Understanding the Quality of Work - 2

Our earlier discussion was about problem solving through team work and understanding customer expectations. We will look at four more important attributes that enhance quality in an organisation.

Trust

Trust between managers and employees is the most important aspect of a workplace. Beyond compensation and bottom line profits, what keeps organisations moving ahead is trust. Employees thrive in an environment of trust and belief.

Structure

Employees must be given clear directives, responsibilities and a transparent method of reporting issues. Structured guidelines give workers the clarity they need in order to operate effectively on the job. Standard operating procedures in documented templates help employees get a clear perspective of the job and how it needs to be accomplished, and what the final outcome should be.

Reasonable Workload

It is the responsibility of every supervisor to help each of his co-workers identify his/her potential and assign tasks which leverage their strengths. Excess work load will definitely have a negative impact on quality. Aligning skills with the job and allocating adequate work load will minimise cost and improve quality.

Fair Management

Quality is measured in terms of fairness in the workplace. Employees should be able to trust that their managers are equitable in their treatment of all. Only company objectives and company policies should be the driving force in decision making. There cannot be any room for suspicion that decisions are biased and favouring a few employees.

kalpana@acl-india.in

kalpana r chennai

She is the founder of The Academy for Communication and Learning