When your product is people you need to take a very different approach to doing business. My mother taught me “it is only a good deal if it is a good deal for everyone.” If a store owner cheats you and charges too much, while he might initially get the better of you, he will lose your business forever and you will tell all of your friends about your horrible experience. That is, in the long run the cheating shop clerk loses too.
This “good deal for everyone” philosophy is a helpful for staffing, especially if expanded. When we make a placement we need to ensure that both the client and employee are excited about the opportunity in order for us to really benefit–it all comes crashing down if one of the 3 players is left dissatisfied. If we were selling toasters it would be much simpler: my toaster has never complained about the state of my kitchen – not once.
This is of course obvious – yet it can be hard to remember when working with clients who view staffing as a commodity and expect us to perform as such.
Let’s take the example of one of our staffers Enid. About six months ago I got a call from a client about Enid who was working on a temp to perm spot at a global investment back. Apparently Enid was speaking very inappropriately to senior people in the group about another employee in the group.
Apparently, the permanent position Enid had been expecting was not extended to her. Instead it went to someone that was less experienced and, in Enid’s mind, less qualified. Now Enid was speaking to everyone in her group (including the Managing Director) about what a horrible choice this was and how much injurious it would be for the group. She was making several people quite upset. We received clear instructions from our client – Make her stop, or else.
Now, I don’t know if you have ever received a direct and urgent order from someone who is accountable for a significant portion of your income, but believe me, it is very compelling. Based on how charged my contact in HR was it would have been very easy to call Enid and tersely lecture her that under no circumstances is she to speak to her managers about her not getting the permanent offer. Some might even say it was the right thing to do. Yet would likely leaving Enid feel like the experience had been a “bad deal,” which is not what our philosophy dictates. Enid was already very upset at this point, and if I had come down on her forcefully, she would have likely magnified her bad behavior, and subsequently get fired or leave the job in a huff. The client would be left short-handed, we would have a dark spot on our record and, worst of all, Enid would be without an income in the middle of a recession.
By remembering to treat Enid as a human rather than a commodity, another course of action became clear. Enid loved that job and had given her all to the group. She interacted with that job as if it were hers to keep and was simply devastated to find out that someone with less experience had received the offer. She was also very frightened for her future. Her conversations with her managers seemed a justified course of action to clear up a mistake that was ostensibly unjust. She didn’t realize that these conversations were pushing her further from her intended result.
I spoke to her with this perspective, acknowledging she was upset and why; I reminded her of hard work and commitment to get a perm position at this particular bank, and eventually she was able to see the negative effect her actions were having. By the time I suggested she apologize and explain her actions to the Managing Director she was more than willing. In turn, the MD recommended her for a perm position in a different group. We coached her on what steps she could take to improve her chances of getting a perm offer.
Needless to say, last week was Enid’s last on Wall Street Services’ payroll. She received a direct hire offer at the same bank and couldn’t be happier. She is very expressive of her gratitude for our efforts. Our client is very pleased with the talent and we are proud of what we accomplished together. The experience had truly been a good deal for all of us.
None of this would have happened without a little humanity.
As always, I would love to hear any comments or questions.
Excellent post! When I was a hiring manager, I thought the same way. It was important to make sure all my staff members were happy. This meant acknowledging their contribution and making sure they had their share of challenging projects.