As a business owner for over 40 years, I’ve pretty much seen it all. At times it’s been astounding to witness the impact of dedicated professionals — the kind of people who go above and beyond for clients, co-workers and the company. Other times, it’s been mind-blowing to see employees who think only of themselves — who expect the company to revolve around them.
We had a staff member once who would help himself to the snacks and sodas we stock for client events. Now, a drink here or a pack of nuts there is actually encouraged at our office. But it’s not our policy for employees to go “free shopping” through the inventory and this gentleman was loading his briefcase every day, taking piles of snacks home to his family.
Then when we were booking a big seminar event at a hotel, he called Marriott separately to ask if they could transfer all of the reward points from the company account to his personal account. When I asked him about it, his attitude was, “Well, you guys don’t pay me enough and I deserve some perks, so I went ahead and created my own.” Needless to say, he didn’t last much longer with us.
This is an example of entitlement in the workplace — something that has become a major problem for companies across America. In my latest book, Entitlement Abolition, I share that I have several clients who run businesses and they often ask me what they can do to prevent entitlement from destroying their companies. I help them identify the issues some of their employees may be having — the biggest of which is often harboring a "scarcity versus abundance" mindset.
It manifests itself in the way people talk, the way they act and the way that competition arises. Employees think they’re competing in every meeting and even every conversation at the water cooler. Segregation enters in. They see the company as employees versus management, department versus department, hourly workers versus salaried.
Employees start to gripe among themselves: “Management doesn’t do anything. We’re the ones who do all the work. The owners are lazy and greedy!” Or they’ll say things like, “You’re going to pay me more since you asked me to do that additional task, right?” Or “I’m the bookkeeper — not the janitor!” (This one makes me chuckle, as I’ve always been quick to help clean up the leftover plates and napkins or grab the vacuum after our events.)
Entitlement is also evident when employees are more focused on their “right” to have a vast amount of sick days, vacation days and personal days, rather than looking at what they can contribute on all the days they’re in the office. I think it’s important for employees to realize they’re either a cost — a liability to your company — or they’re an asset. You are investing in them. It’s likely the assets will be kept around much longer than the liabilities.
A negative, “me-me” entitlement mentality can become a cancer in the workplace, taking a company off course. What can you do to get employees back on track, collaborating in an environment of abundance?
• Define core values and culture. Much like our nation’s Declaration of Independence and Constitution, it’s invaluable to define your company’s core values — and to reinforce them day-to-day. Go beyond the generic “We believe in integrity and customer service,” and get specific about what matters most to you, with things like: “We ‘deal above the line’ by being responsible and accountable,” or “We have a ‘lifetime learning commitment’ and we invest time, energy and money to gain wisdom.”
• Hire the right fit. There may be different skill sets you’re looking for to fill different positions and there are likely common qualities that you want across the board. But above all, successful companies hire people who naturally embrace the company’s values and culture.
• Encourage ingenuity. Julian Simon taught there is only one natural resource on the planet — human ingenuity. If you think about it, oil was just something that got camels’ hooves dirty until someone figured out how to make combustion engines. Invite your employees to use their ingenuity to contribute to the company. Recognize and reward them when they produce a more efficient solution or develop an approach that wins the customers over.
• Reinforce personal ownership. It’s also important to help employees take ownership in doing the right thing — whether that’s solving a customer issue or taking responsibility for a mistake on the job. A lot of times, management might think they’ve empowered employees, but it gets lost in translation, leaving employees more focused on the letter of the law (out of fear) than on doing what’s best.
With these tools and perspectives in place, you can tackle entitlement in the workplace. Remember to do it one step at a time. It doesn’t have to happen overnight. As you begin to focus on things like encouraging ingenuity, hiring the right people and reinforcing ownership, you will open the way for a transformation that can bring about greater company abundance.
Doug Andrew is a best-selling author, radio talk show host and abundant living coach.