In ancient times, as in the Middle Ages, no one even heard of strikes. If the slaves refused to work, they were either resold to someone who could handle them, or flogged on their own until the desire to work arose. The feudal lord, on the other hand, could drive a peasant who did not want to go out into the field, depriving him of the opportunity to grow his own food, or give him up as a soldier.
Strike is the way to fight employees with the owner of industrial capacities and tools of production. The term itself comes from the Italian word basta, which translates as "enough / stop." To stop during the strike, workers can demand financial fraud, during which their wages are withheld, or not paid in the amount in which they wish to receive it. Also, the strike may be associated with political demands.
This event is carried out as follows - the workers refuse to fulfill their duties in production until the owner of the plant or factory fulfills their requirements. A strike is possible only under the following conditions:
- The basis of the economy is production, which requires hired workers - free people who are lured to workplace possible only by economic promises.
- Limited number of skilled workers. If there are many unemployed specialists, and the economic situation in the country is in crisis, then the strikers are immediately replaced with strikebreakers.
- The working team is formed from people of the same income and is quite stable. The demands put forward during the strike must be clear to everyone, and its purpose must be important.
Italian recipe
The employer fought the strikes in different ways. One could, of course, ask the Cossacks with whips to chase the protesting proletariat, but such a luxury is also not cheap, especially for the owner of an idle factory. Among the simplest methods to solve the problem was to fire the strikers and hire new workers. To expel with a wolf ticket someone who does not want to work and has come up with some reasons for that is a couple of trifles. To avoid such a sad fate, the Italian strike was invented.
According to historical information, Italian aviators of the early 20th century invented this method of working struggle. Risk guys were underpaid, and they carefully studied the charter of flying. It turned out that a lot of the requirements set out there are meaningless and curious. For several days, the pilots lived according to the charter and practically did not take off. There was nothing to fire them for, since they followed all the instructions correctly, they had to pay.
The people liked the idea. Soon the Italian strike was carried out on Russian factories and factories. Our people are dashing - they love to work in such a way that the matter would be argued in their hands, have fun from the heart, dance and sing ditties. Because of this, the dreary fulfillment of unintelligible points of instructions was very soon called a bagpipe, they said: "pipe", comparing a monotonous working day with the mournful sounds of this musical instrument.
Publication date: 09.11.2010
Italian strike- also called obstruction- a form of protest along with strike and sabotage, which consists in the extremely strict performance by the employees of the enterprise of their duties and rules, not stepping back from them and not going beyond them. Sometimes the Italian strike is called work according to the rules(English- work-to-rule).
This method of strike struggle is very effective, since it is almost impossible to work strictly according to instructions and, coupled with the bureaucratic nature job descriptions and the inability to take into account all the nuances in them production activities, this form of protest leads to a significant decline in productivity and, accordingly, to large losses for the enterprise. At the same time, it is difficult to fight the Italian strike with the help of anti-strike laws, and it is almost impossible to bring the initiators to justice, since formally they act in strict accordance with the Labor Code.
Strikers during a strike may without fail follow not all, but only some rules. Defiantly sloppy work is sometimes also called an Italian strike. Some experts call such a strike a civilized method of expressing their dissatisfaction.
For the first time, such a struggle for one's rights began to be applied in Italy (hence the name) at the beginning of the 20th century. According to some reports, these were Italian pilots who, fighting for their rights, agreed to do everything strictly according to the instructions. As a result, the number of flights has been significantly reduced. According to other sources, for the first time the Italian strike was used by the Italian police. One of the sites reports that for the first time such a strike actually took place in Italy in 1904 with railway workers.
In Russia, the term "Italian strike" has been known since at least the beginning of the 20th century. For example, the newspaper "Russian Word" in the issue of July 22 (09), 1907 reports:
On the St. Petersburg-Warsaw railway, an "Italian" strike is being carried out, consisting in the strict implementation
instructions during the production of maneuvers, due to which trains are late and many are canceled.
