All of us need some guidance and a plan to follow at times. That’s what a policy is for. The problem is, if you use the word ‘policy’ your employees are going to shrug. Like when you are on the phone with a customer service rep trying to get help with a billing issue and they tell you “sorry, it’s our policy.”
Customers don’t care about policies; they care about what you can do for them.
“Policy,” it’s a cold and ugly word. Not many people want to review a policy. And they won’t smile when you ask them to.
So make a checklist.
Create a checklist for each section of your business. Print it and distribute it so that all employees can see it and have access to it at all times.
The checklist will be different for each section of your business, but can include the whole process for a certain task. This concept is no different then using a schedule book to plan each day. It’s like a more formal ‘to do list’.
An employee of a real estate management company may have the following checklist:
- Check and reply to emails
- Call and deal with any maintenance issues
- Call building owners
- Write reports
- Put together notes for next strata meeting
- Prepare work for tomorrow
The employee at a manufacturing company may have a checklist like this:
- Turn on machines to warm up
- Put on goggles and noise reduction earphones
- Pour rubber mold
- Shape and adjust
- Put in oven
- Start second batch
- Take out first batch from oven
- Place into cooling chamber
- Take out of cooling chamber and finalize shape
- Attach part #625 and put in box #1800
- Repeat
Of course these are just examples. But you get the idea, right? Having a checklist like this will help all of your employees, and even yourself, stay on track each day.
The checklist is also one of the most valuable tools to use for training new staff. Nobody wants to read through a big fat manual. Hey, maybe your company requires everyone to read it…but having a checklist will speed up the training process and get that employee more comfortable doing their job…because they’ll know what they need to be doing at each step.
Two of my friends in college were very similar. They took the same classes, played ice hockey, and dated what seemed like a different girl each week. There was one big difference though. One was always behind on handing in assignments. The other, was always on time. How could two guys so similar be so different? One was organized. He had a black book (no not for telephone numbers…okay, maybe it had a few numbers inside) where he wrote down everything he needed to do. He was always opening up his book and crossing an item off that day’s list.
Today, the first friend, who was always handing in assignments late, is going from job to job with no real focus or plans. The second friend owns a successful company and travels the world for business and pleasure.
The result of the story: lists help us get things done. Creating a simple checklist will make it easier for your employees to perform the way you want them to.
Note: You can print the checklists and put them beside desks, print smaller copies and laminate them to keep in pockets or for books. Pretty much anything goes.
The next step is to get your employees to internalize their checklists. So each item becomes a natural action for them. Even a long-time employee shouldn’t be allowed to disregard the list because of their experience.
The best way to do this is to quiz your staff about key points they should always remember, what their goals or tasks are for each day and so on. Sounds corny I know, but it works. Make it a fun time with coffee and bagels first thing in the morning.
A story from Japan explains the importance of checklists and policies well.
In Japan, most people commute by train. The busiest train station in Shinjuku, Tokyo serves millions of people each day. But I noticed something strange. Every railway worker, especially the train conductors, would always point their finger in the air and in several directions.
At first I thought, maybe these guys are just a bit ‘confused.’ But, I saw it again and again throughout the country. One day, when taking the Shinkansen (bullet train) between Tokyo and Osaka, I asked a Japanese business associate about this. His answer amazed me.
He said, “They do this for two reasons.”
“One, they are going through a mental list of actions they’ve been taught to make in order so as to ensure everything is safe and in order.” Wow, that is interesting, I thought.
He continued, “The second reason is to put customers at ease.” “What do you mean, I asked.” He continued, “By visibly pointing their fingers at different locations and checking, it shows customers that everything is in order and that the conductors are competent. It makes customers feel safe.”
You may not need to get your employees pointing their fingers in the air, but implementing a checklist system where every employee can quickly and easily learn what they should be doing at all times, clearly has many benefits.
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