy it, when you do not have the proper equipment or training to complete the tasks properly. Our office has recently begun the task of moving from paper to electronic files, we all understand that this process will take months to complete, but we are finding that it will take us even longer if we do not have the right equipment to make the transformation. Sometimes it is hard for management to fully realize the impact it has on its employees by asking them to move ahead with old equipment or lack of training. One of our staff members left a nice note for our employer letting him know that she was not able to help with the work that needed to be done to move from paper to electronic because she did not have a scanner to use and that she really needed one. That one request helped our boss to see what we were lacking “equipment wise” to get things done in order to complete the conversion of the office. He immediately went out the purchased an “all-in-one” for this employees desk. Now he didn’t need to spend hundreds of dollars to accomplish this, not even a hundred, but the difference it made to his staff member when she came to work today and saw that he listened to her and agreed with her request was worth millions. There are three key ingredients that motivate employees at their job and they should be no-brainers for employers to meet. (1) Employees need their own space to work, if not space, their own drawer, locker or station. It is important to feel you have your own space at work, in order to belong there. (2) Employees need the right tools (up-to-date) to complete the tasks that are required of them and to do a good job. Using old and out-dated equipment that does not work properly is a drag. The better and faster the equipment works, the better the employee can work. (3) Atmosphere, there needs to be a good, sound, ethically solid atmosphere for employees to produce their best, any less that this is not going to motivate employees to do their best.
If you are an employer I hope you think about making sure your employees have what they need to get the job you are asking them to do done, and in a great environment. If you are an employee and you realize that you need certain items in order to complete your job tasks, take the time to talk to your boss or management about how you feel and why. It is hard to believe the an employer would want to waste their money paying an employee do to a job that they have not provided the proper means to completing it. Take the time to talk, it will only make your workplace better.
Author: Tina Del Buono, PMAC
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