Is this a typical day in your middle managers’ lives?

• arrive in office
• spend one hour updating employee’s sick absence record (used to be done by HR but that department has been downsized)
• spend one hour processing invoices (used to be done by Finance but that department has been downsized)
• spend one and a half hours resolving laptop issue (used to be done by on-site IT people but that department has been downsized)
• lunch
• spend one and a half hours resolving air-conditioning issue (used to be done by Facilities but that department has been downsized)
• spend one and a half hours on emails (used to be done by Assistant but role had to be cut following recent budget round)
• spend half an hour on job they were recruited for before leaving for home.

In a seven hour day (of course, they’re all working a lot longer than that to make up time) half an hour represents just over 7% efficiency.

And working longer hours to make up time represents an even less efficient approach, particularly as morale starts to get affected.

Now I’m not saying that they’re aren’t good reasons for rationalization of business functions. Dead wood, archaic processes, over-staffed departments… they all exist and leaders need to tackle them.

But if this is at the expense of important middle-ranking Executive efficiency… then you need a different approach.

In other words, can you let your managers manage please?
That’s what you pay them for.

Tags: absence air conditioning budget business functions downsized executive efficiency finance half an hour half an hour half hours invoices job lunch middle managers rationalization typical day