How You Work Is Up To You
– Be a trailblazer
What lubricates the process for us is faith—faith supported by experience—that employees can pursue their self-interest and fulfill the company’s agenda at the same time. If there’s a match or alignment between what we want and what they want, the results will be twofold: While they’re busy satisfying themselves, they’ll satisfy the company’s objectives, too. They succeed, we succeed. – Ricardo Semler
In a Nutshell
Trust is a key element in any relationship. Do you trust your employees to find their way through the work? Do you trust them to complete the task they’re given? If the answer is yes, then letting people work how they want to is your best bet.
When you treat employees as adults, the relationship dynamic at the workplace completely transforms. It’s no longer a hierarchical setup with rigid rules but a more informal approach with fluid rules that can be bent and shaped according to need. And it’s not a myth: When they are treated well, employees tend to be more responsible and go out of their way to make sure they do whatever is in the best interests of the company. This, in turn, increases the profitability of the company.
But allowing people to work they want to isn’t a simple switch to make. To make it a successful endeavour, companies need to relax their rules on multiple things – like offering flexible hours; simplifying rules; giving employees greater autonomy to make decisions and bring risky, innovative ideas to the table. It’s also a good idea not to over-complicate any of the ideals that the company has for itself. Keep it as simple as possible and trust the employees to not take advantage of their freedom. More often than not, they won’t.
When offices become open, transparent spaces for discussion, opinions, feedback and ideas, organizations have a real shot at being less conventional. When employees feel like they are in a safe space to discuss or openly give feedback, new ideas are shared more often and problems can be solved jointly. There on, there’s only one way for the company to grow: Upwards.