Roanoke Times
                 Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: SUNDAY, November 27, 1994                   TAG: 9411290005
SECTION: BUSINESS                    PAGE: F4   EDITION: METRO 
SOURCE: CAMILLE WRIGHT MILLER
DATELINE:                                 LENGTH: Medium

EVERYONE'S DIFFERENT, BUT THE RULES ARE STRICTER IF YOU'RE THE BOSS

A: Bayard E. Harris, an attorney with the Center for Employment Law, has a general rule for supervisors. Introduced in his supervisory training seminars, the rule is designed to minimize both problems resulting from unequal treatment of employees.

Harris summarizes the rule as EEHCARR: Everybody receives Even-Handed and Consistent Application of Reasonable Rules. Treating everybody the same reduces possibilities of litigation. Even-handed and consistent means that similar behavior receives similar rewards or punishments each and every time.

Reasonable rules ensure you are not in violation of any federal, state or local laws. Reasonable rules also make for a more pleasant work environment; an organization needs sufficient rules to ensure work is done properly but not so many as to present an onerous effort to abide by the rules.

Uneven treatment is felt by all employees. Those who are favored in treatment are resented by those who aren't. Consider slowly moving your supervisory style to one that incorporates EEHCARR. Your employees will benefit. Further, if your performance evaluation cited uneven treatment, it means incidents have surfaced that have given your supervisor reason for concern.

You'll receive better ratings if you work to resolve a problem that has been identified than if you find reasons to support your current position.

Q: My boss gives me projects to work on along with deadlines. I'll break my neck to meet the deadline only to discover the project wasn't the time priority I was told.

A: Supervisors often give artificial deadlines to make sure projects come in on time. Pretend deadlines also allow supervisors adequate time to review and revise projects before the actual deadline.

If you have several deadlines competing for attention when given a new assignment, review the list with your supervisor and ask which projects can be moved back and which can't. Your supervisor will be made aware that you are paying attention to deadlines and also will recognize that five projects can't be completed at once.

As new projects are assigned, instead of asking "What's the deadline," ask "When is the latest I can have this to you?" Rephrased queries about deadlines often cause supervisors to reveal actual deadlines.

Whatever the deadlines, make every effort to have your work completed and submitted in advance of the deadline. Such timeliness demonstrates your attention to deadlines and your ability to produce projects in a skilled manner.

Q: I'm a living example of information overload. Too much material is coming over my desk. I can't read everything, but I don't want to miss something important.

A: Develop a system. First, what will you do with documents once you've read them? Knowing available action categories helps minimize paper mounds.

Generally, you can RAFT: refer it, act on it, file it or trash it. Determine the action as you are reading. Keep adhesive note pads on your desk. If something is to be referred, note the referral on the note along with any directions. If paper requires action, can you respond directly on the page and return it immediately? If the paper should be filed, note which file and get it in your out basket. Dispose of items immediately that should be trashed.

Place a dot in the upper right hand corner to show that you've reviewed it. Do this each time you handle any paper. If the number of dots on a single page accumulates to more than three, you aren't handling the work but simply shuffling papers. Preferable is only one dot on each item.

Develop the habit of scanning, that is, reading the first paragraph and the last and only glancing at the material in between. From that quick look determine if it deserves thorough reading. If not, trash it.

Read only documents critical to your success. Scanning lets you know which documents qualify.

When reviewing publications, scan the table of contents. If no items appear relevant, toss the magazine or have it filed.

If possible, reserve several hours each week to read material that deserves attention. Not all materials are equally worthwhile; make the decision on the level attention required on your first pass through the stack.