Man marking - Blair McPherson

 

Man marking like many management expressions originates from sport. To man mark is to follow    your designated opponent around the field of play, wherever they go you follow never letting them out of your reach. Man marking is the practise of employers closely scrutinising the work of an employee. It is different to the close supervision and support a manager gives a new employee as part of their induction. The expression conveys a more negative approach in that the special attention is due to concerns about the individuals performance. However man marking not restricted to a problem employee but is a management style which seeks to provide as little opportunity as possible for employees to "skive", fiddle, misuse or generally exploited the situation. It's part of a culture that is based on not trusting employees. It is the complete opposite of judging people by out comes as in leaving them to get on with it and being satisfied as long as they get the job done. Man marking has no qualms about using technology to track an individuals movements and provide live video feed so that even if they are out of sight their manager is still watching what they do. This is just an extension of the spy in the cab so unpopular with long distance lorry drivers and resisted by airline pilots as a replacement for the black box. Surveillance cameras may help reduce crime but on building sites they are not just there to stop thefts. The cameras monitor work, they pick up breaches of health and safety,unauthorised breakers, and shoddy workmanship.

 

It is ironic that man marking as a management approach should be fashionable at the same time  managers in other areas are being encouraged to trust staff to work from home without close supervision, to judge them by out comes not the hours they put in. But then management has always been about selecting the wining approach for your team. 

 

Blair McPherson author of Equipping managers for an uncertain future published by Russell House www.blairmcpherson.co.uk 

 

 

 

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