TrueBlueTerrier wrote:armani wrote:axeman wrote:have to agree there tbt. they want quality staff yet are not willing to fund them 'twa**' why aren't the like of b.james telling these pratts above. the system can't work unless they pay decent rates for the 'quality and not arsehol** like primark
Thats where you are wrong axeman.
I believe where part of the problem stems and I'm sure James will agree to some degree. There are many Managers in offices that simply cannot Manage. Without someone helping you and giving support it is quite a hard change to make. Then when the manager starts getting it in the neck for poor performance, instead of enthusing the team they go out and beat them up, standing over their shoulder dictating how to do things.
The other part is militant staff that think that because they have been the best for 20years at balancing andknowledge they are excluded from what is now needed. They will either refuse to do anything or just do it when the manager is within earshot.
So are senior management at POL and RM not to blame at all even if its their policy that's being implemented, and there training/promotion regime which puts these managers in place. A good manager (at all levels) will motivate even the most militant worker, but RM and POL appear to want to force change rather than bring their workers along with them. A well trained, motivated, appreciated and well paid worker will work harder and make greater profits than a barely trained, unmotivated, stressed out and poorly paid worker ever will. A that counts for managers as well.
Yes and No! All levels in the business are to 'blame' if you want to put it like that. A few years ago we started to get the counter staff to ask 'Urgent or Valuable' when people posted a letter, there are still people around who can't or won't grasp that simple questioning concept. Some managers are guilty of not challenging these people enough, maybe because they don't like confrontation, but more likely because they want a quiet life and a 'body' on the counter. The sales processes we want the counter staff to do now are not new, they are an extension of what we have been asking them to do for years. Now we have got to the point that we cannot ask any more, we have to tell because it is a financial fact of life that unless there is a serious 'U' turn by the Govt, we need to make money. Selling a few stamps, cashing a few giros and selling the occasional Premium Bond will not counteract £70 million of losses. The underperformance process, if used properly, can benefit both sides. Counter staff get a very clear idea of what they need to do, and how far away they are from achieving that goal. From the managers' side it gives us the opportunity to bring a team member up to speed. However, all too often the waters get muddied with claims of harassment, people going sick, and managers not providing enough evidence of performance levels. And therin lies a fundamental problem that is overlooked by so many people, for the offices to be managed properly, with all the correct paperwork done, all the required monitoring done and everything else besides, we actually need more managers! A lot of managers will not put anyone on the MUP process because it takes too long, there is so much paperwork involved, and you would be involved with it every day of the working week. And at the end of all that there is no guarantee that you would get the result you want. In a lot of offices, if you ask, or indeed tell a member of staff to do something that is part of their job, in particular selling, their first cry is - 'I'm calling the union' followed by 'Your'e harassing me' 'I'm going sick'. And who wins then?
So who is to 'blame'; the staff for not doing what they are asked? or the managers for not challenging? or is it the fault of people further up the food chain who don't look to see what the problems really are? Do the people in the 'Ivory Towers' know what is going on? largely no, because people lower down tell them what they want to hear, because telling an uncomfortable truth is seen as professional suicide.
Armani is right when he says that some managers can't manage, I could point at several who fit that bill, but whose fault is that? Why haven't they been challenged? What have their area managers done about their under-performance. It comes back to what I was saying before, and until we adequately and consistently challenge people for not doing their jobs the lack of performance will continue.
With regard to motivation, I don't think that one individual can necessarily motivate another. I think motivation comes from within. I can give my team all the tools they need to do their job, I can support them, I can encourage them I can explain why we need to do it, and ultimately what is in it for them, but sometimes that will not sway the more 'militant' members of the team, particularly the ones in my office who are leaving when the office converts. How can you effectively motivate someone who doesn't believe it is their job to sell insurance products when they leave the business in a couple of months tens of thousands of pounds richer? I can tell you it is not easy.
So to sum up - the so called ills of this business, particularly POL can be firmly layed at the door of all levels of the business, because each level in it's own way, be it by refusal or omission we has not done it's job properly.
I can assure you that managers on my level are ALWAYS passing our concerns up the line. We see the same problems day in, day out as our teams, and it is our job to pass on this sort of information. However, what happens after it leaves our level may well be the problem. I have worked for a number of very good area managers, who always tried to deal with issues and concerns, but at the end of the day money talks in this business at the moment, and it would seem that the best option is often dropped in favour of the cheapest. We could start a completely new thread just on cost-cutting horror stories alone.