Management - An issue of responsibility to the managed

I see the role of management as being responsible to those whom they manage.

People join an organization and work for it, with the tacit understanding that the organization will take care of them and reward them for their efforts. The organization's management must then look at itself and ask if it is doing what it can to take care of those working in the organization, to see that their needs are being addressed, that they are suitably rewarded for their efforts, and that they are being treated fairly.

One of those is working overtime.

While there are always periods of time in which workload may surge, due to unforeseen circumstances, when you start to see people working late consistently, the management must then reflect. Why are people working late? Is it because they are inefficient in managing their time? Or are they being given too heavy a workload? Or are they being asked to do too much, way beyond what should be expected of them? Is there so much red tape that they cannot work efficiently? Are they being asked to do things unrelated to their job scope, detracting them from doing their jobs in the first place? All these are failures on the part of the management.

The job of the management is to set clear directions for work, to create an environment in which those doing the work can have free rein to carry out their work to the best of their abilities. It is to manage the expectations of the bosses so that unreasonable demands are not made on those on the ground. It is to pace the work in the office so that all workers are treated fairly, so that they feel adequately rewarded for the amount of work they put in. And when subordinates cannot manage their time, those managing them must step in to give them the training and guidance to groom them.

Talking about it is always easy. Doing it is always the hard part.