Page 17 - IBT August 2021 Issue
P. 17

GET THE ‘PEOPLE
              Column                                                                          TREATMENT’ RIGHT








             allowance provided, it is not possible            Now think about where your product or service value will
             to eat anywhere else except for cheap             stoop to when people in each function allow a little
             unhealthy eateries.                               concession? A little less quality of raw materials will be
             In an environment, when people eat                purchased, production will be as desired, distribution will be
             unhealthy, unhygienic food every day,             inefficient, efficiency in sales will fall, communications will
             there will be a subconscious                      not be sharp and there will be a slight gap in calculations.
             indication in their heads that even if            Even if you hire hundreds of people, they will either be
             they eat food of such quality, there is           dissatisfied or leave the organization without being able to
             no harm. A little compromise can be               adapt.
             afforded.                                         All of this might sound a little far-fetched, but it may all trickle
             But is there really no harm? There is,            down to the fact that you have not added ample attention to
             in my books.                                      the quality of the food provided to the employees. You have set
             With this prevalent mindset, these                an example of compromised quality to save additional effort.
             very people will compromise little by             That very example can be reciprocated in the employees’
             little when they work for your                    efforts. If you have set up a positive example, the employee
             product. The man who works in the                 may follow suit. It's not necessarily just about food, I'm talking
             factory will be a little careless in the          about every aspect of employee treatment. So, even if you have
             production process, the quality checks            100 training and processes, they will be of no use unless and
             will be minutely sacrificed. The                  until the essence of quality is etched in the minds of the
                                                                         employees through active examples. That example
                                                                         can come from everything or anything of how you
                                                                         are treating people – whether with quality or
                                                                         compromise. They will do exactly what you will
             For organizations that believe in the                       set as an example for them.
             “Peoples First” concept and nurture                         During this ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, I
                                                                         especially noticed another issue. During this
             that concept wholeheartedly in                              difficult period, how much did organizations take
             every field of operation, product or                         care of their employees? I comprehend the fact
                                                                         that there were operational and financial issues.
             service quality automatically                               But whatever the situation is, if an organization
  use a very simple linear formula in my   Quality is something that cannot be   becomes their strongest suit. At the   does not hold on to its employees, people who are
 mind to measure the quality of   touched; making it highly intangible.   end of the day, the perception of   working hard day in day out for your
 products or services of an   Although attempts have been made to        organization, people who are well-known by the
 organization. That simple formula is   measure with numbers and digits, the basic   quality is comprehensive.  management team, during tough times, then it is
 ‘the quality of products or services   concept of quality is based on human   delusional to expect the organization or the
 offered by an organization’ is linearly   perception. Simply put, it's purely   employees to care about their consumers at all or
 related to its ‘People Treatment’ or   psychological. If you want to relate such a   to produce quality products or services for the
 ‘how the organization treats its people.'   complex psychological factor to your   consumers out there.
 You might be wondering how the   product, then developing processes or   distribution system he works in will   To my study and observation, I have already found that the
 treatment of people is related to   providing a wide range of training for the   get delayed or the product will be   best and the most renowned organizations in the world
 ensuring product or service quality.   employees or a lecture once a day won’t cut   handled with a little less care. The   emphasize heavily on “people treatment”. They cater to a
 The simplicity of the whole idea,   it. Instead, the concept of quality must be   sales representative will be a little less   well-thought-of wage structure for their employees, respect
 however, might surprise you!  ingrained inside the minds and thought   sincere. The marketing expert will be a   their wellbeing, and consider the smallest of their
 processes of the employees. The   little unmindful in understanding the   disadvantages. In each case, they maintain a high-quality
 comprehensive belief system must be put   consumer insights. And maybe the HR   image that gets instilled into their employees, who in turn
 into the conscious and unconscious minds.   personnel will not be putting in a little   reciprocates responsibility by assuring high-quality products or
 If this can be done successfully, only then   extra effort in shortlisting the apt   service deliveries.
 will the employees become sensitive to   employee.            For organizations that believe in the “Peoples First” concept
 quality. KPIs will then automatically harmonize this sensitivity to the work and   The bottom line is that   and nurture that concept wholeheartedly in every field of
 ensure the quality of the entire operational process.  subconsciously, their mindsets will   operation, product or service quality automatically becomes
 Let me give you an example. Let’s say, you make food products and are inclined   revolve around the understanding   their strongest suit. At the end of the day, the perception of
 towards producing very high-quality outputs. Subsequently, you initiated   that, "It's not that much. A little   quality is comprehensive. Your products will either be of
 various training for the employees to achieve the goal. However, on a seemingly   compromise can be made. There is no   quality or not. There simply is no middle ground.
 unrelated note, the quality of lunch you provide for the employees is not up to   harm in it." And all of these would   Hence, I shall repeat: to measure the quality of products or
 the mark of quality satisfaction. Maybe the hygiene of the food purchased or   start with the sub quality standard   services of an organization, look into how they are treating
 the cooking facility or the dining facility is compromised. Or maybe, with the   food you provided them.   their people.

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