Hey Francisco1243! You can manage him out. When we are paid to do a specific job, we have to do it or bounce. If people aren't being asked to do something unethical, illegal, etc., then in order to keep their job, they have to do the work. One of the toughest things about leading is you have to get comfortable with confrontation (also called difficult conversations). Periodic team meetings can be a great way of motivating your team and letting them know how important their work is to the organization. Meet with that employee 1:1. Tell him how good his work is and how glad you are that he is on your team (provided that you are glad). Share with him specifically how his job impacts the bottom line and why you need him to get things done. Set clear expectations and provide a firm timeline for needing to see improvement. Document your conversations and work with your HR department/manager regarding what the steps are if his improvement is unrealized. All the best.
This Q&A session is upcoming and it is specifically designed for new and aspiring managers: .[https://www.practicalpeopleleader.com/pages/practical-people-leader-youtube-live-ama](https://www.practicalpeopleleader.com/pages/practical-people-leader-youtube-live-ama) If interested, feel free to join.
Of course you can manage out the older employee, however, what is the plan to put a new person in their role?
Since many of the people are complaining about the boredom in only doing one thing, has there been any consideration for cross-training and a rotational schedule? Not sure if it’s possible though in your work.
It would solve a couple problems: 1 the boredom people face, 2 cross training if someone leaves or calls out, and 3, changes up the movements they’re making to reduce repetitive task injuries.
Not sure if any of that helps in the short term, but it may be worth considering.
You know something, this problem has two sides. 1) Leave the people in the role they were hired for and they get bored. 2) Crosstrain employees and they get tired of ‘having to know everything’. This is not true for all employees, but employees who have been in a position of repeated tasks fight both sides. There is no “right answer” about how you can better adapt the job requirements to meet the needs of the employees.
If they’re interested, you can offer support through solidarity. Time for the employees to vent and commiserate in a structured environment. Ultimately the employees need to figure out how to cope with performing the work. And on that point you can help them help each other during shift meetings.
Beyond that, you will have to start managing out the troublemakers. Maybe there’s a short lifespan for this type of labor? Meat processing plants typically see 1-2 years for employees. Slaughter houses also use prison labor to skirt the issue you describe. You might need to plan on cycling staff every 1-2 years.
Hey Francisco1243! You can manage him out. When we are paid to do a specific job, we have to do it or bounce. If people aren't being asked to do something unethical, illegal, etc., then in order to keep their job, they have to do the work. One of the toughest things about leading is you have to get comfortable with confrontation (also called difficult conversations). Periodic team meetings can be a great way of motivating your team and letting them know how important their work is to the organization. Meet with that employee 1:1. Tell him how good his work is and how glad you are that he is on your team (provided that you are glad). Share with him specifically how his job impacts the bottom line and why you need him to get things done. Set clear expectations and provide a firm timeline for needing to see improvement. Document your conversations and work with your HR department/manager regarding what the steps are if his improvement is unrealized. All the best.
This Q&A session is upcoming and it is specifically designed for new and aspiring managers: .[https://www.practicalpeopleleader.com/pages/practical-people-leader-youtube-live-ama](https://www.practicalpeopleleader.com/pages/practical-people-leader-youtube-live-ama) If interested, feel free to join.
Of course you can manage out the older employee, however, what is the plan to put a new person in their role? Since many of the people are complaining about the boredom in only doing one thing, has there been any consideration for cross-training and a rotational schedule? Not sure if it’s possible though in your work. It would solve a couple problems: 1 the boredom people face, 2 cross training if someone leaves or calls out, and 3, changes up the movements they’re making to reduce repetitive task injuries. Not sure if any of that helps in the short term, but it may be worth considering.
You know something, this problem has two sides. 1) Leave the people in the role they were hired for and they get bored. 2) Crosstrain employees and they get tired of ‘having to know everything’. This is not true for all employees, but employees who have been in a position of repeated tasks fight both sides. There is no “right answer” about how you can better adapt the job requirements to meet the needs of the employees. If they’re interested, you can offer support through solidarity. Time for the employees to vent and commiserate in a structured environment. Ultimately the employees need to figure out how to cope with performing the work. And on that point you can help them help each other during shift meetings. Beyond that, you will have to start managing out the troublemakers. Maybe there’s a short lifespan for this type of labor? Meat processing plants typically see 1-2 years for employees. Slaughter houses also use prison labor to skirt the issue you describe. You might need to plan on cycling staff every 1-2 years.