Every article that we read commemorates how leaders of an organization made it successful. Awards, recognitions, and bigger benefits are given to those who have shown exemplary performance in making any company or business a success. Of course, it could also be the other way around but that is not our topic in this blog.
When a strike happens, the business halts. When employees do not come to work, productivity and efficiency are affected. Customers complaining about services or products are always fixed by those who are actually providing them. While leaders give directions and inspire to motivate, it is up to those at the bottom of the hierarchy to carry it out.
So, why are they often ignored? Why overwork them? Why are they treated as machines? And, behind of all the facade of the so-called taking care of employees, why are they still replaceable?
Employees face customers and clients
When I was a customer service representative for tech support, there was this one time when the customer’s concern was beyond my expertise, let alone access and authority, to fix his problem. I had to look for a level 2 representative who was more experienced and had access and authority to provide help. I was able to find out, but he did not allow me to transfer the call to him; instead, he just told me to tell the customer that we could not do anything about it. I cannot remember the exact issue however, I felt that I was left alone to deal with something that I could not fix. Well, you could have imagined what transpired in the call – the customer was angry and I think we just ended the call with him being disappointed.
At a famous coffee shop, I am not saying the name but probably you and I go there often or at least once a week, the barista refused to give me straw saying it is a city ordinance. It must be a drive for a green city, to be environmentally friendly. The barista also asked that if I had it to go, she would give me the straw but couldn’t stay in the coffee shop premises and I had to leave. Well, I had my coffee there without the straw. It was manageable but still, there was this lingering irritability in my head of her refusing to give me what I wanted.
These are just two stories among the many that we may have all encountered. We get pissed at those providing us service and not to whoever manages or leads them. As employees, all of us must have experienced this. We face the customers. We face the clients. The resolution lies in our hands. The service is what we provide. While there would be guidelines on how to do it, and training on processes, at the end of the day, it is the front liners that represent the company. Whenever something goes wrong, it is the employee who provided the service, who faced the client, is often blamed.
In reverse, when everything goes right, it is good leadership.
Employees are directed and managed to perform
While it is the employees that make things happen, the goals, objectives, and how to achieve it come from the leadership. Whoever is at helm of the an organization directs everyone towards accomplishing the company’s goals. At the same time, it is also the responsibility of those at the top to ensure that those performing the work are equipped, trained, and taken care of.
So, considering the above, all of these are actions directed as input to the workers. Just like a machine or planting. Whatever is the input to a manufacturing machine will be the output of that machine. Whatever you sow, you reap. However, if all of the directions did not work, the one at fault would be the employee.
If the process is not followed, something is wrong with the employee. Of course, they are the ones doing the work following necessary steps and the outcome of that process is not the desired result, then, it must be how it was done by the employee.
Employees and Employers must work together
To sum all of these, while the employees make things happen for the company, it cannot be done without proper guidance. Leadership is a great skill to drive a company towards achieving its goals. But even the greatest leaders fail when employees do something else.
Employees are the front line of the business. Customers engage with the employees and decides to do business based on the interaction they get. If employees are not taken care of, even the greatest, highest performing employee will lose the motivation to do the job that the customers and clients deserve.
Wouldn’t it be right to give the most benefits and rewards to the front lines and not the ones leading the charge? In effect, would that make everyone stay in the front lines and refuse to be promoted? Well, I have different reasons but I’d rather stay where am I now where I can deliver the most impact.
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