BUSINESS 'X-RAY' SHOWS JUST HOW EMPLOYEES RATE.

Byline: KEN LLOYD

Q. Our company policy allows for one week vacation after one year, and two weeks after 10 years. I do not like this benefit or several others, but when I make suggestions to management, I am given a flat "no." What do you suggest I do? J.M.

A. It doesn't sound like people will be rushing to your company for that two-week vacation. More importantly, when you approach management to discuss the benefits, only to be met with a flat "no," the problem that you are facing is well beyond benefits.

Management's reaction to your suggestions provides you with a corporate X-ray. By looking carefully at managerial willingness to listen to you, no matter what the issue, you have a real opportunity to gain insight into the company's heart, soul and structure. And, short of major corporate surgery, none of these are likely to change.

When employees' ideas and suggestions simply hit the corporate wall, the message is clear: Employees are not really important.

There can be any number of reasons why an employer may have benefits that are viewed as being less than beneficial. For example, some employers may pay well above the industry, while placing minimal emphasis on the benefits as a result. In other companies, there may be one or two outstanding benefits, while the rest can be rather marginal. And, some employers go basic with the benefits because that is all they can afford. At the same time, while there can be all kinds of reasons for thin benefits, there is not one good reason for management's refusal to discuss them.

In fact, it sounds like your company is missing out on a major movement in management today - it is called "open book management," and it is based on providing the employees with key financial information and with the responsibility to present their ideas and suggestions to help their companies operate more successfully. As opposed to avoiding employee input and suggestions, these companies actively solicit and incorporate them.

As a result, the best step is to ask yourself how important company benefits are to you, and how important it is for you to be treated as an individual who has something to say. If these rate high on your work scale, you should read the corporate X-ray very carefully.

Q. One of the people I work with makes himself the center of everything that's discussed. He shrugs off what we say, but we are expected to listen as he talks endlessly about himself. How do we change this? L.N.

A. Your associate's behavior is typical of people who are about as secure as the San Andreas Fault. They quickly dance through the motions of listening to others, while viewing every discussion as an invitation to a tale about themselves. No matter what the topic, they are always ready to pounce with, "That reminds me of when I . . ."

In fact, one of the real tell-tale signs of a card-carrying egocentric is the number of times that "I" and "me" invade their conversations.

Dealing with a fellow employee who fills his speech with self-talk is a straightforward matter. If there are business issues to discuss, then you should discuss them. When "I" and "me" start to make their appearance, all you need to do is show some assertiveness and direct the conversation back to the business issue at hand, or, if the discussion is about to end, you can easily excuse yourself on the basis that you have work to do.

A more basic question is why you feel you are "expected to listen" to his stories. He is a fellow employee at your job level, and you are under no formal obligation to remain riveted as he waxes eloquently about himself. Many people are concerned about being impolite in these situations, but by acting in a businesslike way, you can end a conversation without ending a working relationship. Frankly, many self-talkers are used to having their stories abridged.

By letting the self-talker ramble on, you are actually sending him a message that you are interested in his tales of glory. In essence, you are rewarding the behavior, so he is even more likely to repeat it.

This means that the best way to change this situation is to change your behavior.