Cartoonist Notes
Productivity. It is an elusive thing in the workplace. Working harder has a finite limit because you can work people so long or hard that they become unproductive in the long run. It all depends on the task at hand, what it involves, its duration and other separate tasks that must be completed in concert with the task at hand. Working smarter means that you can figure out a better approach to create the same result using less resources, creating better quality or in a faster time period.
Some manager always has the "bright idea" that they want to roll out before they have tested it or even talked about it with employees. If the manager cat in this cartoon had simply asked the other cats about giving them new laptops, they might have pointed out that cats naturally like to sleep on warm things and it might not be the best idea.
I have managed many, many people in my lifetime and worked in physically and mentally intense positions. Everyone has a certain cut off point and for me it is around the 10 hour mark when I am working 10+ hour days on a continuous basis. Some people still think you just work people harder but it does not work that way. After a certain period of time, a person doing a job becomes burnt out and then they are being paid to do 1/4 of the work output at the same or overtime cost. That is just dumb. What is the balance to where you can get the most out of the people doing a job? It is different for each person. A good manager can find and know where that line is with individuals and also know peoples strengths and weaknesses. If you have someone with a creative or tinkering mind, ask them to think about possible solutions to problems. If you have someone that paces their workload well throughout the day get them to help on a last minute issue at the end of the day.
If someone is ill or is having a bad day, give them a little break. When the shit hits the fan and you need people to give that extra effort, they will do it for you. Build a team mentality. Always look to improve. Always listen to what people have to say. Hold people accountable for their performance - how else will they learn and improve so they can keep their job? Always remember that your integrity and fairness are paramount to being able to lead. Once you lose them, you may as well just move on.
Productivity. It is an elusive thing in the workplace. Working harder has a finite limit because you can work people so long or hard that they become unproductive in the long run. It all depends on the task at hand, what it involves, its duration and other separate tasks that must be completed in concert with the task at hand. Working smarter means that you can figure out a better approach to create the same result using less resources, creating better quality or in a faster time period.
Some manager always has the "bright idea" that they want to roll out before they have tested it or even talked about it with employees. If the manager cat in this cartoon had simply asked the other cats about giving them new laptops, they might have pointed out that cats naturally like to sleep on warm things and it might not be the best idea.
I have managed many, many people in my lifetime and worked in physically and mentally intense positions. Everyone has a certain cut off point and for me it is around the 10 hour mark when I am working 10+ hour days on a continuous basis. Some people still think you just work people harder but it does not work that way. After a certain period of time, a person doing a job becomes burnt out and then they are being paid to do 1/4 of the work output at the same or overtime cost. That is just dumb. What is the balance to where you can get the most out of the people doing a job? It is different for each person. A good manager can find and know where that line is with individuals and also know peoples strengths and weaknesses. If you have someone with a creative or tinkering mind, ask them to think about possible solutions to problems. If you have someone that paces their workload well throughout the day get them to help on a last minute issue at the end of the day.
If someone is ill or is having a bad day, give them a little break. When the shit hits the fan and you need people to give that extra effort, they will do it for you. Build a team mentality. Always look to improve. Always listen to what people have to say. Hold people accountable for their performance - how else will they learn and improve so they can keep their job? Always remember that your integrity and fairness are paramount to being able to lead. Once you lose them, you may as well just move on.
All content is owned & Copyrighted by Eric Grimes. Use of material allowed by linking to this website directly or referencing this website dudesbee.weebly.com and Eric Grimes.