the rules of the workplace
TRANSCRIPT
The Rules of the
Workplace
How to improve the weekly grind
Flick
r /
Ph
il R
oger
s
Rule 1: Prioritise the customer’s work Flick
r /
Mik
e C
arn
ey
Don’t let the
tyranny of the urgent:
meetings e-mails
powerpoint
get in the way of the important F
lick
r /
Mik
e C
arn
ey
Rule 2: Don’t make your customers wait
Flick
r /
Xia
ojun D
eng
Flick
r /
Xia
ojun D
eng
They will either get mad or take their money elsewhere
Neither is great for business
Rule 3: There is always more work than people Flick
r /
Ala
n O
’Rou
rke
Rule 3: There is always more work than people
So fix the work
Flick
r /
Ala
n O
’Rou
rke
Rule 3: There is always more work than people
Errr... Can’t stop, too busy
Flick
r /
Ala
n O
’Rou
rke
Rule 4: Study the work Flick
r /
Tel
mo3
2
If you understand the work:
you will be better at it
and find it more
interesting
Flick
r /
Tel
mo3
2
You might even get paid
more
Flick
r /
Tel
mo3
2
Rule 5: Understand how the work works
Flick
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Mzx
imvs
Vd
B
Work works in all sorts of ways:
• Customers • Procedures • Queues • Systems …
Work is complicated
If you don’t understand it, why on earth would you think you can fix it?
Flick
r /
Mzx
imvs
Vd
B
Rule 6: Standardise the work Flick
r /
Allen
Lai
If everyone is working differently what is the best way?
Flick
r /
Allen
Lai
If there isn’t a standard how will you know you have improved?
Flick
r /
Allen
Lai
Rule 7: If the work is important write it down
Flick
r /
Mari
n
If it isn’t written down
(drawn up, photographed or
mapped out)
How are your staff supposed to know what
to do?
Word of mouth?
Flick
r /
Mari
n
Rule 8: Train your staff Flick
r /
Dunca
n C
Flick
r /
Dunca
n C
Enough said?
Rule 9: Make the work easy Flick
r /
Con
nec
tors
Dis
trib
uti
on B
ox
Make it:
ü Error proof ü Tamper proof ü Omission proof ü Easy to teach ü Forgiving ü Durable ü User friendly ü Adaptable ü Versatile
Or just plain simple
Flick
r /
Con
nec
tors
Dis
trib
uti
on B
ox
Rule 10: Build systems Flick
r /
Roy
ce B
air
Flick
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Roy
ce B
air
A bad system will beat a good person
Flick
r /
Roy
ce B
air
Every time
Rule 11: Streamline the work
Flick
r /
Anss
i K
oskin
en
Flick
r /
Anss
i K
oskin
en
Don’t hold the work back in
queues or stocks or backlogs
Let it flow
Rule 12: Find the bottleneck
Flick
r /
Tim
Gre
en
Don’t leave it empty
Flick
r /
Tim
Gre
en
Rule 13: Clean the workplace
Flick
r /
Dou
g
Flick
r /
Dou
g
A place for everything and everything in its place
Rule 14: Make the work obvious
Nati
onal P
ark
Ser
vic
e /
Alc
atr
az
Nati
onal P
ark
Ser
vic
e /
Alc
atr
az
Somethings, you just need to…
Nati
onal P
ark
Ser
vic
e /
Alc
atr
az
know
Rule 15: Remove the waste Flick
r /
Ala
n C
leaver
Flick
r /
Ala
n C
leaver
It will cost you in the
end
Rule 16: Communicate
Flick
r /
htt
p://u
nd
ercl
ass
risi
ng.
net
/
Flick
r /
htt
p://u
nd
ercl
ass
risi
ng.
net
/
Listen to your customers and employees, then tell them what is going on
Rule 17: Look at the evidence Flick
r /
Ph
il R
oed
er
Flick
r /
Ph
il R
oed
er
The work place is alive with data, facts and
evidence
You won't fix the work if you don't use the evidence
Rule 18: Talk about the work Flick
r /
Ham
ed P
arh
am
Flick
r /
Ham
ed P
arh
am
Discuss the “what” not the “who”
“Who caused that?” and “What caused that?” might sound the same, but the answers you will
get are a million miles apart
Rule 19: Look After the workforce Flick
r /
Tob
i G
aulk
e
Karma never
loses an address
Flick
r /
Tob
i G
aulk
e
Rule 20: Persistence pays Flick
r /
Nig
el G
ood
man
Quick fixes won’t improve anything Flick
r /
Nig
el G
ood
man
Follow the rules and next Monday morning won’t be such a towering drama
You might even enjoy it
Flick
r /
Ken
Row
land
For more blindingly obvious observations about work
visit www.squawkpoint.com
Flick
r /
Tod
d