Doing what's necessary, not what's always been done

I just received an email that has an overtime request form attached. I wonder why.

I work as a software trainer and it is expected that I will put in whatever hours are needed to complete the job when I am onsite, so why do I need to get permission first to do my job?

Not only that, but it is stated that this form must first be approved by the president of the company before I can work those hours, except under last minute circumstances.  I would expect the company president to be too busy to worry about my overtime hours, so why is he taking the time to approve hours that are worked only when they are needed?

Another question – why is the manager not trusted to know when overtime hours are required?  If the company president has to approve the request form first, then by definition the manager is not trusted to know when overtime is required. Why then is the manager in a management position?

And finally, why has this document not been updated in almost 5 years?  It still has someone’s name on it that’s left the company over 4 years ago.

I can’t help but feel that the company is simply spinning wheels to look productive instead of doing the jobs that make it productive.  Timesheets are good, but an overtime request? Especially for those of us who are required to put in overtime in order to get the job done? That’s just redundant and a waste of time and money.

So here’s the beginning of my rule list.

1.       1. Trust your managers to know their jobs.

2.       2. Don’t hire a manager you don’t trust.

3.       3.  Allow employees to manage their time.

Trust given is trust received. Trust received leads to happy employees. Happy employees lead to happy customers. Happy customers lead to a profitable business. 

Body Language

I recently started reading a book called 'Messages: The Communication Skills Book'

One of the exercises it has asked me to do is to look at people, really look at them and see if I can figure out what they are thinking.  We communicate our thoughts and feelings through our body language and facial expressions.

That got me to thinking about how I come to work each day.  Some days I'm happy and cheerful while other days I drag myself in, tired and worn out.  Hmmm, what am I communicating?  I don't believe in what I call the cheerleader syndrome, where I waive my pom pom around as I walk through the door, but what if I kept my head up, a smile on my face, and a cheerful hello for everyone I see?  I may not necessarily feel like being at work at that particular moment, but do I need to broadcast that to the world?  How will it affect my interactions with my boss if I drag myself in or walk in with a smile? 

I don't hate my job - far from it.  I like what I do and I'm darn good at it too.  But there are days where my feet just drag, I'm that tired at times.  I'm not sure how I'll perk up in the mornings as I walk in the door, but I suspect that if I can manage it then my day will go a little smoother.