How to Keep Employees Happily Productive

Typical Manager Charlie gives a brief orientation to new-hire Andrea:

1. "Works goes from 9-5."
2. "You have a 30 minutes of lunch."
3. "I expect you to get Step A done by 10, Step B by 11, Step C by 12...."

Contrast that with this from Senor Supertreezy:

1. Here's the mutha-@^^%!^ task.
2. Just get it done by Friday.
3. Free Yo-Self!

Where would you rather work?

"The latter of course, did you really have to ask? Because, I know you didn't have to ask..."

1. Hard-working people crave freedom.
2. Give them an endpoint, and they'll compile their resources to get the task done in time, with style.

Babysit them every-step-of-the-way?

1. You'll strip their motivations/spirits/drive to rock some task.
2. They start worrying about making the manager happy instead of focusing fully on rocking some task.

Diverted attention = shoddy work.

Kaboo.

"Get the mutha-freakin'-freak out of the way!"

Feel like somebody needs constant babysitting?

• You got the wrong person.
• Seek folks with initiative -- those who can accomplish work to your standards without you constantly correcting them.

Have initiative folks?

1. Get out of the way.
2. Let them find their own way to accomplish Task XYZ.

And, also:

1. Let them set their own hours.
2. Let them choose their lunch times.
3. Let them go missing for days.
4. Let them buy stuff from a budget.
5. Let them work from home.

As long as they consistently accomplish tasks with style by your deadline dates, nothing else really matters.

1. Just give them the resources they'll need.
2. Support them anyway you can.
3. Watch them rock.

The Value of Flexibility

According to a study by researchers at Wake Forest's School of Medicine, you'll make your employees happier, more loyal, and more productive when you give them flexibility to choose how they get things done.

Flexibility additionally:

• grants you more time to be productive in your own work
• saves on employee babysitting costs
• kabooms the bottom line

Hooray-oh-yeah.

The steps to empower:

1. Set destination.
2. Let Andrea choose her routes.
3. Win.

Set 'em free like a butt-fugly/coke-induced butterfly.

If you enjoyed How to Keep Employees Happily Productive, get a complimentary subscription to our freshest articles through email or through your feed reader.