Dear Joan:
We have been experiencing a critical personnel problem within our firm during the past
few years. Many of our employees have been with the company for at least ten years.
Due to changes that occur over such an extensive period of time, these employees
have developed an "anti-corporate" attitude. New ideas are flatly rejected and each
employee clamors for the credit and recognition for any successful idea.
This situation is causing severe morale problems among newer employees and they are
leaving as fast as they join the firm. The older employees can't be terminated because
of the knowledge and skills they possess.
How do we deal with this situation and maintain the old with the new?
Answer:
The clue to solving this case may be in the last sentence of the first paragraph. A group
of people will always adjust to their environment in order to cope, so a good place to
begin looking for answers is in the way they respond to the workplace. As a corporate
Sherlock Holmes, your job is to identify the rewards and punishments that have created
this situation and find ways to solve the mystery.
If this group is quick to reject new ideas and eager to take credit for any idea that works,
what caused this? My hunch is an unskilled boss or an authoritative corporate culture
has something to do with it.
Here are a few clues to investigate: If a new idea was tried and failed, were they
criticized? Did their boss cultivate "pets" who had good ideas that were rubbed in the
faces of the rest? Does your company expect its employees to check their brains at the
door? Were new ideas shoved down their throats before they were tested? Did new
ideas always seem to result in demands for higher productivity? Did new ideas add
work that was never rewarded? Was individual competition rewarded over team play?
An "anti-corporate" attitude grows from a feeling of being used by the system. Anti-
corporate feelings can only grow when employees don't feel a part of the company.
Unfortunately, once negativism sets in, so does skepticism and sarcasm. This
gruesome threesome is tough to drive out.
The first place to consider making a change is in the leadership of the group. Even if the
manager is reasonably good, the old order of things needs to be shaken. This group
needs a people-smart manager, who has a clearly demonstrated understanding of
human motivation. If this new boss is a well-respected, well-liked manager in your firm,
all the better.
The next thing to do is find a way to train back-ups. It worries me (and should worry
your management) that "you can't terminate" these older workers because they are the
only ones who know the job. These employees are holding you hostage!
Change your reward system to favor cross training and cooperation. Giving a "training
bonus" to employees who train others can do this. If your company can't give money,
give significant non-monetary perks, such as flexible hours or Friday afternoon off. Don't
be conservative. This is a time to ring the bell of change and you don't want anyone to
miss it.
Find ways to listen to these experienced workers. One idea is to get them together in a
weekly meeting to brainstorm solutions to problems. Don't tease them with fake
meetings, however. If you aren't prepared to let them try their own ideas and reward
them for their effort, don't yank their chain. This won't work unless their manager is a
skilled meeting leader and believes in employee involvement and empowerment.
Start with problems that are relatively easy to fix, so they see quick results and know
you mean business. If they need training in how to participate in problem solving
meetings, bring someone in to teach them (and their boss) the skills. Praise all ideas
and reward team successes with theatre tickets, pizza at lunch or -better yet- let them
split a percentage of the money their new ideas save the company.
Try to find ways to break up old cliques. A few hard-core leaders may need to be moved
or their jobs changed to create a new power balance. If some employees sabotage your
attempts to create a new atmosphere, deal with them quickly. Talk to them privately
about what you see them doing and ask for their cooperation. If repeated conversations
fail to get the desired result, begin to document their lack of cooperation and warn them
that they could lose their jobs. As much as you would hate to lose an experienced
worker, you can't afford to let them scare off new talent that is the future lifeblood of
your company.
If you can crack this case, you will create the kind of healthy corporate culture that will
encourage the old and new employees to work together to help your company grow.