AT modern Russia such a strike was held at a Ford plant near St. Petersburg
An Italian strike is sometimes also (inaccurately) referred to as a refusal to leave a job despite an employer's order.
The combination of this form of protest - one hundred percent compliance with all the norms prescribed in the instructions and laws - with a small go canny(Scottish worker slang meaning DO NOT RUSH) is enough to stop production.
For this, the site says izhevsk.avtonom.org(Russia), it is necessary to obtain instructions in advance, which are usually kept by the master and in the safety department. Find situations in them, adhering to which slows down the work and strictly follow them, referring to the texts in these instructions. On the strikebreakers, in case of their violation of the instructions, it is necessary to write a memorandum demanding to punish the violator. In such instructions, sometimes very comical rules come across. For example, such a rule that employees of the II electrical safety group must work only in shoes without nails. There are so many of these instructions that if you only read them all, you need a lot of time.
Usually, during scheduled briefings, employees sign papers that they are familiar with the instructions without reading them. If you just start reading them (what employees are required to do), it will take a lot of working time, which the employer is obliged to pay. The employer has no right to oblige you to sign without familiarizing yourself with the instructions. And he is obliged to get such a signature, since the instructions and local regulations of the organization do not apply to the employee if the employee is not familiar with them. Strikebreakers who refuse this familiarization (by signing without reading) must be reported in case they violate the instructions.
AT Labor Code The Russian Federation needs to know about this method of sabotage, for example:
Article 4. Prohibition of forced labor
Forced labor is prohibited.
Forced labor includes:
the requirement by the employer to fulfill labor duties from the employee if the employee is not provided with collective or individual protective equipment or the work threatens the life or health of the employee.
Article 21 Basic rights and obligations of an employee
The employee has the right to:
- providing him with a job employment contract;
A workplace that meets the conditions stipulated state standards organization and labor safety and collective agreement;
full reliable information about working conditions and labor protection requirements at the workplace;
The employee is obliged:
conscientiously fulfill their labor duties assigned to him by the employment contract;
- comply with the requirements for labor protection and ensuring labor safety;
- take care of the property of the employer and other employees;
Immediately inform the employer or immediate supervisor about the occurrence of a situation that poses a threat to the life and health of people, the safety of the property of the employer.
The last point of the employee's duty is very comical.
Imagine a situation that every morning begins with a pandemonium to the boss with written messages about equipment malfunctions (oil is dripping or a nut is unscrewed) of all employees of the enterprise. But the employee is simply required by law to do this action, since if he does not report a malfunction in advance, then in the event of a breakdown, it will be him who will be punished. Moreover, he must stock up on evidence that he committed this action (notified). Therefore, he must have a copy with the resolution of the chief in receipt of this notice. One can imagine the magnitude of this action when all employees begin to write and hand in signature on every occasion notices of equipment failure.
Article 22 Basic rights and obligations of the employer
The employer is obliged:
comply with laws and other regulatory legal acts, local regulations, the terms of the collective agreement, agreements and employment contracts;
- provide employees with work stipulated by the employment contract;
Ensure labor safety and conditions that meet the requirements of occupational health and safety;
provide employees with equipment, tools, technical documentation and other means necessary for the performance of their labor duties;
provide for the everyday needs of employees related to the performance of their labor duties;
perform other duties stipulated by this Code, federal laws and other normative legal acts containing norms labor law, collective agreement, agreements and labor contracts.
Article 56 The concept of an employment contract. Parties to the employment contract
Employment contract - an agreement between an employer and an employee, according to which the employer undertakes to provide the employee with work according to the stipulated labor function, to ensure the working conditions provided for by this Code, laws and other regulatory legal acts, a collective agreement, agreements, local regulations containing labor standards. the right to timely and in full pay the employee wages, and the employee undertakes to personally comply with the labor function comply with the internal labor regulations in force in the organization.
The parties to an employment contract are the employer and the employee.
