enx magazine

I received this email from a frustrated owner, “We are state-of-the-art. Everyone’s connected. Our company has invested in all the leading edge technology to track, download, invoice, follow-up and survey our clients. We have invested in GPS, Blackberry, cell phones and wireless connection to each employee’s laptop. So why are our sales and field service staff still arriving late to their morning work assignment each day and leaving their last work assignment at 3:30PM?”

Technology is only as useful as the people who are managing the information that is available. Why does management allow employees that predominantly work in the field to only be expected to be part time workers? Yes, they are paid and benefited as full time workers. But most have learned that part-time accountability is all that is required.

What would management do to a $12 an hour receptionist, warehouse worker or invoicing clerk who arrived late each day, randomly left the building without telling anyone, took their lunch hour whenever it was convenient and left the office between 3:30PM and 4:00PM each day without telling anyone? What if this same office worker left the office at random times to get their hair cut, fill-up their car with gas, visit Mom, buy a birthday present, pay a traffic ticket or take a nap under a shade tree in the parking lot?

At this point, some of you reading this article may be thinking I am nuts. Only a crazy woman would expect those who work in the field to actually work 40 hours per week. At the cost of sounding sexist, the ‘good ole boys’ work ethic allows for part time workers to receive full time wages. If management allows your field staff to work 9-3, having a GPS in their car will not create over-achievers.

All the technology in the world will not change the inappropriate way a sales rep or service tech uses their time if there are no negative repercussions. I strongly believe in putting all work expectations in writing and having the document signed and dated by each employee. The original should be retained in their employment file, with a copy within easy access of the manager.

Think of this document as rules of engagement. These are written requirements of behavior. They enumerate the specific expectations of ongoing employment. All too often Service Managers start their conversations about techs that are AWOL with comments on “I understand there is a certain sense of freedom when you are out in the field. I don’t expect someone to work 8-5 every day. But the least they can do is to answer their cell phone between 4 and 5.”

This type of attitude is very harmful to the profitability of the company. Why does management accept and even encourage field employees to only work part time? There must be an enforced company culture that requires those that are paid for 40 hours of work each week are responsible for working 40 hours per week. It will take more than installing a GPS to change the expectations of field workers.

When allowing for all costs of employment, a field tech that makes $18.00 per hour is costing your company an excess of $75 per each hour that is actually worked. A tech who arrives 15 minutes late each morning, takes an extra 15 minutes at lunch

Accountabilty pg1 pg2 PRINT WORD DOCUMENT

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