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Tip of the Week: Are Your People Gabby?

July 24, 2017
Talking on the job may be an indication that your workers are dissatisfied.

Bill accepted a job at a small but growing industrial/commercial electrical services company. The company’s owner, a Master Electrician, needed someone to manage the growing numbers of projects and oversee the crew working them.

Not long after starting, Bill became keenly aware of a problem. The employees were always talking. For example, Bill rode along in the service vehicle to three different job sites. On each trip there and back, the driver had cell phone conversations. While on the job, crew members would talk about various things that had nothing to do with the job. On several occasions, Bill stopped the inattentive workers to point out a safety problem they had missed.

Bill sought to discuss this problem with owner, but the owner shrugged and said: “Yes, I know about that. It’s why I wrote all those highly detailed procedures for every kind of job they do.”

Bill decided this had to stop. So he asked each worker, “Why do you talk so much on the job?” The answers he got back included:

  • I’d fall asleep if I didn’t.
  • The work is boring.
  • I don’t feel challenged.
  • I’m overqualified for this kind of work.
  • They treat us like little kids here.
  • Actually, I’m trying to find a job with another company because I don’t feel valued by this one.

One employee nailed the root problem, however. He said the owner never sent anyone to training and then went on to complain about the “trained monkey” procedures. The owner did in fact send people to training, but he tried to replace some training with over-detailed procedures that everyone hated.

Working quietly in the background, Bill began replacing the “trained monkey” procedures with ones he wrote with the input of the workers. These new procedures were streamlined and assumed a certain level of craft capability. Bill also persuaded the owner to invest more in training.

You’ve probably predicted the outcome already. But is the management in your company aware of how workers perceive the procedures? Or the level of training? If not, you may have a productivity and safety problem that a little honest feedback will reveal.

Your people need good procedures, but “good” does not mean “paint by numbers.”

About the Author

Mark Lamendola

Mark is an expert in maintenance management, having racked up an impressive track record during his time working in the field. He also has extensive knowledge of, and practical expertise with, the National Electrical Code (NEC). Through his consulting business, he provides articles and training materials on electrical topics, specializing in making difficult subjects easy to understand and focusing on the practical aspects of electrical work.

Prior to starting his own business, Mark served as the Technical Editor on EC&M for six years, worked three years in nuclear maintenance, six years as a contract project engineer/project manager, three years as a systems engineer, and three years in plant maintenance management.

Mark earned an AAS degree from Rock Valley College, a BSEET from Columbia Pacific University, and an MBA from Lake Erie College. He’s also completed several related certifications over the years and even was formerly licensed as a Master Electrician. He is a Senior Member of the IEEE and past Chairman of the Kansas City Chapters of both the IEEE and the IEEE Computer Society. Mark also served as the program director for, a board member of, and webmaster of, the Midwest Chapter of the 7x24 Exchange. He has also held memberships with the following organizations: NETA, NFPA, International Association of Webmasters, and Institute of Certified Professional Managers.

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