Welcome in the Wealth
People talk about the benefits of an open-door policy. Not everyone takes advantage of all the benefits, Traffic flows two ways through a door.
- Let them in.
- Get out on the shop floor.
- Get out of the building.
LET THEM IN
Make sure employees know they can come to you with ideas and concerns. At one large facility, a suggestion was to raise the assembly line bringing tires to the truck assembly line. Here, there was a significant cost involved. The raised assembly line reduced back injuries and counteracted the one time cost many times over and perpetually.
GET OUT ON THE SHOP FLOOR
It seemed like a good idea to bring in temps rather than keep more expensive skilled workers. It looked good on the books and the head office was very pleased with the decision until the VP of Operations took a spin around the facility. The fork truck race in the back parking lot explained the increased damage and downtime with equipment.
GET OUT OF THE BUILDING
A young Physicist who decided to try his hand at starting a company to sell a product he designed had a fine approach to customer satisfaction, He met with his biggest customers quarterly to ask what his company could do better. There was a cost to wining and dining customers around the country but the returns on that investment were huge.
