Sunday, February 16, 2020
What does Motivated mean?
Journeyman and supervisors do an evaluation of the apprentices every month. Sometimes they make comments like “they just don’t seem to be motivated” or “I am not sure they really want to be an electrician.” I share these comments with the apprentices they are made about and typically the apprentice is completely taken aback, surprised that someone thinks that about them. There are two primary reasons for this lack of understanding.
1. The supervisor has not done an excellent job of communicating to the apprentice how they are not meeting their expectations and what they can do to meet their expectations and
2. The apprentice may have a misunderstanding of what motivated really means.
The important thing for all employees, regardless of the position, to understand is their responsibility in the employer/employee relationship. J.T. O'Donnell, CEO, and Founder of Careerealism.com puts it this way. “I stress the need to recognize our responsibilities in the employee-employer relationship. If we want respect, then we don't work "for" a company i.e. wait around for our boss to direct us. Instead, we work "with" a company. That means proactively finding ways to add value in exchange for recognition and the opportunity to grow professionally and financially. Our focus needs to be on consistently creating a win-win partnership.”
The employer has many responsibilities to the employee, pay, fair treatment, a hazard-free workplace, etc. We sometimes lose track of the fact that the employee also has a responsibility to the employer. The employer is paying you for your time. Therefore it is your responsibility to utilize that time as efficiently as possible. The employer should explain their expectations but should they need to direct every minute of the employee's day? Most managers and supervisors I have spoken to over the years define it as “babysitting” when they believe they have to direct an employee constantly.
I was told about an apprentice that was laid out to install some conduit on a trapeze down a hallway. The supervisor thought it would take most of the day but the apprentice finished the task about an hour and a half before the shift was over. The supervisor stopped by and found the apprentice on break, smoking a cigarette. The apprentice said “I really hustled and finished early boss but didn’t know what to do next. “ The supervisor told me that the apprentice said this with pride. The supervisor, however, was not impressed. The apprentice had finished some things early but then wasted time that cost the company money instead of finding a way to use his time efficiently such as cleaning up or finding a supervisor and asking what else they can help with since they had finished early. The apprentice had done a great job but all good was wiped out because the apprentice didn’t follow through.
Be sure to always follow through. We are paid for every hour we work. Be sure to work for every hour that you are paid. A couple of tips for supervisors:
· Always plan your work carefully, this includes planning to keep your crew working all day, efficiently.
· Make sure your crew has all of their material, tools, and information. This does NOT mean having them find it, move it, etc. Have the material staged for them, have the information written down.
· Stand in the circle, use our Stop Observation program to truly understand how your crew is operating and how long it takes to accomplish tasks.
· Make sure your crew understands your expectations.
Ted “Smitty” Smith
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