Tis the Season...

Reflecting on a favourite festive story and how it provides a yearly reminder to check that our work cultures are as they should be.?

“Bah!” said Scrooge, “Humbug!”?

From ‘A Christmas Carol’ by Charles Dickens

It’s funny how things go.?

I grew up watching the different versions of Charles Dickens’ classic ‘A Christmas Carol’ on the telly. Over the years, I’ve loved them all from Alistair Sim in ‘Scrooge’ through to a personal favourite of mine, Michael Caine in ‘A Muppet Christmas Carol’.?

The thing is, over time, my view of old Ebeneezer has changed. I used to see him as the pantomime villain. A despicable type who thoroughly deserved the terrifying visitors that came his way. These days, though, I see him slightly differently. Yes, he’s not the life and soul of the party. Equally, I wouldn’t describe him as ‘nice’. But, as a business owner, I fully understand that he’s someone invested in what he does. A man who wants to make his enterprise as efficient as humanly possible. Scrooge’s problem, it seems to me, is he doesn’t understand the importance of a work/life balance when motivating staff.??

“You’ll want all day to-morrow, I suppose?” said Scrooge. “If quite convenient, sir.” “It’s not convenient,” said Scrooge, “and it’s not fair. If I was to stop half-a-crown for it, you’d think yourself ill-used, I’ll be bound?” The clerk smiled faintly. “And yet,” said Scrooge, “you don’t think me ill-used, when I pay a day’s wages for no work.” The clerk observed that it was only once a year. “A poor excuse for picking a man’s pocket every twenty-fifth of December!” said Scrooge, buttoning his great-coat to the chin. “But I suppose you must have the whole day. Be here all the earlier next morning.”

From ‘A Christmas Carol’ by Charles Dickens

For me, Scrooge is trapped in a mindset that says driving his staff, through fear, to work ever harder will be beneficial for his business’s productivity. It’s an easy mistake to make. As a business owner, I’m acutely aware that the ‘buck’, as it were, stops with me. It’s down to me to make sure that customers are happy and keep revenue flowing through my business. I’m also acutely aware of the need to pay a wage bill at the end of every month, regardless of whether it’s been a good month or bad. Any business owner that says these two truths don’t sit heavily on them would, in my view, be very odd.?

So, back to Scrooge. He’s bought into the myth that the longer a member of staff spends in a workplace the more productive they are. He believes that ‘downtime’, which allows the staff to recuperate and recharge their batteries, is a ‘poor excuse for picking a man’s pocket’. It’s not that Ebeneezer’s a bad person per say. He is, undeniably, a terrible employer.?

I learned, very early on in my life as an employer, that leaning on staff, stressing them out, treating them as numbers, not individuals, is totally counterproductive. If you want to get the best out of your workforce then your relationship with staff needs to be characterised by generosity, understanding, give and take. Miserable staff do not perform to their optimum level. Miserable staff do not provide excellence for customers. The one thing that miserable staff tend to do is leave. Replacing them is expensive and time consuming. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not saying

I’ve always got everything right, far from it. The key is learning from your mistakes and doing things better the next time issues arise.?

So, for me, Christmastime is my opportunity to celebrate with my family. It’s a magical few days unlike any other time of the year. But, not only that, it’s also a chance for me to watch one of the many versions of Dickens’ story, as my annual inoculation against negative practices sneaking into my own work life. Every year I compare myself with old Ebeneezer, checking to make sure that my desire towards perfection hasn’t crept into the unwanted territory of demotivating those who work for me. I’m yet to be visited by 3 ghosts, but I always appreciate the reminder to ensure all of my staff feel appreciated.?

At the end of the day, it pays me to keep my staff happy and, let’s be honest, it doesn’t really cost me anything to keep morale high. You might even consider it a little selfish on my part. A contented workforce means a more dynamic business, which inevitably leads to increased productivity. In fact, I sometimes think that old Scrooge, when he wakes up on Christmas morning, hasn’t so much had a change of character as an overnight session with three really great management consultants.?

“A merry Christmas, Bob!” said Scrooge, with an earnestness that could not be mistaken, as he clapped him on the back. “A merrier Christmas, Bob, my good fellow, than I have given you for many a year! I’ll raise your salary, and endeavour to assist your struggling family, and we will discuss your affairs this very afternoon, over a Christmas bowl of smoking bishop, Bob! Make up the fires, and buy another coal-scuttle before you dot another i, Bob Cratchit!”

From ‘A Christmas Carol’ by Charles Dickens

Scrooge was undoubtedly being nice to the Cratchit clan here, but he was doing something else too. With a minimal amount of expense, the old fella had bought himself the most motivated clerk possible. I’ll bet productivity in that office went up tenfold from Boxing Day onwards.?

So, at this time of year, let’s all take a moment to think about what kind of workplaces we’re creating. At Pure Transfer, we pride ourselves on encouraging the type of happy environment which I know leads to brilliant service for our customers. We don't believe it takes much to make people feel appreciated, we do it with lots of tea, cakes and this year we might even have a screening of ‘A Muppet Christmas Carol’.?

Ask yourself, will it take a visit by 3 ghosts to make you think about what’s motivating your staff?

Have a great Christmas, one and all!

Paul.?