Stores Magazine - November 2007 - (Page 42) WORTH WATCHING / HUMAN RESOURCES Just Do It Right Nike’s Assist! program brings consistency, efficiency to the hiring of contract workers BY MICHAEL HARTNETT ike has created a breakthrough system for hiring thousands of contract workers while also delivering remarkable efficiencies, cost savings and consistent compliance with regional standards to the company’s own value system that recognizes the importance of “human capital.” N “The issue was not disruption of the business; it was the quality of the managed approach.” — Dan Hanyzewski, Nike Since the program, called Assist!, was introduced last year, Nike has gained a type of one-stop-shopping capability for its hiring of temporary workers, a program that offers consistency, transparency, reliability, automatic monitoring of labor payments and duration of employment, as well as the ability to leverage Nike’s buying power in the marketplace. The program’s initial focus was domestic, but it is now being expanded into some pockets of Nike’s global operations. The list of job descriptions that fall under Nike’s contract labor needs range from design, finance, clerical and administrative to manufacturing and distribution. Another testament to the program’s success is the frequency with which these contract workers become permanent Nike employees, based on their job performance in temporary assignments. Assist! is viewed as a global platform from which Nike can launch hiring systems for its international operations in Europe, the Middle East, Africa and Asia. In short, the Assist! program has been developed to deliver the best talent for ultimate success, says Dan Hanyzewski, Nike’s staffing director for global functions. He links Nike’s broad assortment of products — from athletic footwear, apparel, equipment and accessories — to the need for talented people and underscores the importance of “people, partners and playmakers” to achieve victory. Launched in August 2006, Assist! wasn’t a response to worker shortages, inappropriate hires or operational problems in manufacturing, distribution or store operations. “The issue was not disruption of the business; it was the quality of the managed approach,” Hanyzewski says. “Assist! gave us the best quality for a market-driven price. It gave us visibility on what we were spending, where and why. The program’s strategic pillars were the drivers for the MSP (managed staffing program) that we know as Assist!” Those “pillars” describe the program’s WWW.STORES.ORG 42 STORES / NOVEMBER 2007 http://WWW.STORES.ORG
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