This is a very hard question for managers to answer but a perfectly reasonable one to be asked.Unfortunately most managers avoid answering it. It’s a question that as staffing cuts bite and workloads increase many staff will ask their managers. Is it better to have three things done well or five things done badly? The answer is straight forward but challenging to put into practise.
You ask a willing and able member of the team to undertake an important piece of work that needs doing urgently. They quite reasonably say yes they can do it but it is a big piece of work and they have already got a lot on. They quickly summarise a number of pieces of work you have allocated to them all of which you said were important. They ask “Is this piece of work more important and more urgent than the others? Which should I do first and in view of the timescales is it going to be ok if some things don’t get done in time?”
It’s a perfectly reasonable question but often a very hard one for a manager to answer because in reality all the tasks are a priority. The deadlines may and been externally set and the pressure is on from above. If it hard for a manager to answer this question it is near impossible for their staff because however well they do the tasks they risk being criticised for failing to complete all the tasks and if they complete all the tasks but due to pressure of time they don’t do them to their usual standard they again risk getting into trouble.
So as a manager don’t assume employees are being awkward, discuss the tasks, agree which you want doing first and why, accept there are risks that some important thing won’t get done and take the responsibility. If you’re in any doubt about the priorities then ask your boss but don’t be surprised if they struggle with the answer.
These and other issues are explored in People management in a harsh financial climate published by www.russellhouse.co.uk