Carolyn Jack

Editor and CEO, Geniocity.com
A project of The Genius Group LLC

Creative Nerve: What It’s Really Like to Start a Business

Learning to be a good employer. Ok, I don’t pretend to know yet how to be a good employer.  Our company doesn’t even officially have employees yet; we work with independent contractors.

But my own experiences on corporate payrolls sure have taught me a thing or two about how to avoid being  a bad employer.

What have I learned? That employers are stupidly self-defeating to treat their staffs as automatons instead of humans with lives and needs. Some compassion and flexibility go a long way toward keeping employees well, happy, feeling respected and able to focus on their jobs. You need to let them have occasional and reasonable amounts of time to pick up children, get to the dentist, take a catnap if they’re exhausted, head for home early if a blizzard’s brewing or if the furnace-repair person has to be let in.

I’ve learned that you can’t respond to those who work the hardest by dumping more work on them just because you don’t trust the unproductive ones to come through. It’s not an honor to be overburdened and underpaid.

I’ve especially learned that companies have to be teams where everyone’s ideas are sought and listened to; where people are trusted, given some autonomy and encouraged to communicate and work together effectively and enjoyably; where initiative is rewarded, not exploited; and where dedicated people with great skills and attitudes – not political operators  - are recognized, rewarded and nurtured.     

 Easier said than done? Maybe. But the point is to try, and so many employers these days don’t ever seem to. They seem to think of their people as paper towels: identical, essentially worthless, there to absorb all the company’s messes, subhuman, disposable. That’s a crime, both morally and managerially. It takes relatively little sacrifice to engage people’s loyaltiesand good will, and you lose so much productivity and competitiveness if they feel undervalued and mistreated.     

Yesterday, I got a chance to put some of my convictions into action. One of the people who’s been helping me with Geniocity.com will soon be leaving, going along on a family move to another state. A talented, bright, versatile young person, she has qualities I didn’t want Geniocity to lose. So I came up with an idea (creativity!) that I thought would allow her to try a new, interesting role on our site and maintain her professional profile in the world while enjoying the flexible schedule necessary to getting settled in a new place and a new life.

Fortunately for me and Geniocity, my idea was met with enthusiasm. And so I think I’ve not only retained a needed and valuable teammate, I’ve also gained an intriguing new site feature for our visitors – all while demonstrating to my teammate how much I appreciate her, want to earn her loyalty and help her succeed. 

And this doesn’t mean I’m saintly or something. What I hope it means is that I care about the people I work with and want the best for them – and thus for my company. I like to think that’s a lot smarter – and nicer – than crumpling up and throwing away those humanoid paper towels.