Article 60 Prohibition to demand the performance of work not stipulated by the employment contract
It is prohibited to require an employee to perform work not stipulated by an employment contract, except as provided for by this Code and other federal laws.
Article 212 The employer's obligation to provide safe conditions and labor protection
Responsibilities for ensuring safe conditions and labor protection in the organization are assigned to the employer.
The employer must ensure:
safety of workers during the operation of buildings, structures, equipment, implementation technological processes, as well as tools, raw materials and materials used in the production;
- use of means of individual and collective protection of workers;
Working conditions corresponding to the requirements of labor protection at each workplace;
purchase and issue at own expense of special clothing, special footwear and other personal protective equipment, flushing and neutralizing agents in accordance with established standards for employees employed in work with harmful and (or) dangerous working conditions, as well as in work performed in special temperature conditions or associated with pollution;
organization of control over the state of working conditions at workplaces, as well as the correct use of personal and collective protective equipment by employees;
certification of workplaces in terms of working conditions, followed by certification of work on labor protection in the organization;
informing employees about the conditions and labor protection at the workplace, about the existing risk of damage to health and the compensations and personal protective equipment due to them;
taking measures to prevent accidents, preserve the life and health of workers in the event of such situations, including the provision of first aid to victims;
familiarization of employees with the requirements of labor protection;
Article 214 Obligations of the employee in the field of labor protection
The employee is obliged:
comply with labor protection requirements established by laws and other regulatory legal acts, as well as labor protection rules and instructions;
- correctly apply means of individual and collective protection;
To be trained in safe methods and techniques for performing work on labor protection, providing first aid in case of accidents at work, briefing on labor protection, internships at the workplace, testing knowledge of labor protection requirements;
immediately notify their immediate or superior manager of any situation that threatens the life and health of people, of any accident that occurs at work, or of a deterioration in their health, including the manifestation of signs of an acute occupational disease (poisoning);
Article 219 The right of the worker to work that meets the requirements of safety and hygiene
Every employee has the right to:
- a workplace that meets the requirements of labor protection;
Obtaining reliable information from the employer, relevant government agencies and public organizations on the conditions and labor protection at the workplace, on the existing risk of damage to health, as well as on measures to protect against exposure to harmful and (or) dangerous production factors;
refusal to perform work in the event of a danger to his life and health due to violation of labor protection requirements, with the exception of cases provided for by federal laws, until such danger is eliminated;
provision of means of individual and collective protection in accordance with the requirements of labor protection at the expense of the employer;
a request for an inspection of labor conditions and labor protection at his workplace by federal executive authorities in the field of state supervision and control over compliance with labor and labor protection legislation, employees who carry out state examination of working conditions, as well as trade union control bodies for compliance with labor legislation and labor protection;
appeal to authorities state power Russian Federation, state authorities of the constituent entities of the Russian Federation and bodies local government, to the employer, to associations of employers, as well as to trade unions, their associations and other representative bodies authorized by employees on labor protection issues;
Article 220 Guarantees of the right of employees to work in conditions that meet the requirements of labor protection
The state guarantees employees the protection of their right to work in conditions that meet the requirements of labor protection.
The working conditions stipulated by the employment contract must comply with the requirements of labor protection.
For the period of suspension of work due to the suspension of activities or a temporary ban on activities due to violation of labor protection requirements through no fault of the employee, the place of work (position) and average earnings. For this time, the employee, with his consent, may be transferred by the employer to another job with wages for the work performed, but not lower than the average earnings for the previous job.
If an employee refuses to perform work in the event of a danger to his life and health, with the exception of cases provided for by part three of this article and other federal laws, the employer is obliged to provide the employee with another job for the time the danger is eliminated.
If it is impossible for an employee to provide other work for objective reasons, the downtime of the employee until the danger to his life and health is eliminated is paid by the employer in accordance with this Code and other federal laws.
In case of failure to provide the employee in accordance with the established norms with the means of individual and collective protection, the employer does not have the right to demand from the employee the performance of labor duties and is obliged to pay for the idle time that has arisen for this reason in accordance with this Code.
