Busy or working?

Some people are extremely adept at appearing busy when they are actually doing very little productive work.

They buzz around in a blur and, every time you glance in their direction, they are busily engaged in something. And yet, at the end of the day, there is little to show for their activity.

This is a form of "featherbedding.” It's a clever form because you never see them just sitting there doing nothing. They always seem to be on the move. Yet, nothing is pretty close to what they actually accomplish.

I had an employee who seemed, on the surface, to be the slowest thing since cold molasses. This guy never moved fast and when viewed alongside our speedball, you would assume that he was the one getting nothing done. But, at the end of the day, there would be an enormous pile of completed work.

I learned from this. When evaluating an employee's worth, you have to look at what they get done, not at the speed at which they work. Sometimes things are not quite as clear as they might appear on the surface.

D.D.