The Human Memo

This phrase has been floating around in my brain for the last couple of days. Ever heard of a Human Memo? Have you ever met one? It might be helpful if I provided you with a definition or a description to help you identify one!

These are managers who don't like to interact with other employees. They keep contact to an absolute, bare minimum. The Human Memo only comes out of his/her office when there is a need to communicate a task to the subordinate. But in the course of that communication, there is no interaction on a personal level. Reminds me a bit of the groundhog who only comes out of his hole on groundhog day and runs back when he sees his shadow. Oops, sorry. I'm rambling here.

I had the brief "pleasure" (and I use that term lightly) to work with an individual that I believe was truly an example of a Human Memo. She came into the office 1-2 hours after everyone else in the morning. She used the side entrance to avoid people. She never said "good morning." She didn't talk to people in the hallways. She provided no acknowledgement of their presence, no eye contact, nod, hand gesture. Nothing. She barely, if ever, met with members of her own staff. She limited her interaction to those individuals she viewed as her peers.

As an executive member of the organization, her actions left a lot to be desired. According to the owner, the manager just didn't like confrontation. Confrontation? Strange word to use. How about "interaction?"

I'm not beating on managers. Really. I promise. But I can't stress how important it is to have good managers. Their interaction with employees, and the quality of that interaction, is extremely important to employee satisfaction and the overall success of the business. One study indicates that 50% of work-life satisfaction is determined by the relationship a worker has with his/her boss.

With the manager above, the organization suffered 100% turnover in her department. Not once, but twice during a 4 month period. The organization has yet to recognized the link between the manager and the turnover.

Remember, a managers relationship with employees is key to employee satisfaction and decision to leave, or stay!