The refusal of an employee to perform work in the event of a danger to his life and health due to violation of labor protection requirements or from performing hard work and work with harmful and (or) dangerous working conditions not provided for by the employment contract does not entail bringing him to disciplinary responsibility.
Article 221 Providing workers with personal protective equipment
At work with harmful and (or) dangerous working conditions, as well as at work performed in special temperature conditions or associated with pollution, employees are issued certified personal protective equipment that flushes and neutralizes agents in accordance with the standards approved in the manner established by the Government of the Russian Federation. Federation.
Acquisition, storage, washing, cleaning, repair, disinfection and neutralization of personal protective equipment for employees is carried out at the expense of the employer.
The employer is obliged to ensure the storage, washing, drying, disinfection, decontamination, decontamination and repair of special clothing, special footwear and other personal protective equipment issued to employees in accordance with established standards.
Interestingly, despite the fact that any workflow is regulated by a whole bunch of documents and instructions. Their strict observance by all employees, oddly enough, leads to huge economic losses for the company as a whole. And "work according to the rules", that is, the purposeful observance of the code and instructions by employees of enterprises is commonly called Italian strike.
An ordinary strike is a termination of work by employees of the enterprise in order to fulfill their requirements by the employer. That is, in fact, it is an ordinary blackmail. difference Italian strike in that it implies the strict implementation by the employees of the organization of all job descriptions and rules, without violating them in absolutely anything. This, coupled with the bureaucratic nature of job descriptions and the inability to take into account all the nuances of production activities, leads to a significant decline in productivity and leads to losses for the enterprise.
The term “Italian strike” began to be used after 1904, when in Italy (according to various sources) police, railway workers or airline employees began to work strictly according to the instructions in order to achieve an increase in wages, thereby provoking failures in a well-established system.
Subsequently, this civilized way of dealing with superiors began to spread in other countries, including Russia. So, back in July 1907, the Russkoye Slovo newspaper reported: “An “Italian” strike is being carried out on the St. Petersburg-Warsaw railway, which consists in strict adherence to instructions during the production of maneuvers, due to which trains are late and many are canceled.”
More than a century has passed since then, and this form of protest is still used by employees of enterprises to fight the company's management. Wherein Italian strike- very effective method impact on the employer. It is difficult to fight against it with the help of anti-strike laws, and it is almost impossible to bring the initiators to justice, since formally they act in strict accordance with the Labor Code.
How to conduct an Italian strike?
1. Accurately observe the rules of internal labor regulations.
2. Require a real safety briefing where it is provided, and not just put a signature in the familiarization log.
3. Strictly comply with the established labor standards, in no case exceeding them.
4. In the absence of equipment, tools, technical documentation and other means necessary for the performance of the employee's labor duties, immediately inform the employer about this. If due to the lack of this equipment, tools, technical documentation, etc. it is impossible for the employee to fulfill his labor duties, it is also necessary to notify the employer of the start of downtime due to the fault of the employer.
5. If the employee is not provided with personal and collective protective equipment in accordance with established standards, it is necessary to notify the employer of the start of downtime due to his fault.
6. If the instructions indicate that the employee is obliged to clean up the workplace at the end of work (or keep the workplace clean) - clean up the workplace not after the end of the working day, but 5 minutes before the end of the working day, since this is the responsibility of the employee which he is obliged to fulfill within the prescribed time.
7. Perform only that work and observe only those labor duties that are provided for by his labor (official) duties, with which the employee is familiar.
8. Refuse to work on weekends and holidays and overtime work (Article 99 of the Labor Code of the Russian Federation). In this case, it must be remembered that to involve the employee in work on weekends and holidays overtime work without his consent is possible only in cases specified by law.
Compliance with these rules will not give the employer the opportunity to discipline you, since everything is carried out according to the law.
