There have been many changes in employment law in Kansas recently. Kansas has never been a bastion of employee rights, being among the most conservative in the nation in this regard. However you feel about this, there's no denying it.  What is often forgotten is that almost all of us in the workforce are employees, not employers.  The only true employers are business owners.  You may be a high-level manager but you're still an employee if you don't own the company.  I do own my business but still am alarmed at some of the changes in Kansas.

Just recently, teachers in Kansas lost their statutory rights to due process hearings following terminations, a right in place since the 1950's. State civil service employees can now be easily declassified and new hires not have any civil service protections, a significant loss of rights previously held for decades here. The workers compensation laws have been changed making it more difficult for employees to get even minimal benefits in certain instances, the length of time employees can collect unemployment benefits has been shortened pursuant to a new formula based on the unemployment rate, eligibility for same has been made more difficult as well, changes to the Wage Payment Act were made and the Kansas Human Rights Commission has operated under a hiring freeze for a significant amount of time.

These changes clearly illustrate a certain philosophy at work here. It is a matter of opinion whether that is good or bad, but remember most of you are employees and sometimes bad things happen to good employees at work and there may now be less you can do about it, if anything, depending on the facts of your situation. http://www.employmentlawman.com/monday-morning-musings.html        

     

Sometimes we all wonder if we are being heard, noticed or have any impact at work, in our social media postings or at large. This raises the question of feedback. Although LinkedIn is not noted for large-scale commenting or even liking of posts compared to Facebook and other social media, it is nice to get some. Luckily for me, I have had people kind enough to like, comment or at least view my posts here, but there have been times I have wondered whether posting original material that takes some time to write really matters to anyone or has any impact. I enjoy writing, so that is some reward in itself. I admit that I have read many posts here I enjoyed but didn't comment or like on the post because that seems to be the norm on LinkedIn for whatever reason, read and move on. None of us should expect constant feedback but everyone needs some feedback now and then. If one person gets something out of a post, that is still impact but it's nice to know if that happened. 

This raises the larger question of communication and feedback at work.  We have all had a boss whose philosophy is "unless you hear from me, you're doing fine." False praise is not good either. If we want to improve at work, we must know what we are doing well and what we need to improve on. Accurate and timely feedback is the one area in which many managers fall short. It is difficult for some to be constructively critical as well as to praise excellent performance. A successful leader knows how to do both. Let us strive to do better in our own communication at work, at home, everywhere. You don't have to be the Pope, the President, or a famous person to have deep impact. You just might be surprised how seemingly small things make a difference to somebody. A friendly hello and a smile can make a big difference in a person's day.  We're all in this thing together after all.  http://www.employmentlawman.com/monday-morning-musings.html         

Most of us recognize that those little extra steps and efforts make all the difference.  That last proofread before the email goes out, a follow-up call to a client to make sure they were satisfied and their needs  met, that extra push to get the product out the door on time or, better yet, ahead of schedule.  We know it's important but sometimes fall short for any of a variety of reasons, just excuses really.  

The true professionals get the job done well every time by requiring more of themselves than their average peer.  Anyone can do it but comparatively few go the extra mile consistently.  Sometimes that extra mile doesn't take but a few minutes longer.  "It's good enough" versus "I gave it everything."  The difference is noticeable to others.  Even just taking a moment to thank a co-worker for staying a little late to help you out, again a little detail but a really big deal in truth.  

Consistency is important as well.  Being superlative occasionally doesn't get it done in the larger picture.   Work is more a marathon than a sprint really, although sprinting is sometimes required for sure.  "What would I appreciate as a customer" is a good mindset to have when trying to decide how to fulfill your customers' needs.  No one is perfect but we can always strive for greater excellence the next time out.  It all comes down to what we choose to demand of ourselves.  http://www.employmentlawman.com/monday-morning-musings.html