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Senior Citizen Opinions & Analysis
Workplace Not Like When We Were There It's the
Corporate Running of the Bulls
By Bill Kalmar, retired
 October 3, 2006 - Rather than travel to Pamplona
Spain to view the annual Running of the Bulls, one need go no further
than the parking lots of our nation's companies. It is here that people
described in the company's brochures as our "most important asset" are
being herded and unceremoniously directed to their automobiles after
years of service.
The psychological goring of these employees has
already taken place by, at times, an inept management team, and for
some, the wounds will last for months. Consider for a moment Radio
Shack recently notifying 400 employees of their dismissal by e-mail thus
avoiding the parking lot carnage altogether! What a nice gesture!
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July 12, 2006 - Being retired affords one the
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Retirement - Im Lovin It!
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Bill Kalmar, retired
Aug. 1, 2005 - Many senior citizens approach their
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Is It Armageddon For Customer Service?
By Bill Kalmar, retired
Aug. 26, 2005 - You see and hear them everyday
signs and commercials heralding that Customer Service Is #1 or We
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Opinions & Analysis for Seniors or
Retirement News |
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Interestingly enough there is a remarkable reverse
parallel, albeit bizarre, to be drawn between Pamplona and corporate
America: potential buyers of the bulls always ran ahead in order to be
well placed for the purchase that would follow.
On the other hand, in corporate settings, the
management remains behind in the shadows not wanting to confront the
victims as they are led to their "psychological slaughter". Being
"bullish" on one's company no longer guarantees longevity.
This phenomenon is taking place on a fairly regular
basis as companies continue their strategy of "downsizing", "right
sizing" or in more accurate vernacular - firing and displacing people
who now become the latest statistic in the unemployment lines. Case in
point is Ford Motor cutting 4,000 salaried workers this year and late
last week announcing another 10,000 would be laid off early next year.
In fact, Chicago's outplacement consulting firm
Challenger, Gray & Christmas Inc. indicates that autumn layoffs always
spike between Labor Day and year-end. This is typically the heaviest
downsizing period of the year - 38% - so the outlook for more parking
lot dismissals will certainly increase.
For some, the trauma of packing one's belongings in
cardboard boxes and being escorted out of the building by security
guards is diminished somewhat by accepting a voluntary buyout.
This is what Ford is offering its entire 75,000
unionized workers in the hope that at least 30,000 will accept. The
unexpected jolt to one's psyche though is only slightly lessened but
realizing that a once paternalistic company that valued the
contributions of their employees but now dismisses them with a lack of
appreciation can haunt one for years.
Over the last couple of years I have attended and
participated in retirement parties for friends and associates from
companies where a lifetime of employment was common. Some of these
departures were voluntary while others were not.
What struck me at each of these events though was
not the response of the honored guest but the comments from those who
were remaining at the company. "Wish I could retire!" - "How do I get a
separation package from Human Resources?"
Certainly not comments that engender company
loyalty! But on the other hand these people feel that their loyalty has
not been recognized or returned in kind by management and thus the dream
of being jettisoned from the company with a favorable separation package
becomes passionate and real.
On the other hand, there are many organizations
that in fact return the loyalty of their employees by handling
separations with sensitivity and professionalism.
Each year a listing of "The 100 Best Companies to
Work For" is published by FORTUNE magazine. Other exemplary
organizations can be found by reviewing a list of Malcolm Baldrige
National Quality Award recipients. These organizations are able to
blend a concern for employees with an equal focus on profitability. Some
of the common traits include:
● Making people feel that
they are part of a team or, in some cases, a family.
● Encouraging open communication, informing its people of new
developments and encouraging them to offer suggestions and complaints.
● Promoting from within letting its own people bid for jobs before
hiring outsiders.
● Stressing quality, enabling people to feel pride in the products or
services they are providing.
● Allowing its employees to share in the profits through profit sharing,
stock ownership or both.
● Reducing the distinctions of rank between top management and those in
entry level positions - put everyone on a first name basis - bar
executive dining rooms and exclusive perks for high level people.
● Devoting attention and resources to creating as pleasant a workplace
environment as possible.
● Encouraging its employees to be active in community service by
providing money to organizations in which employees participate.
● Assisting employees to save by matching the funds they save.
● Trying not to lay off people without first making an effort to place
them in other jobs either with the company or elsewhere.
● Caring enough about the health of its employees to provide physical
fitness centers and regular exercise and medical programs.
● Expanding the skills of its people through training programs and
reimbursement of tuition for outside courses.
Coupled with these elements should be MBWA -
Management By Walking Around. Managers with integrity and a concern for
employees regularly wander through the work areas to assess the mood of
the staff and to act as a conduit for concerns and questions.
To do anything less would signal to employees that
management doesn't value their input and the requisite "running of the
staff" to the door for other opportunities elsewhere will certainly
follow. Let's hope that this mutual disloyalty trend is reversed as
management realizes that being in lock step with the needs, wants, and
expectations of employees is as important as being in tune with customer
expectations.
In the meantime, now as the after Labor Day rush to
the parking lot of displaced employees has already begun, it may be time
to call my broker and invest in some cardboard box futures! Open the
company floodgates, wave the red cape and let the games begin!
About Bill Kalmar:
> Former Director of the Michigan Quality Council (1993-2003)
> Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award Examiner (1996-1997)
> Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award Board of Overseers
(2000-2003)
> Lake Orion MI 48360
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