I think one of the things people crave most is authenticity.  We crave something real.  This is as true in business as it is in our personal lives.  Can I count on this person's promises, will the work be done on schedule and in a cost-effective way, will it be of high quality?  Will this company's performance live up to their marketing hype?  Are they listening to my needs and being honest in whether they can fulfill them?

Maybe the best we can do is be honest and authentic in our dealings and hope that we will generally be able to spot authenticity in others and reward it accordingly.  If you are honest and real, people will usually respond.  Short-term hype tactics don't work in the long haul, no matter how slick the marketing.  Be about something that is real and something that matters and require that in others.  Be authentic.   http://www.employmentlawman.com/monday-morning-musings.html     

There is little question it is an instant gratification world today.  Text messages, instant messages, email, the internet.  We are always plugged into the matrix, it seems.  Not everything can be obtained instantly, though.  Legal advice cannot always be provided instantly, as an example.  A quick internet search and bingo, there's your answer.  Sometimes, but not for complex problems, novel or unusual legal problems and including consideration of all the unique factual twists and turns of a given matter. The law changes quickly and there is no big book or website containing all the answers at one page turn or click.  There are many gray areas, just like in every aspect of life. 

It is okay for all of us to learn and to practice patience.  The world is not going to come to an end if we don't get an answer to every problem or query instantly.  Research, analysis and careful thought should not be a thing of the past, whether we are talking about law or other areas of life.  Take the time to look up from your electronic devices occasionally and truly engage in the world around you.  If not, you really are living in The Matrix.  http://www.employmentlawman.com/monday-morning-musings.html

I am sure we have all witnessed or been a part of a corporate philosophy of "sink or swim," where the employee is hired, given a brief orientation and quickly turned loose on the rest of the company and its customers.  To me, this is not so much a strategy as corporate laziness or, even worst, indifference or disregard for both the employee and the customers.  No one benefits from this approach, in my view.  

In days gone by, employees were apprenticed, working closely with masters of the skill or trade.  This didn't just apply to tradespeople but to other occupations as well, lawyering being one.  Formal schooling just provides a background.  As we all know, the workplace is where the real learning happens.  Some may be better equipped through knowledge and experience to hit the ground running, but each organization and its culture are unique.  Some training is always in order.

A formal or even informal mentoring program is something to consider.  Make a commitment to your employees and customers that they all matter.  Tailor any such program to your company's needs and the employee's prior skills and experiences.  Too often, I have heard employees complain that there is no real training program at their workplace.  Pleas for assistance are even ignored in such toxic workplaces.  Potentially good employees who could have been salvaged and even flourished instead are fired or quit out of frustration.  Nobody truly wins in that situation.  Treat your employees like assets, because they are and should be.  If you don't, they will become a liability.  http://www.employmentlawman.com/monday-morning-musings.html

People tend not to get along with each other.  History is replete with examples.  Family feuds, warring neighbors, strange Mrs. McGillicuddy at the drugstore. Obviously, there will be conflict in the workplace too, from time to time.  Differing ideas and opinions among employees in the workplace is often required and productive.  Negative conflict is what I am really talking about here, where people feel bullied, aggrieved in some way, harassed, discriminated against, disrespected.  When that happens, an organization must have an effective grievance process in place to deal with problems that inevitably arise when groups of people interact together regularly.

Have a grievance process with multiple reporting options.  In other words, avoid a lock-step process where the grievant must first go to his/her supervisor, then to the second level, etc.  If you do this, what happens if the person who is the subject of the grievance is the immediate supervisor (i.e. the supervisor is the one sexually harassing the employee)?  This produces a chilling effect on reporting.  Have a process that allows first contact with human resources, an owner, an upper manager, a variety of individuals designated as possible contact persons, in no particular order.  

Train your employees regularly on the multi-forked grievance process.  Assure employees that retaliation for reporting concerns will not be tolerated.  Follow up later with the grievant to make sure no retaliation has occurred as a result of a complaint. Consider as an additional option an anonymous suggestion box so that issues may get raised without a fear, real or perceived, of retaliation for reporting concerns.  Just because a grievant doesn't give his name doesn't mean the concern raised is frivolous. There may be a legitimate fear of reprisal that is an issue in itself.  Consider an ombudsperson, a telephone reporting hotline, a mediation process.  There are many options and combinations of options to consider for grievance procedures.  As an added bonus, effective internal grievance processes minimize litigation and can even be used as defenses to certain claims when an employee unreasonably fails to utilize an effective internal grievance process.  

Why can't we all just get along?  I don't know. But, I do know that conflict is inevitable and that an effective grievance process is necessary and invaluable.  
http://www.employmentlawman.com/monday-morning-musings.html

How many times have you gone to a restaurant, a store, or any business and received even less than the bare minimum in service?  The waiter who doesn't bother to smile and say hello, the cashier who doesn't thank you for your business after ringing you up. A lack of basic courtesy and manners all the way to shipping you the wrong product through carelessness, failing to follow up with you on a matter, a slow pace, a decided lack of enthusiasm, inexcusable error, the list goes on.

As an employee or owner, are you giving maximum effort all the time or just for some of the day and coasting the rest of the day?  Are you constantly trying to improve your skills, taking a class, reading some articles, keeping up with the latest technology in your job, or has your enthusiasm waned a bit?  It can happen.  Sometimes you need to kick yourself in the rear and remind yourself you can never learn everything you need to learn about your job, there is always more to learn (if not, consider moving on to a new challenge).  Do you give maximum effort to every project and customer or just your favorites? 

 Be better, learn more, try harder.  Even if your job is dull, try to make it interesting somehow.  Do it a new way, try to be more efficient, show more passion, creativity, be more engaging with your customers, something, anything.  As a manager, are you setting, enforcing, and modeling high standards for your employees? Talk the talk AND walk the walk. A lack of passion and commitment shows and whether or not anyone says anything, we notice when you phone it in.  
http://www.employmentlawman.com/monday-morning-musings.html