Micromanaging Or Efficiency?

Last Updated on 03/12/2010

Dropped by Best Buy where ‘associates’ do not work on commission (although have a host of other metrics leading to the same end-effect).

Here is what the salespeople are given to work with. Taking for granted the commercial nature of the ‘Holiday Season’ the employee hand-out encourages them to talk up products as a “Lifestyle Solution” and to “Circle The Top 3 Customer Interactions You are Most Proud Of.”

So far, par for the course, but what about “… Product Says And Dos” or the fine print instructing employees to stand in the pre-identified first zone “priority zone” before proceeding to “another zone” if the first does not have customers? Finally, they are asked to preoccupy themselves with a “task” and other “responsibilities” if no customers are present anywhere. Everything is to be performed in the order it is spelt out.

Sounds really simple. Is it too much? Is it necessary? What would the employees do without these sheets?

And yes, I was comparing those computers.

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