The Italian strike is work by the rules. With this type of protest, the work team complies with all labor standards, the requirements of the regulations of their enterprise. Due to the fact that it is impossible to work in this way, labor efficiency and productivity are sharply reduced, if not at all. manufacturing process stops.Italian strike rules
- Scrupulous observance by employees of the internal labor regulations
- Requirement for actual safety briefing
- Strict compliance with production standards
- In the absence of the tools necessary for work, notify the employer about the start of downtime
- If the employee does not have the personal protective equipment specified in the rules, stop work with a warning to the authorities about the start of downtime
- Perform only the work specified in the job description
- Refuse to work on weekends and holidays and overtime work
The most important feature of the Italian strike is the inability of the administration to punish its participants in any way.
Italian strike. Start
By different sources(including - Wikipedia) this kind of protest action was first held either in 1904 or in 1905 in Italy.
Railway workers who demanded from the authorities the opportunity to strike on legal grounds, began to punctually observe complex regulations to the smallest detail railways which caused a significant slowdown.
An example of an Italian strike
Within two weeks, police officers drastically reduced the number of arrests. For example, in seven days in 2015, officers made a total of 2,401 arrests. Compared to 5448 arrests in the same period of the year 2014. But the city's biggest loss came from a 93% reduction in parking tickets, one of New York's top budget revenues.
Employees of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, carrying out border control at the airport. Ben-Gurion staged the night of March 3, 2015 "Italian strike", that is, they worked in strict accordance with the rules. This resulted in slow checks and huge queues.
The reason for the strike was the dissatisfaction of employees with working conditions. To avoid complete paralysis in the work of the airport, its leadership ordered Israeli citizens to pass without checking. Foreigners had to stand in lines.
When soldiers are in mortal danger, they are not afraid of anything; when they have no way out, they hold on tight; when they go into the depths of the enemy's land, nothing holds them back; when nothing can be done, they fight
Sun Tzu
to whom: owners, top managers
Why many leaders are afraid of the "Italian strike" and "detailed rules"
"Italian strike"- a situation when an employee begins to approach his work from a purely formal point of view, i.e. work according to the rules without any attempt to communicate the emerging risks of their application, even when knowingly understands that his actions are detrimental to the company.
In some samples of business literature, examples of "Italian strikes" are used as "horror stories", the main premises of which are: “Do not engage in such a “useless” business as the development of corporate rules and standards, but throw all your efforts into building “human” relationships in the company, because employees, if desired, will easily turn all your rules into a toilet paper roll”.
It can be scary for a manager to even imagine what will happen if an “Italian strike” starts in his company. After all, you can’t describe everything in the rules! However, it turns out that the creation of a clear system of rules and regulations frightens not only managers, but also employees.
Leaders' fears of rules
From time to time I hear from top managers the following argument against the introduction of a system of regulations in the company: “Employees will be able to justify their negative results with the words “we were just following the rule, what is the demand from us?”, Or “we don’t have such a rule, so I didn’t”.
Indeed, in the presence of clearly formalized rules that the employee strictly adhered to, it is difficult for the manager to present his favorite argument: . After all, formally, the employee acted in accordance with the rule, which means that what demand can be from him? So, do the rules really only hurt?
Many executives have a favorite argument: “Why didn’t you turn your head on?”
Let's imagine a model when there is no system of rules, and the manager, faced with a negative result on the result of the work of a subordinate, applies an argument question: "why didn't you turn your head on?".
What result can be achieved with this argument? At best, you can get an oath promise from a subordinate that next time he will definitely “turn on his head”. But next time the situation may repeat itself due to the fact that the leader and the subordinate have a completely different idea of how exactly and when to “turn on the head.” And why? There is no formalized system of rules.
So the absence of rules is still not a way out of the situation. But what if clear rules are fertile ground for a potential “Italian strike”?
Employee fears of rules
A conscientious employee may have his own fear in relation to clearly formulated rules. He fears that he will have to constantly solve problems in an inefficient way just because it is written in the instructions. This means “catching negative” from customers, constantly “raking up” and solving the same problems, etc.
