Management strategies: human resources advice for emerging businesses

Black Enterprise, June, 1992 by Iris Randall

The need to produce a quality product

To many of your employees, quality is akin to personal satisfaction. They are deeply committed to the accuracy and precision of their work. Conservative and disciplined, even strict if that is what it takes, they want to produce the best possible work. To meet the need to produce a quality product:

* Recognize quality work. When a letter or report has been typed perfectly, when a deadline is met ahead of time, when zero defects hae been reached, comment on it.

* Let your staff know that your are always available for consultation. keep your door open--lietarally and figuratively.

* Involve people in decision-making. Let them brainstorm the problem from the very beginning. They will have ownership and be more committed to seeing the program successfully carried out.

* Don't respond to concerns too quickly. It is perfectly acceptable in most cases to say, "I need to think about that, I'll get back to you in a couple of hours." And then do it before the deadline.

"Boosting morale to increase self-motivation and commitment is not difficult if you keep your staff in mind, and give people the opportunity to input their ideas." says William H. Webb Jr., of Greenwich, Conn. "Being president of two companies, [Webb Distribution Inc. (electronic hardware, fasteners and components) and Marco International Inc. (manufacturers of computer memory products)] offers opportunities daily for me to motivate by supporting innovative ideas. Working from my staff's point of view fulfills the Platinum Rule: "Do unto others as they would have your do unto them.'"

Employee Handbooks For Trouble-Free Management

A good employee handbook must do three things. It must enlighten, inform and be drafted carefully to prevent tying you in legal knots. It should also be easy to read. Following are some rules to keep in mind as you write your handbook.

Determine the importance of a good employee handbook to your company. Your employees need to know certain organizational practices and policies. In the example, some topics are fedrally manadated for most emplyers. You have some leeway with the others.

Decide what information will be included to give employees a sense of continuity and pride. A story about the founder of the company, perhaps, or the mission and vision of the owner. What you include has a lot of bearin gon the culture of your organization. Employees need to know what to expect from the company and what the company expects from them.

Draft this information in broad terms so that it cannot be misinterpreted as a legal contract. There is no exact formula to follwo, but before you distribute the book, you might want to run it past your legal counsel. Determine what will be included to let employees know the benefits of being affiliated with the company. When listing benefits, speak in broad but personal language. You want your employees to read the handbook, understand it and even ask questions about it. Include the subjects your employees ask about most often, and the employee work habits that are most troublesome in the company. Consider the subjects that managers tend to complain about; they might be the most misunderstood. Check whether state regulations on subjects such as terminations should be included.