b'How to Get Employees toPlay by the RulesMel KleimanE very time I leave for a speaking or trainingIf customers disregard your No engagement, I take the same route to the airportshoes, no shirt, no service, sign, and, 98% of the time, in the same spot, parked ongive the next shoeless, shirtless guy the same side of the freeway, I pass the same blue and whitewho comes in a flier explaining that, patrol car. Predictably, every trip,at times, there can be broken glass just before I reach that spot,or spilled chemicals on the floor and I slow down to the speedthat sometimes customers limit. When I have passedwith hot coffee or food in the officer and am safelytheir hands run into out of radar range, I putother customers. the pedal to the metal andOnce everyone make the rest of the trip doingunderstands about 10 miles per hour over.the rules, I know I am not alone in this behavior. In fact,cooperation will you can tell where the officer is by the sea of redbe the norm, but brake lights just before you reach his position. Andfrom time-to-you can tell when the majority of drivers think itstime you may alright to go back up to the normal over-the-limitstill have to speed.play the role While this kind of boundary stretching mayof enforcer. work on a freeway, on the job, its importantThis doesnt to enforce the established rules, policies, andnecessarily procedures that make your store safe, efficient, andmean you profitable. have to come across as the bad guy. What you want to do is The best way to ensure cooperation is to have rules thattell the offender what it was he did and ask for his side of the make sense. Even if employees or customers gripe aboutstory. Once youve heard him out, explain the reason for the some of your rules, they will follow and respect them if theyrule and ask him if he now understands. Whether or not the understand why they are necessary.person gets it, now is the time to state your expectations and describe the consequences should there be a repeat This is why health and safety rules are relatively easy tooffense. enforce. Most everyone understands that disobeying theseConsider too that some of your rules may be like old rules can be tragic. (Cranes tip over and workers are killed;blue laws (most of which prohibited the sale of any kind of dog food is contaminated and family pets die, etc.)merchandise on Sundays). If you find you cannot explain the Clarify Your Messagereason for a rule, it may be time to strike it from the books.If you have a rule that employees or customers regularlyShould you run into an instance of a favored employee break or abuse, ask yourself if youve made it perfectly clearor big spending customer who tempts you to allow some why that rule is important. (And while it may be perfectlyboundary stretching in their particular case, remember, obvious to you, youd be surprised how many people dontwhen you bend the rules for one, youre telling everyone else understand if it has not been clearly spelled out for them.)its acceptable behavior. Bottom line: People normally only balk at rules they dontPeople are not judged by their words, but by their actions. understand or that you cant logically explain.Explain your rules and enforce them fairly and equally. Do you have an employee who is chronically late forCertified Speaking Professional Mel Kleiman is an internationally work? If the person is responsible for store opening, explainrecognized consultant, author and speaker/trainer on strategies the annual dollar loss when just one customer, who couldntfor finding and keeping the best hourly employees. He is the get his morning coffee, permanently takes his businesspresident of Humetrics, a leading developer of systems, training elsewhere a result. If someone is frequently late for a shift,processes, and tools for recruiting, selecting and retaining the best explain the specific impact on the coworkers who havehourly workforce. Kleiman is the author of five books, including the to cover for them. (Susan has to pay her daycare providerbest-selling Hire Tough, Manage Easy. For more information, visit overtime, etc.) www.humetrics.com or call (713) 771-4401.24 www.mrca.orgMidwest Roofer'