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I work
in a small reservations office (20 agents) within a large family-owned
hotel/casino. We are quite close knit and attempted to involve the employees in
most major decisions. About a year ago the director of hotel operations walked
into the office and decided that we should not be allowed to read, as it was not
a very productive way to spend the company's dollars. The office had been
allowed to read and even knit etc. to pass the time between calls. Most of us
believe that this kept the employees happy and reduced noise (very small
office). Since reading was banned we have had more than a few personnel
problems. Agents are gossiping and arguing more and morale has gone downhill. We
implemented a incentive program to increase productivity and boost morale and
the program was well received but the core problem of bad morale was not
addressed. When the employees are asked how the department could be improved,
the answer is singular-let us read. Call volume is such that agents do have
quite a bit of free time but they cannot be sent home because calls are so
cyclical. Sidework and busy work aside, there is little for them to do except
chat and visit with each other.
We held a department meeting and it was clear that the hotel director was the force behind the continued ban on reading despite such employee protest. he is a very reasonable man and if we could prove to him that it was in the hotels interest to let the employees read, he would. So my dilemma is this: Should employees be allowed to read? and if so, how do we convince the director to change his mind? I have spent a great many hours in the library researching this subject and cannot seem to find anything on this subject. could you please point me in the right direction? I care greatly for the women in the office and do not like to see them so upset. They are quite loyal and logical and if they felt that there was a logical reason why they shouldn't be allowed to read, they would not pursue this matter but this battle has been ongoing for over a year and is beginning to overflow into other areas. I would appreciate any help or guidance that you could provide.
Signed,
Lover Of Reading
Dear Lover of Reading:
Your question is an interesting one. Although you can find little or no research on this topic, the situation is not one that only you face. Many work settings lend themselves to idle time in which employees might find reading or knitting enjoyable and a constructive way to avoid boredom. Why should there be a no-read rule in such jobs as yours or that of guards in museums when they are alone or for swimming pool lifeguards when no one is in the water? The answer varies with the place of work. In the case of lifeguards, a fitness center manager fears being sued and loss of Red Cross accreditation should such life guards be reported for reading on the job.
The common thread in most no-read policies is management's concern for making a good and not a bad impression. Not looking like you are working most probably is the worry your boss has when he entered your reservation center and saw employees reading. You say morale is down since the no-read rule and that this annoyance with the no-read rule persists in spite of a quality improvement effort.
So what might you and your 20 co-workers do? What are the alternatives short of a 24-hour read-in campaign outside the residence of the boss?
Option 1. Test whether the director is the reasonable person you believe him to be. Present him with a list of reasons you and your co-workers create to argue for re-instating the old read-when-there-is-no-work policy. Challenge him to man the phones for three nights and abide by the no-read policy.
Option 2. Meet with the hotel director to apprise him of the displeasure with the no-read rule. Ask what he would advise would be a constructive use of down time and be prepared to suggest what your co-workers think would be worth doing in down time. I would suggest that your group offers to do some different kind of work during down time such as addressing fliers, making souvenirs for clients of the casino, etc. After all doing nothing is more boring than doing something.
Option 3. Have a skull session of your co-workers to generate things you might do during down time that might make more money for a good cause and/or perhaps at the same time generate good will for the casino. Such things as mailing out birthday cards to customers or to patients in hospitals, or making toys for children who have a serious illness would build goodwill for the casino. Then take these proposals to the director. Please let me know what you do. Life is too short to do nothing. So speak up for action.
--Bill Gorden