The Old Way

One of my previous managers was a walking nightmare for people who like things to be streamlined and focused. I thought of something funny today that might give you an example of how this person worked.

Hypothetical Problem: Create and implement a new, more efficient absence policy/procedure.

Old Manager's Notes:
1. Make a Spreadsheet!
2. Review personal document on "policy and procedure creation and documentation"
3. Google "absence policy"
4. Review old "absence policy"
5. Review generic business management book on "getting employee buy-in for new policies and procedures"
6. Schedule strategy meeting with asst. mgr. to determine "next steps" (aka, create new absence policy/procedure)
7. Schedule individual meetings with all employees to "obtain ideas"
Note to self: make sure to take notes, act interested, make eye contact, ask probing questions, feed them ideas and pretend they did it"
8. Schedule secondary meeting as a group to share information (aka "get buy-in")
Meeting prep notes: prep probing questions, via long silences force employees to share ideas until they guess exactly what I have already determined the new procedure will be, bring sticky notes and markers!, get volunteers for "absence policy taskforce"
9. Delegate the documenting of newly gathered info to employee
10. Spend personal time taking data entered by employee into new, better spreadsheet
11. Schedule meeting with "absence policy task-force" to create a communication for the new policy
12. Discard communication created by task-force and create new, better communication
13. Individually note performance in process on all employee personnel files for mid year evaluation.
14. Determine if any sub task-forces need to be created
15. Per note from Employee Relations, new procedure no longer needed.

Happy Hump Day