Let’s be honest, most of our waking lives are either driving to or from work. There’s waking up to a siren of an alarm clock, hitting snooze until the last minute, shuffling under the covers and sheets to draw out the final bit of warmth before you collapse from your mattress onto the floor, putting on your pants while hopping on one leg and brushing your teeth at the same time, smashing on makeup in the mirror, and microwaving cat litter to eat on your soul crushing commute, to sit at work and stare either at the clock or the computer, and if you’re lucky enough to get something done on the computer its probably you being detonated in Minesweeper (no one understands how to win- they just play).
The forty-hour work week is gone, or it should be. Incentives for continuing this industrial age way of productivity is rendered passé. You’re launching a new venture, and you need a different way to motivate employees and contractors. It shouldn’t be based on how many hours their butts are in a seat, but how much they produce. Butts in seats doesn’t mean production.
Who could care less if an employee is watching Hulu, playing hopscotch, or walking their dog for 35 hours out of the week. What matters is if they got the job done and did they get it done well. If more is needed, then more will be bayed for. If they abuse the relationship, then don’t keep them. It’s that easy.
Too many people get offended by the wrong things, and it costs them in business. Focus on the results (unless we’re referring to Mastery– then, focus on the process). As an entrepreneur, you want to get a fair exchange of value for what you pay- with a moderate margin. It doesn’t mean that you have to squeeze employees and contractors for their entire being. It’s not conducive. They’ll burn out and go somewhere else.
If your employees or contractors aren’t getting the job done, then have a conversation with them. What’s happening? Get to the bottom of it. If it’s consistently happening, replace them.
There are two scenarios: (A) You will be paid the same amount, but you must finish this project in one month, and (B) You will be paid the same amount, but you must finish this project at 160 reportable hours. In Scenario A, you’ll most likely get the job done in that time frame, if not earlier- essentially making you more productive. In that extra time, you’ll either request another role or will take the time off. In Scenario B, you are going to work exactly 160 hours even if you could have finished in 120 because you want the full payment. So, you are going to come in, put your butt in the seat and chug along.
Which scenario is more effective? Obviously, Scenario A.
So, why are some entrepreneurs micro-managing their employees? This only works for certain kinds of jobs, such as retail workers, an assembly line at a factory worker, or cooks at a restaurant. The work is dependent on the time. Other than those roles, you should stop caring about the hours your employees or contractors are working or how they are working. Let them watch Hulu in the background, blast music while they enter spreadsheets, go out to brunch on a Tuesday. Have mutual respect, kindness, and understanding. The right talent will appreciate it and won’t take advantage of the situation.
We’ll close on this- there’s an old Henry Ford story that people pass along. Henry Ford hired an efficiency consultant. The efficiency consultant studied the company. All of the employees were working tirelessly, except for one. That one employee was laid back in his chair with his feet kicked up on the desk. The efficiency consultant suggested that Ford relieve the employee of his duties. Ford responded by saying that that employee saved the company millions of dollars and his feet were on the desk when he had the idea. He was fine keeping the employee with his feet up.