Maintenance Technology August 2015 - (Page 38)
WORKPLACE WISDOM
Five Steps to
Workplace Desirability
DESCASE CORP. PRESIDENT and CEO Brian
Gleason knows something about how to make a
workplace great. His company, manufacturer of
specialty lubrication-related contamination-control products,
was named last month by Nashville's Tennessean newspaper as a
Top Workplace in an annual, national competition that identifies
companies with the most desiraable workplaces. Maintenance
Technology asked Gleason to elaborate on why his company,
based in the Nashville suburb of Goodlettsville, received the
honor.
Build A Desirable Workplace
■ Show employees the vision and give them
the freedom to help attain it. "Help employees see
the end goal so the day-to-day efforts make sense, then stand
back so they can take detailed steps to help get you there,"
Gleason advised. "At Des-Case, we share our strategy, mission,
vision, values, and goals with every employee in personal
meetings, quarterly all-company meetings, and in various
communications, such as posters and KPI charts throughout
the plant and offices."
■ Be open and transparent. "If you're not open with
employees, how can they perform?" Gleason asked. "People
can't read minds. Give them all the information you can so
they better understand the entire picture. Each year we get
our top and mid-level managers together in a one-day offsite
meeting where we develop strategic planning objectives for
the following year. Through the year, to continually reinforce
those metrics and discuss performance, as well as provide
company updates, we have 10-minute morning daily conference calls to review the previous day's manufacturing, sales,
and financial performance. Additionally, every Friday the
entire company gathers at our main manufacturing location
or via conference call to hear performance and project updates
from each department. It's a great way to get employees
together, to discuss the positive stories across the organization,
and ensure that every single employee in the company knows
exactly where we are going and how we're getting there."
To learn more about Des-Case Corp. and the
comprehensive range of products and services it
offers in the area of lubrication-contamination
control, visit descase.com.
38 |
MAINTENANCE TECHNOLOGY
Some organizations
have more luck
than others these
days. Everybody
wants to work
there. But why?
"When employees enjoy where they work and feel they have
the freedom to accomplish great things," he explained, "not only
do you retain them longer, they produce better products and
deliver support services that truly make a difference in customer
retention. We believe our focus on these attributes is just as
critical to our success as what we spend in technology and R&D.
It's a key reason we've continued to grow."
Gleason pointed to five specific steps he believes managers can
take in building workplace desirability levels.
-Rick Carter, Executive Editor
■ Help employees see their impact. "Knowing
they can actively affect the company's bottom line," Gleason
noted, "will always spur employees toward achieving big, hairy
audacious goals. Set clear metrics and hold everyone accountable to reaching them. We make it a point to publicly share
those moments of innovation-and the extra miles employees
take-with everyone to demonstrate the performance level we
appreciate and want to see."
■ Train them up. As Gleason described it, "When
employees know what to do and how to do it, they'll become
valuable parts of the team. Leave them guessing about the
broad steps to take and only a few will perform as well as
they can. Our organization has a Continuous Improvement
Program that is focused on perfecting our business processes.
Each year we send two employees to train as new CI leaders
on how to organize a project."
■ Be human. "Employees want to work and win for an
employer who treats them like family," Gleason insisted.
Acknowledging that families can sometimes be demanding,
he stressed that people respond better when a human heart
is involved. "I make it a point to spend personal time with
employees as often as possible," he said, "so they can see I'm
just another worker like them striving toward the same goal.
Everyone in our company-including the leadership team-is
extremely collaborative and countless times has jumped in on
the plant floor to help when we're pushing to get product out
the door. It's an amazing sight to see when an entire company
comes together to see a goal completed."
Gleason added that while Des-Case may be a smaller
company, large manufacturing operations can also be known as
highly desirable places to work. "The most successful companies," he concluded, "are the ones that employees believe in." MT
AUGUST 2015
http://www.descase.com
Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Maintenance Technology August 2015
My Take
Uptime
For On The Floor
Industry News
Ultrasound: Aural Intelligence
Excellence in Action
Cool Advice on Hot Motors
Step Up to Greater Electrical Awareness
Keep Hydraulic Fluids Contamination Free
Five Steps to Workplace Desirability
Put a Good Base Under Your Pumps
QR-Code POI System for Quick Problem Solving
Products
Marketplace
Contrarian View
Ad Index
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