Using Project Management Software to Address: The Three Signs of a Miserable JobIn his sixth book on business fundamentals, New York Times best-selling author Patrick Lencioni identifies three fundamental, universal indications that an employee is bound to be miserable: anonymity, irrelevance and a third sign that Lencioni calls immeasurement. The expert business guru says smart managers will understand these signs and address them head on. A comprehensive project management software system, with public messaging, time tracking, shared calendars and a team-collaboration philosophy, can address all three.No one is immune to job misery it touches every profession imaginable from restaurant service worker, to middle manager, to NBA superstar, says Lencioni. The statistics vary somewhat, but studies from Gallup have shown that half to almost 80 percent of the workforce dislike their jobs. And miserable workers cost companies money, Lencioni notes. The Herman Group Found that at least 30% to as much as 40% have already "checked-out" showing up for work every day, but focusing on where their next job will be. And the Gallup organization estimates employees suffer more than $360 billion dollars annually in lost productivity. Looking for web based time tracking software and other resources? According to Lencioni, anonymity is the feeling that employees get when they realize that their manager has little interest in them a human being and that they know little about their lives, their aspirations and their interests. In standard project management, people easily get lost. But with a comprehensive project management system that encourages collaboration, employees can immediately improve relationships by simply increasing their communication. And the time-saving benefits of an effective project management system will reduce stress and give managers more time to interact with employees outside the office, as with an occasional lunch or a happy hour. Irrelevance, says Lencioni, appears when employees cannot see how their job makes a difference in the lives of others. The transparency of a good online project management system eliminates this problem as employees immediately see how their tasks and milestones play a part in the bigger goals. And everyone on the team gets to see the end result of the projects including the kudos from the client when the team delivers what they wanted. The third sign is something I call immeasurement, Lencioni says, which is the inability of employees to assess for themselves their contribution or success. Employees who have no means of measuring how well they are doing on a given day or in a given week, must rely on the subjective opinions of others, usually their managers', to gauge their progress or contribution. Again, a solid project management software system will come to the rescue. When tasks and deadlines are clear and measurable, employees get the immediate satisfaction of seeing that they are meeting their managers goals and expectations. And with an added time-tracking tool, the employees will get the added bonus of being able to track where their time is spent, giving them a sense of responsibility to the team and their company. |
