Most managers have dealt with dishonest or lazy employees at some point. These employees selfishly squander your time and money, thinking you don’t notice. They do a poor job or no job at all.
Some of these employees are truly bad no matter who they work for, but some of them actually have a hardworking side to them that just needs a little nurturing.
If the employee has a hardworking side to him then those qualities can be brought out by providing a positive environment.
When In Rome…
If employees see their coworkers slacking off, their lazy side might just get the best of them. One, or many employees, might drop down to the same level and before you know it, you have a whole office full of slackers. Even though employees know what is expected of them – do good, honest, hard work – it’s not always easy to be the only one in the office striving towards excellence. Sometimes, employees might be great workers in a better environment but find it hard to perform in a group of underperformers.
Trust and Respect Employees and They Will Give Back
If employees are to excel, the boss has to trust the employee to prove himself. Even if you don’t totally believe in the employee or think he is a guru in his field, if he is treated as though he is, he just may start to become that person and finally begin to perform at his peak.
If we treat people the way they are, we make them worse. If we treat people as they ought to be, we can help them become what they are capable of becoming. – Goethe
It is a tricky role to play, to balance what you observe them to be and what you expect them to be. Granted, this will not work with every employee. Some people are inherently lazy; they aren’t hard workers at all. But if you commit to being friendly and fair with your employees, treating them with trust and respect, you will give them the opportunity to live up to your standards so that they can become the employees that you desire. Most people don’t want to let down a friend that trusts and believes in him. If you can establish this report with your employees, they will be more likely to do a great job.
