Cows With Names Give More Milk

Lessons for Managers from Those They Manage

Remember your employees names. We are vital parts of your company’s every day function. You literally could not run without us. The building needs to be cleaned, the reports need to be typed, the customers need to be helped and the shelves need to be stocked. More importantly, we are human beings who need to be recognized. There could be no upper management without the service staff.

The customer is Not always right. No one is always right—not the customer, not the manager and not the staff.

Support your employees. Do not automatically assume they are in the wrong. Find out what is going on before you come down on someone. And think about your employees—if a customer says someone was swearing at them and you have never heard this person use a swear word in 10 years take that into account. Did they really start yelling, "F***  You", when the worst they ever say is crap?

If you have to break up a disagreement or assuage a customer, don’t assume the person yelling is the one who is right. Some people yell because they are frustrated and legitimately right and some people yell because they are lying and trying to distract you. Some people default to yelling without even realizing they are doing it.

Employee morale is always going to be an issue you need to work on. Improving it or keeping it up; it is an ongoing battle. Morale can be vastly improved by a kind word. I once worked for a boss that every time I said good night, he said, “Good night. Thank you.” I will always remember him and that feeling of appreciation went a long way towards keeping me going when a lot of other things were bad there.

Every one has a bad day now and then; be willing to overlook the small things if they don’t matter. Understand when they do.

An employee should respect your authority. If you tell her that her outfit is not appropriate, she should never wear it again. If she does, sit her down and find out what is going on. Then send her home to change and count it as her sick time. If it happens again, send them home with no pay or write them up.

Never yell at your employees. And absolutely never yell in front of any one else. It is demoralizing.

A happy employee will always provide better service than a sullen one.

You owe your employees something and I don’t mean money. Having said that, you do owe them money as well, so always pay your employees on schedule.

Have a way to keep track of time off and make sure you don’t over or under schedule. It is OK to expect them to find coverage for their shift if they ask for time off at the last minute but if they ask for the time off in advance then it is your responsibility to find the proper coverage.

Take the time to learn the basics about your employees. You don’t need to know the name of every one they have ever dated but you should know if they are married or have kids (Just do not ask in the interview.)

A study of milk producing cows showed that overwhelmingly cows with names give more milk. The cows that received personal attention were the ones that produced the best. We aren't cows and do not want to be treated as though we were, but there is still something to be learned here.

Its all about recognition respect and attention

REFERENCE: "Exploring Stock Managers' Perceptions of the Human-Animal Relationship on Dairy Farms and an Association with Milk Production," Catherine Bertenshaw [Douglas] and Peter Rowlinson,