Why conscientious employees have no reason to worry about the existence of clearly defined rules, you will understand when you read the technology for preventing and eliminating the “Italian strike”.
Italian strike: options, signs, goals of the strikers
Before fighting the “Italian strike”, it is advisable to first identify it. Or at least see signs of it.
If you know the goals of the striker, then for negative goals you can show the employee their unattainability, for positive ones - indicate alternative ways to achieve them.
I'm going to point out the risks specifically to executives who still think of the "Italian strike" as a harmless game of cat and mouse.
The main features of the "Italian strike"
- The employee works strictly according to the rules, while there are distortions and damage to the company. Actions on instructions lead to negative results, and the employee does not seem to notice this.
- When you ask an employee "why didn't you tell me that following the rule could lead to such consequences?", you hear in response: "I didn't know what to say" or "I didn't know what could lead".
The goals of the "strike" in the framework of the "Italian strike"
- Staying in your comfort zone, avoiding process improvement work, which requires a lot of mental activity, although it is creative (and therefore, as some books claim, and with which I strongly disagree, it can “motivate everyone by the mere fact of its existence”).
- Get more freedom of action, reduce personal responsibility by blurring the rules and evidence that "rules do more harm than good."
- Convey your dissatisfaction to the leader (tell him in this way your “fi”).
- There is no purpose. In this case, the “Italian strike” is a consequence of the employee’s low qualification or lack of understanding of how he should act when there is a risk of damage to the company from compliance with the rules.
Risks of an “Italian strike”
- Losses, both material and reputational (the client may be the victim); both direct and indirect. Message: “Bribes are smooth from me, because I followed the rules, and the consequences for the company are not my problems”.
- Discrediting the rules and regulations as such. Message: “They only prevent us from working well!”
- The spread of "infection" to other employees, reducing their productivity and efficiency. Message: “You can’t dig into us, we follow all the rules!”
Shortened video version of the article about the Italian strike
For those who like to listen and watch more than read
An abbreviated video version of the article "Italian strike by an employee: how to recognize it, defeat it and prevent it in the future" for those who like to listen and watch more :-)
Technology to end the “Italian strike”
"Italian strike", depending on the goals pursued, can be:
- unintentional. The employee wants the best, but does not know what to do or does not know how.
- Deliberate. I don't think any explanation is needed here.
The deliberate "Italian strike" is divided into additional categories, depending on the number of participants in it:
- Mass character How to negotiate with trade unions or act in the event of mass organized strikes is perhaps the topic of a separate article. If you are faced with this situation in your company, it means that there are big distortions in your management system. Think about their liquidation, the article “” will help (after first resolving the issue of “strike”, of course). If we are talking about a large but poorly organized group, then the scenario described for a small group of people will help you.
- Small group of people, as a rule, is headed by an informal leader. One option for you is to use the "expand the hard zone" tactic. That is, in the beginning, “roll according to the algorithm” those who are more disciplined and rather joined the “strike” in order to support the team, and also take those who are the least valuable to the company (they can be fired). It is necessary to talk individually (never conduct collective negotiations) with everyone, in a tête-à-tête format. Here the technology is reduced to an algorithm of actions in relation to an individual employee.
- individual employee. You will find the technology of conversation with an individual employee below in the article.
Please note that the “Italian strike” can be very difficult to detect, because “following the rules with negative consequences” can not be all the work, but only the part where it is especially “stressful” or “do not want to think”.
No panic. To use the algorithm below, even a one-time event (fact) is enough, so “public statements” or “continuous actions on the part of the employee” are not required. Moreover, when analyzing the situation according to the algorithm, the phrase “Italian strike” may not be used by you at all.
But be sure - you must immediately respond to the “first bells”. Otherwise, one-time incidents will very quickly become a trend and a rule of conduct not only for the instigators, but also for the majority of employees. And it will take much more strength to fight this than if the entire wormhole is “uprooted” at once.
