Work them like dogs
Dog training tips can improve staff productivity – it's woofficialDogs and people. They’ve got a lot in common, except dogs are better. They’re cute, never talk about their problems, and their affection is pretty much unconditional.
If you stop and think about it, we tend to treat dogs a whole lot better than people too.
Walking through a park, commenting on how beautiful somebody’s poodle is and petting it: almost always fine. Do the same with somebody’s ten year old and suddenly the police start getting involved.
The thought occurs that we should stop treating people as people. Instead, we should treat them as dogs. Yes, yes, we know the vernacular hasn’t exactly updated with the times. Being in the dog-house, treated like dogs, dog’s breakfast, can’t teach an old dog new tricks. Negative connotations seem to dog the lovable furballs.
But let’s be real here though: nowadays, dogs have it pretty good. Showered with food, love, and walkies. Dogs don’t worry about much other than you leaving the room for more than five seconds, and whether there’s more to life than just being a ‘good’ dog.
Despite those concerns, wouldn’t you say your average dog is happier than your average person? They seem to have it all sorted it out. And you know what? We can claim responsibility for a lot of that.
Remember wolves? They live a harsh life, full of danger and uncertainty. Nary a tennis-ball throwing stick in sight. Yet the domesticated dog is generally in a state of delirious happiness. Would you ever describe the people you work with as ‘deliriously happy’?
It isn’t that dogs are just naturally good natured, either. We provide them a care-free environment, and train them to follow certain rules. We don’t blame dogs excessively for their mistakes, and we reward them for their good behaviour. Sometimes we reward them just because we like to see them happy.
The lessons of dog ownership can be applied to HR:
LISTEN TO YOUR DOG
This is obvious. To understand and motivate employees, you first have to understand them. To do that, you must first listen to their concerns and opinions.
BE GENEROUS WITH YOUR AFFECTION
Affection isn’t a scarce resource and people don’t get tired or receiving it. People always want to feel appreciated for what they do — always.
DOES HE REALLY LIKE IT?
Even if something works for most people, it doesn’t mean it will for all people. Always be attentive to individual personalities and circumstances.
TELL HIM WHAT YOU WANT HIM TO DO
Always be clear about what you want. Differing expectations are 90% or more of all office problems. The trick is ensuring expectations align before anything goes wrong.
BE CONSISTENT
People, like dogs, are confused by inconsistency. There’s no use in saying one thing one week and then contradicting it the next. That will train people to not listen in the first place.
HAVE REALISTIC EXPECTATIONS
Do people have everything they need to fulfil your expectations? Don’t expect fundamental changes in actions and personalities overnight. Change is a gradual process.
DON’T UNDERESTIMATE THE BENEFITS OF FEEDING A HIGH QUALITY FOOD
Don’t skimp on office biscuits. But also, don’t skimp on office learning opportunities. If you want your employees to grow and develop right, they need to be be given the right materials.
YOU GET WHAT YOU REINFORCE – NOT NECESSARILY WHAT YOU WANT
If people never get called up on poor performance and behaviour, it sets a low-bar for standards that will play out over and over. People do what they can get away with.
BRIBERY VS. REWARD
You always want to be rewarding people for what they do themselves, not manipulating what they do with bribes. People’s motivation will become conditional on on receiving payouts or perks. The reward should be because of the behaviour, not the cause of the behaviour.
FREEDOM
Freedom should be given in degrees. Too much freedom can be overwhelming all at once and lead to poor outcomes. Trust can be built slowly through gradual rewards of authority and freedom, earned through good behaviour.
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