Employees have the right to be treated like adults. They also have the responsibility to behave accordingly.
Today, I saw a post from one of LinkedIn’s beloveds (~4m followers) on the approach for new hires.
“I hired you for a job and I trust you to get it done. Just let me know what you need from me to be successful in your role. And I will show up for you.”
I couldn’t agree more. That is absolutely what leaders need to do.
But what I don’t see as much of on LinkedIn is the quid pro quo.
“I hired you for a job, and I trust and expect you to get it done. I will show up for you, but you also need to show up for the team.”
Managers should be flexible, for example about time or location if they’re not essential to get the job done. But that’s not the same as “You can come and go whenever you want.” That’s not responsible adulthood.
In the best workplaces, “getting the job done” isn’t just about tasks. It’s also about team, relationships and expectations. The oft-used company value – “we treat our employees as adults” – would be infinitely stronger through the injection of one word.
“We treat our employees as responsible adults.”
And stronger still if it ends with “and we expect them to conduct themselves accordingly.”
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