Workplace diversity comes in many forms. One such issue you’re likely to encounter at least once or twice is the issue of religion in the workplace. In most scenarios, there will be question regarding whether or not your company or organisation will make accommodations for workers of varying faiths.

Take XYZ Corporation, for example. XYZ has three shifts, and employees are rotated monthly so that no one person has to spend too much time on the late shift or early morning shift. A problem arose when Joe, who had thus far only worked the early or mid-day shifts, was suddenly required to work the late shift. What was the problem? He was a strict follower of a certain Jewish sect and needed to be home before dark on Friday evenings. A meeting with his supervisor was held to draw up an effective time management plan. Fortunately, there was another employee who was able to trade shifts with Joe and management was flexible enough to make an exception based on his needs.

We’ve heard of similar stories. In the United States, there was a factory in a town with a heavy Muslim population. Some wanted to stop working during business hours to pray, while others wanted to leave work during the day on Fridays to attend a prayer group. The managers of this organisation, sensitive to the needs of both their company and the community, were able to juggle employee schedules so that everyone had the time they needed without missing extra hours of work.

You may be faced with similar issues at some point during your career. You’ll find men who refuse to work for a woman in a superior position. Others will refuse to adhere to dress codes that they feel conflict with their religious practices. Some employees will stand firm in their beliefs, while others will be more likely to compromise. The question is whether or not you’re prepared to sit down and speak with your employees in order to get a better understanding of where they’re coming from and what they need. Effective management means being sensitive to your work group.

Have you experience something similar to this in the past? If so, what did you do to remedy the situation? I look forward to hearing from you!

Thanks again,
Sean

Sean McPheat
Managing Director
MTD Management Training

Click below for a:
FREE email course “Improve Your Management Skills”

Not long ago a friend of mine relayed a story about some difficult changes that had been going on within her organisation. The company had been talking about downsizing for months and, as time went by, she and her fellow employees become more and more disgruntled. Upper management was keeping information locked tight, and middle management had ceased communicating with their employees and teams because they simply didn’t know what to say.

Eventually, the list of people to be laid off was released and the task of informing each person that he would be losing his job fell on one individual manager. My friend was not on the list, but had seen the writing on the wall and realized that the organisation was no longer a place she wanted to work. She found another job and gave her notice.

On her last day, Manager X from upper management pulled her aside and asked to speak. He asked her about some of the things that she liked and disliked about her job, confirmed her reasons for leaving, and released her to go finish clearing out her desk. It was a relatively standard exit interview.

To her surprise, that same manager reappeared at her desk and asked to speak with her for a few more minutes. They found an empty conference room and she was shocked when he asked, point blank, “What do people think of me?”

Surprised to hear the question, but having always had honest conversations with this manager, she hesitated only slightly before telling him that most of the employees he managed found him to be grumpy and unapproachable. She reiterated that she understood he had been given the unfortunate task of delivering layoff notices to so many people, but that his attitude towards others had been cold and aloof for much longer than the few months before the organisational changes. While anyone would have admitted he was a valuable informational resource and shrewd business person, no one found him personable and many thought he was a poor manager.

Hearing this story caused me to take a step back and think about my relationships with the members of my own team. I would hate to have any of them think I was rude or unapproachable, so I made an extra effort to communicate with each one personally – just to check in, make sure they were happy with their jobs, and to find out what was going on in their lives.

Taking a few minutes out of your day or week to check on your employees isn’t going to make or break your goals or blow your time management plan out of the water. Making the effort will simply let your employees know you care and, in the end, will likely result in a happier and more efficient team.

What does your team think of you?

Thanks again,
Sean

Sean McPheat
Managing Director
MTD Management Training

Click below for a:
FREE email course “Improve Your Management Skills”

One of the most difficult things I had to learn as a young business person was effective management delegation. I was afraid to delegate tasks to those beneath me; partially because I was used to doing so much on my own and partially because I was afraid the job wouldn’t be completed to my own personal standards. Rather than take the risk, I tried to finish projects by myself and rarely asked for help.

What a mistake! I soon had more work than I could handle and the quality of my completed tasks was suffering; not because I didn’t care but because I simply didn’t have enough time. I quickly realized that delegating tasks is not only integral to the successful completion of projects, but it is also an effective method of time management!

When your superiors give you a task, you automatically become responsible for the project and can be held accountable for the outcome. You’ll then delegate the task to an individual or group, thus transferring responsibility to those who are going to do the physical work. In the end, however, your superiors are going to look to you for the end product and you will always be held accountable for the quality of the work.

Your team should be properly trained and prepared for any task you hand them. You have, after all, spent countless hours working with them so there should be no question in your mind as to whether or not they can handle any given situation. Some managers are afraid of giving up power or control, but this is also an unreasonable excuse for avoiding delegation.

Delegation can be a scary concept for both new and seasoned managers, but it is one you have to learn to deal with rather quickly. There is not a single person in the world that can do everything, and you’ve been given the authority to hire a team for a reason. As long as you have taken the time to properly train your new hires, there should be no reason to hold back when it comes to delegating tasks.

Take a close look at the members of your team. Are they properly prepared for anything you may have to throw at them? If not, you haven’t done your job and you need to make a plan to remedy the situation as soon as possible!

Thanks again,
Sean

Sean McPheat
Managing Director
MTD Management Training

Click below for a:
FREE email course “Improve Your Management Skills”