What’s Your Vacation Policy?
I’m on “vacation” this week, which means I’m staying in house by the shore and doing work rather than being in my office and doing work. (Well, not quite. I went into the office yesterday for a few hours to participate in a conference call and pick up my rebuilt computer. Then I drove back down to the shore.) That’s the reality of a small business owner, and I knew that when I signed up for that gig five years ago that there wouldn’t ever be a day off from work or worry. That’s my story.
But what about your employees? Did they sign on for 24/7/365?
I like it when employees are invested in the business. But my sense is that people need downtime. (Speaking from experience, btw.) They need time to be away from Blackberries and computers and works worries. How does that work in your shop? When people are away on “vacation,” are they really away? Is there a way that you can make it so that when they go on vacation that they really go to their happy place rather than going to work, only in a place that uses different currency?
I know this is a tough balancing act. Some companies, and some managers, are able to let their people go. They let people be on vacation. Others are always living on the edge and think those little fires are world enders. My sense is that those people never get any rest.
I don’t have a solution for this one. I’m just hoping that if I come back in another lifetime that I come back as a Frenchman. The 35-hour workweek and 6 weeks off in the summer with no worries about work sound pretty good.
Psst…Did You Hear?
The only time people dislike gossip is when you gossip about them.
–Will Rogers
Do you have a whisper and gossip culture at your shop? And if you do, what’s the odds of creating a high involvement workplace?
Sure, We Trust You…Now Bend Over
In what should feel like a kick in the gut to every HR and IT person who thinks it’s okay “own” people while they’re at work, look at this Dilbert cartoon from March 3, 2008. Please look quickly because the strips don’t stay up for more than a couple of weeks. Here’s the punchline:
(Panel 1) Catbert to new employee: Our company is like a family. Our culture is built on trust and respect.
(Panel 2) Catbert to new employee: Now sign this document that says we can test you for drugs and search your computer and your office.
I’m predicting two reactions here. If you’re the one saying, “Yeah, that’s right, trust, but verify,” then all I can do is shake my head. Irony is not your strong suit. If you felt punched in the gut, do something. Change your policy. Or at least talk about it. In Plato’s words, “The unexamined life is not worth living.”
Can a Fish Climb a Tree?
Everybody is a genius. But if you judge a fish by its ability to climb a tree, it will live its whole life believing that it is stupid.
–Albert Einstein
My wife, Sheryl, sent this quote to me yesterday. I think it perfectly captures why performance reviews, by themselves, aren’t enough. Or even close to enough.
Performance reviews without a look at what people are good at, especially with Jack Welch’s world’s worst “10 percent of people won’t make it” system, is a little like judging a fish by its ability to climb a tree. I’m a big believer in “do what you love and success will follow.” You can argue with my logic, but go ahead and take on Einstein.
HR Lesson: Work Hard and Be Nice to People
There’s a real brilliance in simplicity. Anthony Burrill’s woodblock poster should be put up in HR departments and break rooms around the country. Toss out the HR mission statements. This is it: Work hard and be nice to people.
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