A step-by-step algorithm of the leader's actions to stop and prevent the "Italian strike"
The manager needs to prepare for the meeting with the employee. Record all the facts in advance. It will help you to prepare well “ ”
Deal with an employee face-to-face with a specific situation that is similar to the “Italian strike” (following the rules without at least informing a higher manager about the risks involved).
It is necessary to enter the employee’s actions in the final fork of options, and then for each of them “extend his picture of the world into the future” (the technique “split the obstacle into components and deal with each of the parts separately”). Tell what awaits the subordinate in the future, in case of repetition of the situation.
Possible reasons for the employee's actions in the framework of the "Italian strike":
- Lack of understanding of what and how to do if the action performed by him according to the instructions leads to risks or negative consequences for the company.
- Professional unsuitability.
- Sabotage.
- Laziness.
Here the manager's task is to personify the responsibility of the employee in each of the options and clearly outline the consequences for each item. I propose to do this using a combination of Chinese stratagems “show the enemy the way to life” and “place the soldiers in the area of death”.
“Show the way to life”. At the initial application of the algorithm for stopping the “Italian strike”, the employee should not be blamed for anything - just “announce the entire list” and let him use the first option under the “did not know” section for the first time. In addition, this will deprive him of the “right to not know” in the future.
“Place in the area of death”. Anyone who is deprived of the “right to not know” can no longer use the option “sorry, I didn’t know”. So, the reasons for his actions in the future can only be options from the second to the fourth, the recurrence of falling into which is a direct road to dismissal from the company.
It is necessary to personify the responsibility of the employee and indicate the consequences
Thus, we show the employee that the method he has chosen to influence the manager in the form of an “Italian strike” will not help achieve his goals (remember, we discussed them at the beginning of the article?), but will lead to serious negative consequences (this is the “locality of death” in our case).
Of course, it is better to act preventively, without waiting for the “Italian strike” to begin, that is, to deprive the “right to not know” in advance (follow the steps from Option # 1 in advance). But ... Let's be realistic. Many leaders wait “until the roasted rooster pecks” and only then jump on to solving problems.
So, at a meeting with an employee, the manager announces the “fork of options” to the employee, discusses in detail the essence and consequences for each option.
Option number 1. The employee really does not understand or does not know how it was possible and necessary to act
We have an option not deliberate "Italian strike". To exclude this option in the future, it is necessary to eliminate the cause of the occurrence. How to do it:
1. “Synchronize” with the employee views on both general principles and principles of action in similar situations
- Formalize the general principles of the company(for example: “We do not perform useless work for clients. In the case when a client insists on a specific work, we are obliged to inform him in writing why this work will not bring results and offer an alternative”) and the principles of work in the event of various situations (as negative , and positive ones) + evaluate how the actions of employees correspond to general principles.
- Make a table of priorities both general and specific employees. The table should contain the following columns: name of the task group, priority value (the lower, the higher), comments and examples of typical tasks for this priority. For example, for an account manager, the priority of the tasks of the group “processing applications from existing customers” will be higher than “search for new customers”. For each position, it would be appropriate to add the highest priority to the tasks of the “Force Majeure” group. Be sure to give examples (for example: the client calls and demands immediate work, otherwise he threatens to send a request for a refund).
- Draw up and approve detailed regulations for the implementation of typical tasks(this is definitely 100% synchronization, unless of course the company has a culture of following the rules) + additional principles based on which you need to act in situations not provided for in the instructions.
- Hold regular team (or department) meetings on which to analyze achievements and mistakes in an impersonal form. Explain why it is necessary to act in this way, and what principles to focus on. Based on the results, form a database of training examples. Schedule testing to see how people will act in similar situations in the future.
2. Train an employee or conduct additional training
If the manager allowed an unprepared employee to work, then it remains to ask questions about the reasons for the losses to himself (or hear this question from a superior).
However, the mistake can and should be corrected with the help of training, if the employee is amenable to it. It is better to do this by removing the subordinate for a while from performing similar work, or by putting specific processes / actions under strict control.
