"Shop-Floor" Mentality

[944fan]

I recently heard someone at work refer to a colleage as having a "shop-floor" mentality.

I am being thick here, but WTF does that mean?

[singlecoil]

Probably someone who has no interest in the welfare of the company, who does the required hours and then goes home.

[Miguel Alvarez]

I've always seen it as the first point of contact the customer sees. Front office, call centre staff etc.

Not really given it much thought.

[Mr Whippy]

Shop floor mentality is good if that is all they are paid to do.

I don't get the logic that it's good to have people who need to care about the whole business when they are paid and contracted to do a basic job...
If they are to have that mentality they need to be paid more or move on to a job where that is expected of them and get the benefits that come with it!

Dave

[StevieBee]

Mr Whippy said:

I don't get the logic that it's good to have people who need to care about the whole business when they are paid and contracted to do a basic job...

I'd say that having consideration and a duty of care to the company that pays your wages is vital.

Example....

My company had an association with a printing company that had been going for over 30 years. Very good company, good managers, owners and a decent workforce. It ran into difficulties in 2008 which got worse as two major clients went bust and the banks tightened lending.

In early 2010, matters got worse still but not critical. In order for the company to survive, cuts needed to be made. The owners didn't want to make anyone redundant so said they would need to make salary cuts - 6% for the smaller ones up to 15% for the higher salaries. This was rejected out of hand by the workers as the problems the company was facing "wasn't their fault' and that it is the owners and senior management that should suffer (despite them for at least 18 months being the lowest paid of all employees and carrying the greatest personal risk).

Unions got involved and the cuts never came into force.

The company closed the doors one week before Christmas last year, putting 45 out of work with little chance of any of them seeing any redundancy pay.

Very few of them have found new jobs since.

This is an example of the shop-floor mentality in its worst form. Had the workforce given due consideration to their employer, they would still be employed, the company still trading and facing a bright future.

[R12HCO]

' I dont give a **** about the company, i just come for the money and go home'

' Everyone in the office is useless and knows **** all'

That screams shop floor to me.

[singlecoil]

StevieBee said:

This is an example of the shop-floor mentality in its worst form. Had the workforce given due consideration to their employer, they would still be employed, the company still trading and facing a bright future.

On the whole I agree, having said that, I can think of plenty of firms where the alienation between management and workers has been largely the management's fault, and something that has gone on for hundreds of years. That alienation is at the root of much of the decline of British industry.

[williamp]

singlecoil said:

StevieBee said:

This is an example of the shop-floor mentality in its worst form. Had the workforce given due consideration to their employer, they would still be employed, the company still trading and facing a bright future.

On the whole I agree, having said that, I can think of plenty of firms where the alienation between management and workers has been largely the management's fault, and something that has gone on for hundreds of years. That alienation is at the root of much of the decline of British industry.

Thats true. The successful companies- the ones who can weather the storm in their sector, are ones where all the staff have pride in their company, a sense of commitment and not a shop-floor mentality. It is up to the management to bring everyone together. You cannot expect it to simply happen. And there will always be some who will never see it this way. Its a hard thing to do, but worthwhile if you can

[Mr Whippy]

StevieBee said:

Mr Whippy said:

I don't get the logic that it's good to have people who need to care about the whole business when they are paid and contracted to do a basic job...

I'd say that having consideration and a duty of care to the company that pays your wages is vital.

Example....

My company had an association with a printing company that had been going for over 30 years. Very good company, good managers, owners and a decent workforce. It ran into difficulties in 2008 which got worse as two major clients went bust and the banks tightened lending.

In early 2010, matters got worse still but not critical. In order for the company to survive, cuts needed to be made. The owners didn't want to make anyone redundant so said they would need to make salary cuts - 6% for the smaller ones up to 15% for the higher salaries. This was rejected out of hand by the workers as the problems the company was facing "wasn't their fault' and that it is the owners and senior management that should suffer (despite them for at least 18 months being the lowest paid of all employees and carrying the greatest personal risk).

Unions got involved and the cuts never came into force.

The company closed the doors one week before Christmas last year, putting 45 out of work with little chance of any of them seeing any redundancy pay.

Very few of them have found new jobs since.

This is an example of the shop-floor mentality in its worst form. Had the workforce given due consideration to their employer, they would still be employed, the company still trading and facing a bright future.

That sounds like a typical union reaction, can't have everything, so have nothing instead

I agree in a way, but if you want buy-in from those kinds of employees you need to give them a buy-in to the business.

No point them working their fingers to the bone to make sure things go right when in the good times they don't see big bonuses etc, as they are 'only' the people doing the simple job.


I'm of the mind that people who WANT the company they work for to do well, will not be satisfied in the lower-end jobs anyway. In that case, they will either work there way up and be valued, or move on to where they will be appreciated.

Anyone else, well, you can't really expect someone you pay very little to, who gets no profit share or bonus etc, to have a personal buy-in to a business.


I'm assuming here that more isn't expected of them. I'm contracted to do what needs to be done to assure business continuity, so I'm boned if I want to have a 'shop-floor' attitude. But I do get paid ok too.

