Is it possible to be a leftist manager who prioritizes their workers' interests while operating a successful business? Yes, it is possible, and these are some tips that I've compiled over my time as someone who manages hourly workers in a small business setting. Not all will apply to or cover what can be done in all work places, but these are some ideas that you might find helpful. I have only anecdotal proof that they work really well, but I work in an industry where the average turnover is like 4-6 months, and in my time there, the average turnover has been about 1.25 years, and the owner (my boss) is happy:
– Create a master task list and decide who is going to do what for that day all together in a conversation with those on shift. Allow workers to choose their tasks based on what they like and/or good at. Let them trade with others, and agree to collaborate with other employees and allow that conversation to continue and evolve throughout the day without your direct input.
– Your job is to just make sure everything is done, and not necessarily to micro manage how everything is done. We all hear about productivity hacks etc, but controlling every aspect of how a worker does something will alienate them from their work. Making a worker feel even further disconnected from their work is not worth a few minutes of saved time. If you have someone on your roster, you ought to trust their capabilities.
– Make sure employees are aware of their rights related to discussing pay with other employees, and taking paid breaks. Don't allow workers to habitually skip breaks because it may implicitly discourage other workers from taking their breaks. Also, allow workers to decide when they want to take their break, workflow permitting. Don't discourage employees from discussing pay- you should be paying the same fair wage to each worker based on position and time spent at the job. Not preventing employees from openly discussing pay demystifies the pay structure of the workplace, and prevents employees from feeling burned because they discover long patterns of actual or perceived underpayment. Even if you pay workers different amounts, if you aren't hiding what they're earning and why (ie they've been there over a year and know how to do everything), the lower earning workers will understand especially if they're receiving appropriate raises too.
– Someone calling out sick or with an emergency is a reality that you have to accept. Don't get mad at a worker, and don't put it on them to find a cover. If you suspect someone is abusing their callouts to just skip work habitually, that's something you can address with them later, but never accuse someone of faking in the moment no matter how often they're calling out. If someone is calling out, they don't want to work, and it is not your right or obligation to coerce them into work. Not only is it literally your job as a manager to make sure the entire operation runs smoothly, but you have a lot more leverage to find covers for employees. For example, if someone calls out sick, you can call up another employee and offer them a weekend off in exchange for coming in to cover, etc. What can a worker offer them?
– Slow day and you don't need as much labor? If you schedule someone for hours, let them work those hours. Workers depend on the money they believe is coming in, and if you're shorting them on hours to compensate for overscheduling, you're effectively making your employees shoulder the inherent risks of running a business that are the responsibility of you as a manager and the owner. There is always work to be found, so if you're at a spot where normally you'd want to make a cut, let the employees know that a cut is available if someone wants to leave, but that nobody is obligated to take a cut. If too many people want the cut, allow the workers to negotiate this among themselves. If this is happening regularly, you need to readjust the next schedule before it comes out.
– Offer confidentiality. Allow your employees to tell you when they have a problem with some aspect of their job or their work without necessarily relaying that to other managers, workers, or the owner. Of course in some extreme instances, this isn't possible. But most of the time, people just need to vent, and if they feel like they can do that without it jeopardizing their job or relationships in the workplace, you will have less uptight, resentful workers. Also listen to workers and prioritize whatever they need. Your employees are not easy to replace, so even if it takes an hour or two of replanning to accommodate for decreasing or increasing an employee's work load, or blocking out a specific day/time for a worker's availability, it's worth that time to make a job better mesh with a worker's life. You'll lessen the likelihood of the worker leaving, and will also likely improve their morale and performance. You know how long and annoying the process of hiring a good worker takes. It's a lot longer than an hour or two.
– If you have to fire a worker, do it over a phone call away from the premises and not on a day when they are scheduled to come in. Give them the option of receiving their final written paycheck immediately, or to pay them via direct deposit on the regularly scheduled day. Confirm to the other workers that a person will no longer be working there if asked, but don't offer the reason why they were fired unless specifically asked by a worker. Unless the conditions of the firing contain sensitive information that doesn't specifically involve their performance at work, you should be able to share. Being able to articulate a clear reason why a worker could no longer remain employed at the job will demystify the reason for someone's termination, and hopefully promote transparency.
Hope these are helpful ways to think about managing workers with a pro-worker mindset. If you're a manager or worker with other ideas/ tips, you should drop them in the comments to discuss!