According to an Inc. magazine survey, most executives hate
hearing this statement: "It's not my job."
The same survey found most employees hate it when they are
pulled off to do someone else's job.
For example, the
employees of a famous restaurant in are members of a labor union. They dislike
doing other people's work so much that their union contract covers this point.
"We will not do anyone else's job."
So if someone drops food or dishes on the floor, the food
servers, busboys and cooks may not clean up the mess. The restaurant manager
must either clean the mess or call in a janitor.
The restaurant owner said, "I was eating with a group
of friends to celebrate my wife's birthday when a waiter dropped a bottle of
wine. He just looked at the mess and walked away. No one would clean it up
because of the union contract. So I got up from my meal, grabbed a mop and
cleaned up the wine while the restaurant employees, and my friends, all
watched."
Another restaurant has the opposite problem. These employees
are not union members and do not have a union contract, but the place is a mad
house.
You walk in and see a full restaurant, but no workers.
Everyone is off doing something else. The chef comes out of the bathroom,
notices you standing there and yells at a busboy to help you. The busboy wipes
his hands, grabs two menus and takes you to a messy table. The hostess runs
over and helps the busboy clean up while you watch. Your waitress runs by to
answer the telephone. Everyone is doing all the jobs.
So which approach is best? "No one may do other
people's jobs" or "Everyone should do all the jobs."
Of course, neither approach is correct.
