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Once upon a time, K.Lo mistook the Monk Bobblehead that sits on The Manager’s Desk for a small version of our CEO. Today, I wondered if the mind of Monk has perhaps overtaken my employee. Monk, in his quirky, lovable way, is extraordinarily OCD. He drinks a special kind of bottled water, he requires wipes after shaking hands or touching anything remotely germy. He is most demanding of his assistant, Natalie Teeger, verging on meltdown if she does not help to make his environment just so. Monk is a lot like a two-year employee.
Or, is the two-year employee like Monk.
All I know is, Management seems to spend quite a bit of time assisting the employee with Natalie Teeger-like tasks. Flicking infinitesimal specks off of food before it can be eaten. Pouring just a little bit more juice into the cup, increasing the ratio of juice to water so it tastes like juice, not water. Because the employee does not like water. Little stuff like this all.day.long., with Management’s failure to comply quickly escalating into a full-on employee strike.
On the one hand, I wish to acknowledge K.Lo’s experience: if something’s bothering her to the point of a meltdown, of course it matters, and as a good Manager, I want to console her and make it right. On the other hand, I want my employee to be adaptable, able to roll with the punches. Because after 18 years with the company, the employee gets pushed out of the nest, and the next level of employment will certainly not be so accommodating. Of course, Management chooses its battles as wisely as possible. But at the end of the work day filled with battles, I am not nearly so upbeat and good-humored as Natalie Teeger. I wonder why so many seemingly tiny issues have to be blown up so large.
Whatever the issue, K.Lo’s world comes screeching to a halt until it is addressed by Management. She cannot and will not be distracted. So, where is the balance between ignoring seemingly trivial employee demands and giving in to the point where it eventually creates the next Monk?
Consider the Suggestion Box wide open.
just wait until she's been with the company 15 years! oh boy!
in my preschool teaching days, i found encouraging the kids to do things for themselves (like flicking off the speck on the food) helps a ton. make a big deal about how cool they are if they do it themselves like a big person. the stuff they can't do themselves... well, honestly, i'm a tough love kind of teacher. i usually said no to the more silly of the demands, especially if they were DEMANDS. but to counter a meltdown, immediately offer a choice, like "you need to drink the juice mommy made, but would you like to help make the next batch so it's just the way you like it?" or "would you like to pick a fun straw to drink the juice with." at first the kids may see if a meltdown will still get them what they want, but stick to your cheery, alternate-option-giving self and they quickly learn it won't work. distractions distractions. that was the key. at least in a class full of rambunctious 4 year-olds. : )