"Keepers"

If you are not in management, you may never have heard of employees being referred to as “keepers.” It is really not a great way to talk about employees that are performing to expectations. Those who are valuable employees are often referred to as “keepers.” I think it puts more emphasis on the employee versus the person.

I have a fundamental problem with the way corporate America manages people. The reason is simple. They do very little managing of people and primarily manage employees. It may seem as if the concepts are really the same; however, there is huge difference between the two.

Managers must manage employees. There is a legitimate employer to employee relationship. Managers deal with all sorts of HR issues as they relate to the employer. Much of this is defined by labor laws and Corporate HR policies. These policies, if well written help bring order to the living corporation. Managers of medium to large companies typically get adequate management training as it relates to HR issues. I would like to think it is because companies are dedicated to training management, but this is not always the case. Some companies have a genuine interest in training management and recognize that it is vital to the overall health of the company. Other companies do it to comply with the law and avoid litigation. They show no signs of being genuinely interested in their manager’s abilities to manage employees.

Only companies that really care about management training and recognize the value of a manager to the organization teach managers how to manage people. Employees are people. Employers are not people. So you have an entity that controls people. Unless companies become organic, intelligent entities, they will remain just legal entities. Employees are people.

So how many managers know how to manage people? The mentoring cannot come from the employer. It comes from other employees, who are also managers. Those managers are also people. Ask yourself, are you managed as an employee by an employee or as a person by a person?

It is tough to articulate this concept. We do not typically grow up in companies as people, but rather just employees. If we are lucky and management perceives that we have something to contribute we can even become “keepers.”

How many managers realize that they manage both employees and people and they are one and the same? You cannot separate a person from an employee. Companies continually try and fail to do just that.

I am interested in hearing from people who feel like they are managed as an employee and a person and those who feel they are managed only as an employee. The stark contrast between the two will show the impact that “people management” has on people who are — employees.

Share your thoughts.