Working Up

by Dwayne Phillips

Managing work and leading people isn’t easy. It is, however, the job of managers.

I have recently seen several articles about the struggle to bring people back into the office two, three, or even five days a week. And there are requirements to prove that a person actually came to the office, stayed for more than a cup of coffee, and accomplished some work.

What should the policy be? Simple. The policy should be THINK. Think about this person, their personality, their work style, the work they are assigned to accomplish, how that work affects other people and the organization, and tell that person what they need to do.

Yeah, but…

That means thinking about every person every day, talking to every person every day, ensuring the work is accomplished, ensuring every person is reasonably happy with their job and contribution, and… Gosh, that is a lot of work. It is much simpler to declare one policy for everyone and expect everyone to fall in line or toe the line or some cliche. Much simpler. Much less thinking.

Sorry. I am the manager. You are the manager. This is our job. We lead people and manage work. We can do it. We can do better.