What Managers Need To Understand About “Discretionary Effort”, And How To Capture It

Over the last 30 years or so, a number of surveys and reports  examining employee attitudes at work would suggest that less than one in four employees said they were performing to their full potential and capacity.  In one survey, a staggering 44% of the employees actually revealed they only did what was required of them, and held back any extra effort.

Whilst it may be difficult to quantify exactly what this might mean for your team or organisation, there can be little doubt,  if your people are doing only what they have to, to keep the “boss off their back”, then this will be reflecting in the results you get: whether that’s sales, numbers of customer complaints , staff attendance, profit or any other measure by which you determine success.

In an economic climate which threatens the success, and in some cases, the existence, of some businesses, we need managers who not only know they need to engage “all hands to the pump”, but understand how to do that. Read more