3. Give the employee authority
The granting of authority relieves the manager of copious approvals for every risk that an employee can detect, acting strictly according to the regulations or instructions. Remember that along with the powers, it is necessary to give basic guidelines (principles) and examples (samples) of their application ( for example, make decisions on your own when the issue is within the budget of 10 thousand rubles. Naturally, based on previously agreed principles!).
One more example. The employee could not make a decision on his own: whether a bonus is provided to the client or not, because the list possible bonuses and basic principles their provision was not thought out in advance at the level of sales standards.
4. Draw up regulations for the “development of processes and instructions”
Familiarize the employee with the regulations under the signature, and also ask them to make their proposals to the regulations.
Option number 2. Professional unsuitability of an employee
The manager needs to analyze whether the professional area employee's actions, regarded as manifestations of the “Italian strike”.
For example, a manager who works with clients understands that a certain action that he plans to do according to the instructions will cause a negative reaction in the client. Nevertheless, the manager performs the action without any attempt to prevent possible negative consequences or to indicate the risks to his manager.
Seeing the negative consequences in the described situation is certainly part of professional competence any employee working directly with customers (we are talking about managing expectations and relationships).
Well, the employee is professionally unfit. What to do next? at first revise official duties(and maybe the position itself) and monetary reward employee.
The level of professional suitability of an employee should be directly reflected in his income
Two reasons can be responsible for professional unsuitability: “lack of knowledge and experience” or “lack of opportunity”.
The employee's “lack of knowledge and experience” was discussed in detail in Option #1. In the case of “lack of opportunity” (“wants, but cannot”), it remains only to train and, if a person cannot be trained, transfer to another position or say goodbye.
Option number 3. Sabotage
By “Italian strike” sabotage, I mean when an employee deliberately causes harm and damage to the company, while hiding behind existing rules and regulations.
It makes sense for the leader to try identify the cause of the sabotage(the willingness to listen and the ability to ask leading questions will help here) and use the already familiar technique of “splitting the obstacle”.
The first component of the obstacle- the reason given by the employee. It needs to be taken for a separate analysis and considered: is it possible to organize the process so that next time this issue is brought to the head in a different way.
For example: The employee said that he was unfairly not paid bonuses. The manager understands this situation and further makes a rule: “if an employee does not agree with the remuneration paid and cannot agree on this issue with the immediate supervisor, he has the right to turn to a superior.” So that the employee does not abuse his right, each such case is considered as a managerial situation.
Option number 4. Laziness
Indeed, changes and improvements, as well as the search for flaws and opportunities for improving technologies and standards, require additional mental effort. Many people find it much easier to “go with the flow” and once again “not strain.” In this case, they think like this: "If anything, I'll hide behind the instructions, why do I need to change something!"
Your company should have a very clear message to lazy people: “if you are lazy, then at first you lose part of the monetary reward and become a“ candidate for departure ”. If you haven’t corrected yourself, the company says goodbye to you.”
Conclusion, or "Which of the reasons do you want to choose next time?"
As a result, the employee whom you suspect of the “Italian strike” is left with a fork of four possible excuses.
The first is a lack of understanding of what and how to do when the action performed by him according to the instructions leads to risks or negative consequences for the company. It is eliminated by “deprivation of the right to ignorance”.
The rest - from 2) to 4) - are reduced to very backfire for an employee. He is unlikely to want a second conversation (unless, of course, he plans to continue working in your company). And if this does happen, then the choice of justifications for his actions is reduced to three options for him: "Professional unsuitability", "Sabotage" and "Laziness".
the choice of possible reasons for the employee's actions is reduced to three: "Professional unsuitability", "Sabotage" and "Laziness"
Very well after a single analysis of the situation in which the employee “hid behind the rules”, the final question works (fixing the reception): “Which of these reasons do you want to choose next time?”
The employee will have a choice: if he wants to continue working in your company, he will have to learn to see the risks and opportunities, and not “hide behind the regulations”. So, to develop and improve their skills, becoming a first-class specialist. Thereby developing the company.