Dave

[BliarOut]

So grunts are expected to have a business studies degree these days too?

[Johnnytheboy]

R12HCO said:

' I dont give a **** about the company, i just come for the money and go home'

' Everyone in the office is useless and knows **** all'

That screams shop floor to me.

The kind of person that still thinks companies are divided into "workers" and "management" with no shade of grey between them.

The youngest of these are now about 55, so we've about ten years left before we're shot of them.

[singlecoil]

Johnnytheboy said:

R12HCO said:

' I dont give a **** about the company, i just come for the money and go home'

' Everyone in the office is useless and knows **** all'

That screams shop floor to me.

The kind of person that still thinks companies are divided into "workers" and "management" with no shade of grey between them.

The youngest of these are now about 55, so we've about ten years left before we're shot of them.

I'm glad to hear that things have changed so much (though I suspect that they haven't). In any case, blaming one side of a divide for the fact that the divide exists isn't very helpful.

[Fittster]

singlecoil said:

Johnnytheboy said:

R12HCO said:

' I dont give a **** about the company, i just come for the money and go home'

' Everyone in the office is useless and knows **** all'

That screams shop floor to me.

The kind of person that still thinks companies are divided into "workers" and "management" with no shade of grey between them.

The youngest of these are now about 55, so we've about ten years left before we're shot of them.

I'm glad to hear that things have changed so much (though I suspect that they haven't). In any case, blaming one side of a divide for the fact that the divide exists isn't very helpful.

With the increasing large gap between the pay of management and the workforce I'd say the disconnect is larger than it's ever been.

The example on this thread is that a company is improved with if the returns to the workers are reduced. How about increasing their power so the workforce has more of a long term interest in the company?

[Mr Whippy]

Fittster said:

singlecoil said:

Johnnytheboy said:

R12HCO said:

' I dont give a **** about the company, i just come for the money and go home'

' Everyone in the office is useless and knows **** all'

That screams shop floor to me.

The kind of person that still thinks companies are divided into "workers" and "management" with no shade of grey between them.

The youngest of these are now about 55, so we've about ten years left before we're shot of them.

I'm glad to hear that things have changed so much (though I suspect that they haven't). In any case, blaming one side of a divide for the fact that the divide exists isn't very helpful.

With the increasing large gap between the pay of management and the workforce I'd say the disconnect is larger than it's ever been.

The example on this thread is that a company is improved with if the returns to the workers are reduced. How about increasing their power so the workforce has more of a long term interest in the company?

Exactly.

Times are bad and they are seen as in with the company and needing to help out, all hands on deck.

When times are good, it's all bonuses and profit shares and promotions at the top.


All it takes is either manning up and realising that you can't expect your work force to be there for you in bad times, IF you didn't want to reward them and make them feel a part of your business in the good times.

But who wants that. Usually business directors and so on just want to reap the rewards when times are good. Thats fine. I just wonder about those who utilise that mantra then get upset when things go bad. You can't have it BOTH ways.

Dave

[Munter]

Yeah no bd ever rewards the shop floor workers....

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2014721/Sp...

..oh...

[Mr Whippy]

Munter said:

Yeah no bd ever rewards the shop floor workers....

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2014721/Sp...

..oh...

And now they all have a stake in the business they might be more likely to want to ensure it does well when they hit harder times...

Oh!

[944fan]

I understand what it means now. I am confused why it was said about this particular person though. The person is in fact ME!

I would have thought I had the least "shop floor" mentality out of everyone in my team so supprised this term was applied to me.

Needless to say the person who said it has left and I have been promoted to their position so I don't really care that they said it.

[rog007]

I admire your honesty. Your experience is quite typical though, one employee talking down another; often ends with the acuser being the loser and the accused being the gainer.

However; it's always worth reflecting upon why you think they said what they did, if only to help heighten one's self awareness levels as we rarely see ourselves as others do. It may have been spiteful with no basis of truth; it may however have a slither of truth and it would be useful to take that on to see what improvements in ones manner could be made.

[944fan]

rog007 said:

I admire your honesty. Your experience is quite typical though, one employee talking down another; often ends with the acuser being the loser and the accused being the gainer.

However; it's always worth reflecting upon why you think they said what they did, if only to help heighten one's self awareness levels as we rarely see ourselves as others do. It may have been spiteful with no basis of truth; it may however have a slither of truth and it would be useful to take that on to see what improvements in ones manner could be made.

Thank's that is good advice. I don't think it was said out of spite but I do have a hard time thinking what they meant. I guess they probably meant that I thought of myself being at the coal face doing the actual work and the management were doing nothing. The reason is that the management were fidling while Rome burnt and now they have all left/been removed.

[ApexJimi]

Are people on minimum wage, or near as dammit, seriously expected to care THAT much about the wider concerns of a company?

I've often heard the phrase uttered "I'm not paid enough to care" and while I agree that it isn't entirely a good attitude to have, there IS a certain amount of undeniable logic there.