Soon the recession will end and instead of laying people off we will all about face and start hiring. I feel so confident about the economy that I hired a cleaner the other day. I discussed it with my wife, agreed a budget and talked to some neighbours to get a recommendation. The cleaner starts next week.
In a work context, say you need a senior systems analyst for a project. Think of just some of the stages you'll have to go through - filling out a requisition form, getting it signed off, hiring a contractor ...
OK I admit it; a cleaner is easier to hire than a systems analyst, but you get the point.
Why the bureaucratic nightmare? Well, if the HR function is centralised to get "economies of scale", pressure to reduce cost will lead to standard procedures that focus on cost efficiency rather than service.
Then internal auditors are employed. They come round poking holes and telling the boss you are incompetent. This has two outcomes. All forms have to be signed by 3 levels of management and any sense of trust and co-operation goes out of the window.
The more bureaucracy there is, the more people expect it and feel that they can't challenge the system, but nobody likes it, not the customers, the workers or the bosses. Even the auditors hate it.
The good news is that it is easy to strip away this red tape. Get the support of the person who is accountable for performance and then work with a team who really understand the problem to highlight all the maddening rules and regulations, focusing on giving the customer what they want. It won't just be service that improves; all the double handling and rework that you get rid of will have a positive impact on your costs as well.
Go on, have a go.
James Lawther
Transparency Works
