I once knew a guy who rarely needed to go to the store.
Toilet paper. Pens. Bottles of water. You name it. If it was to be found in his office, it was also soon to be found in his house.
He was one of countless employees out there stealing from his company.
Last year, The Global Retail Barometer revealed that American retail staff actually steal more from their employers than crooks in the stores. While shoplifters account for 37 percent of revenue lost...employees account for 43 percent.
According to the report, the majority of it is from sleight-of-hand at the register - canceling transactions that shouldn't be canceled, issuing refunds that shouldn't be issued, etc.
It's this type of theft that gets all of the media coverage, and rightfully so. But did we ever stop to think about how it is ... or WHAT it is ... that bosses are stealing from employees? It's time to call them to the carpet.
1. Confidence
I'll never forget the first time working in television that I brought a spectacular story to my News Director...only to have it shot down. You've experienced this. You've got an idea or a concept that you think will do great for the company. A good boss will help you either develop the idea or help you to understand why it might not be all you think it's cracked up to be. A bad boss will crush your soul. Not only was my story shot down, but the ND went on to berate me for what an idiot I had been for even suggesting something like that in the first place.
My confidence was stolen.
So how do you get it back?
Look for positive affirmation from your coworkers. Take the idea and run with it anyway, but use their input to strengthen it. Sometimes it's better to beg for forgiveness than it is to ask for permission.
2. Integrity
We had a restaurant group that we were doing business with. Our point of contact was the General Manager. Red flags started going up left and right when the checks stopped coming in, and the GM kept apologizing and promising them next week.
Guess what? The checks never came.
Who had to call us and apologize with his tail between his legs? The General Manager. He was the guy who brought us in and signed the contract.
His integrity was stolen.
How do you get it back?
If you're being asked to perform tasks that are a violation of your ethics or integrity, you need to ask yourself why you are working for the company to begin with. Integrity has a price, and sometimes you need to know when the cost is so great that it's time for you to start looking.
3. Time with family and quality of life
You remember the scene from Office Space. The one where the boss tells him he's got to work on the weekend.
Then there are the bosses who expect you to respond to emails at 5am and at 11pm. They'll text you at 1am with something they forgot to send you earlier...and expect that by the time they wake up, it'll be done.
Is that your boss? Does he or she respect your time off?
Listen - I'm a firm believer in working your butt off - whether you are salary or hourly. It's what sets the good employees apart from the great employees. But when looking at MY employees, I also value them as PEOPLE when I see what good mothers and fathers they are.
So how do we draw the line?
First of all, if you have vacation time coming to you...take it. If you've got family time planned for the nights or weekends... take it. And make sure to let your boss know that the sign of a good employee is one who is able to strike the balance of effectively accomplishing tasks and exceeding their expectations while striking a balance of simultaneously providing for your family.
And if you want to save your marriage...shut off your cell phone at the dinner table. Trust me.
4. Mental sanity and health
A good friend of mine is the VP for an international insurance company. The guy does very well for himself. But lately, he's losing his edge. His boss read an article about the importance of being an efficient multi-tasker and is pushing the staff on this approach. My buddy is a TERRIBLE multi-tasker. And so instead of increasing his productivity, this boss is shooting his stress level through the roof and he's starting to crumble.
He refuses to take sick time. Let's not forget that his boss also thinks it's good to be "tough" and work through the flu...which just creates a hotbed of illness in the workplace.
Stolen: mental sanity and health.
How do you get it back?
Sit down with your boss and discuss realistic expectations for the job and explain what will help you, as an employee, to be as productive as possible.
5. Creativity, innovation and passion
There are countless bosses out there who like to say they like innovation and creativity, but when push comes to shove...they prefer conformity.
The problem with conformity is that when you encourage creativity and innovation and then replace it with bureaucratic red tape, you stifle passion. That quickly leads to the passion being replaced with something then confused with laziness.
So how do we get it back?
It depends on your work environment. Some bosses are reasonable and you can sit down with them and discuss what drives you to be YOU. But sometimes...it can't be won back in the office.
That's where your family and friends come in. Know when to hold them...know when to fold them. Perhaps that creativity and passion are best served giving back to the community. Just because it doesn't work on the job doesn't mean you can't use it to still have a positive impact on the lives of others.
Now it's your turn. What have past bosses stolen from you? What did you do to get it back?
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