All or Nothing

Business can be a funny thing. One day it can be slow and the next day you can't catch up. Our office was slower than normal last month and I started to get a bit stir crazy. There is always something to do...but the phone calls were down and there just wasn't as much activity as normal. I ran some reports and looked at our call volume and it sure enough had taken a dip. When I compared some other reports we actually weren't quite as slow as I thought we were at first. This could have been because the previous month we had a really, really busy month.

When things slow down some high pressure sales jobs may want you to pound the pavement or start blowing up the phones making cold calls. I am guilty of saying look when the phones aren't ringing we need to do something to make them ring. But that is because I don't like to watch paint dry. 

This is a really great time to review things. Do some housekeeping and polish up on policies and procedures. What is working and what isn't. Have you ever heard the old saying it worked so well I quit doing it?

I love thinking about things that I know worked well and reinventing them. It is a great time to discuss things with your teams and see what their thoughts are. Get feedback on what is working or what isn't.

Thankfully the pendulum shifted and things got back to the busy I like pretty quickly and I didn't have all that much time to reminisce about all of those things. 

Keeping Busy

What you do when it is slower than normal really can make a big difference. One of the best things to do is just keep busy by finding things that need to be done. And not waiting for someone to ask you to do it.

My first few jobs that I had I remember doing odd and end things to stay busy. When I used to help my grandfather and others around their farms I learned to always stay busy. If you are standing around and not doing anything that was a sure way to get sent home. And it wasn't paid time off either! There was always something that needed to be done. Fix this, clean that, sweep that, organize that. 

I am pretty sure I took this with me to many other jobs. From changing tires, to working in restaurants, working on signs, cleaning cars, etc. If there were 3 of us and 2 people were talking and I was sweeping the floors I wasn't going home. I didn't want to stand around and be bored either and even if it wasn't my job I wanted to know how to do it.

I was always asking what can I do, or do you need help with anything. And one thing you can always do even when you don't think there is anything to do is clean up and get organized. Staying busy, I made myself valuable and I was learning a number of different things by doing that.

And I learned a LOT by NOT saying that's not my job. I was a team player and my bosses or managers could count on me being there on time, staying late and helping out with whatever they needed. And this made me worth having around. 

Pride in your Workplace

Being a team player and helping out shows. It shows that you have Pride in your Workplace. 

I have a habit of drinking an energy drink here and there. If you ask most people they would tell you I probably don't need it. But it is a little pick me up that I like to think makes me go into overdrive. The other day I walked in a store to get my little - pick me up and I really was quite sad to see what has happened there. 

No longer are there 7 or 8 employees in the store now there are normally only 2. Not a one says hi or hello. There is trash everywhere all over the parking lot and even inside the store. And the two people that were working there just carried on a conversation that shouldn't have been overheard by a single customer and there were multiple customers in the store. Each customer had to check themselves out with the self checkout. Why? Because there was no one even behind the register. They were too busy. Doing everything but working. 

Now from the bit of the conversation I overheard it was "better get out of my face talking about that, shh it ain't my job." Really I'm not sure what either of their jobs were because the entire time I was there I didn't see either one of them do anything other than talk with each other. As multiple people left there was Not a single Thank You, come back and see us again. 

Actually they didn't even acknowledge anyone that walked in or out the entire time. Nothing. And you know why...because they don't care. They really don't care if you or I come in or not. It was obvious. Guess what a self check out system was doing their job better. 

There was no pride in their workplace. It is pretty easy to tell when someone enjoys their workplace and this was just a JOB to them. And I wouldn't be surprised the next time I stroll in, if there is only one person in there.

Maybe it is the fault of the employer, manager. Maybe it is the poor morale due to the self check outs that have replaced so many of their co-workers. Maybe the self checkout systems were necessary because of the poor performance of so many people? Maybe it is just because that is what we have come to expect from people and we accept. And that is pretty sad too.

It really is a double edged sword. Those self checkout machines have no pride of their workplace. They don't care if you or I are there at all. They don't have an attitude or say that's not my job, but they don't do any other jobs either. They have no personality, good or bad. They don't get paid more to stay late or come in early. And they certainly aren't going to do anything extra to make me want to come back either.

And as much as I try to avoid places that use these system they are becoming the norm and the few remaining employees of these places well customer service just doesn't seem to be their JOB.

David

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