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Keep Employee Retention Up in the Fall

Raza Rauf on October 15, 2014

Employee retention is one of the main goals of a company each year, especially if the company deals with high turnover rates. There can be varying reasons why companies experience high turnover rates, but many of them are not positive reasons. As human resource departments continue the fight to keep the best employees, we have some tips for you to use this fall in this post:

Provide Employees with Ownership

Employees want to be given ownership of the work they perform. They also do not like to be micromanaged often. Employees want to be able to solve problems how they deem fit and want to be able to express their individuality while at work. Providing employees with ownership can be done by allowing them the chance to pick the paint colors for a new office or by sharing the most intimate details about the company’s finances with them at quarterly meetings.

Provide and Request Regular Feedback

Another excellent way to retain employees is by offering and requesting feedback on a regular basis. This shows employees that their work and their input are valued by the company. Make sure you use the feedback provided by the employees so they know their suggestions are not falling on deaf ears. When you offer feedback to employees, make sure it is not empty feedback. Tailor the feedback to each individual employee so they know that their work is truly being reviewed by the organization.

Form a Committee to Investigate Culture

If you are still having trouble retaining employees, then your company should consider forming a committee that investigates and works to improve the culture of the office. The culture committee should not be very corporate, but instead, it should be one that caters to the employees and tries to find new and innovative ways to make them happy while on the job. The committee should make recommendations about employee retention ideas, possible family activities and other events.

Hold ‘Stay’ Interviews

Almost every company in operation today conducts exit interviews with each and every employee who leaves the organization. Instead of waiting for employees to leave to find out why they are doing so, begin having interviews with the employees who have the most tenure at the company. During these interviews, find out why they have stayed so long. This will help you make improvements in the future in an effort to keep other employees at the office.

Let Employees Express Themselves

As you continue to work on retaining employees, it is imperative to let your employees express themselves at the office. Let them be open and honest about the job, the projects on which they are working, what they feel needs to be changed at the company and much more. You might not like what you hear from the employees, but it could help to change the way things are done.

Retaining the best employees at a company in Detroit is never an easy job, but companies need to find new ways to do so in today’s competitive market. If your company utilizes even just one of the tips from this post, it should have success with keeping employees around for the long haul. Talk with the experts at Advance Staffing Solutions about Detroit Staffing Retention methods that can help keep your workforce strong and productive.

Why Offering Flexible Hours Promotes Productivity, Happiness, and Loyalty among Workers

Raza Rauf on September 19, 2014

Companies are beginning to offer their employees flexible work hours these days in an effort to promote loyalty, happiness and productivity in their workforce. Employees want to have a strong balance between their work life and their personal life so that they can have time to relax and enjoy their family and friends. Learn more about this trend as we discuss the reasons why employees are productive, happy and loyal when offered flexible working hours at their place of employment.

Boost to Productivity

When employees are offered flexible work hours, their productivity will tend to soar. The reason for this is that they do not have to work the mundane nine-to-five hours. Instead, they will be able to work hours in which they are most productive. For example, if an employee is highly productive from 7am-3pm, the company should let him work during these hours. If the employee is highly productive from 10am-7pm, consider allowing her to work during this time.

More Happiness

Companies that offer flexible working hours for their employees will see happiness within the workforce hit an all-time high. When employees can work the schedule that best fits their lifestyle, then they will be happy when they come to work each day. This allows the employee the chance to live their lives, take care of their children, enjoy time with friends and much more. No one wants to be stuck in an office from 9am-7pm each day. Flexible working hours make this a thing of the past. Companies that offer flexible work hours are telling their employees that they value their time, which will make the employees work harder and show appreciation when on the job.

Greater Loyalty

One of the most important benefits of offering flexible working hours to employees is that they will tend to be more loyal to the company. When you have a happy workforce, you will have a loyal one. You must remember that loyalty is a two-way street. The more loyal you are to employees, the more loyal they will be to your company. Employees become loyal when their work and personal lives are balanced and they have a happy workplace to go to each day.

Other Benefits of Flexible Work Hours

There are additional benefits of offering flexible work hours to employees, and they include a reduction in absenteeism and less stress for employees. Companies that offer flexible work hours tend to see their absenteeism rates decline because employees have time in their day to complete personal tasks outside of the office without needing to take a day off from work. The stress levels of employees will also drop with a flexible work schedule because they do not have to constantly worry about how they are going to get everything done on their to-do list.

For more information on how to create a happy, productive and loyal workforce, or to find a position in a company that adheres to these values, contact the staffing experts at Advance Staffing Solutions today!

4 Things to Remember When Negotiating Your Salary

Raza Rauf on June 13, 2014

Negotiating a salary after being offered a new job (or during performance review/promotion time) can be scary for some people, especially if they have never had to do this in the past. This should be a process that is satisfying, especially since you were offered a new position at a different company or a promotion at your current employer. If you follow the advice we have in this post, you will find it easy to negotiate a salary with your new or current employer.

#1 Provide a Hard Number

When you reach the negotiation stage of a new job offer, be sure you provide the hiring manager or human resource executive with a hard number. You never want to give a range for expected salary. This allows the employer to take the lower end of the range all the time, no matter how skilled or talented you are. When you offer a salary range, you are giving the company too much leverage in the negotiation process. When you stick with the hard number, you have decent control of the negotiations. Come up with an amount you can live with, then tack on $5K more.

#2 Give Precise Numbers

During the negotiation process, make sure you provide the employer with precise numbers instead of rounding off the figure. When you tell a hiring manager precise numbers instead of rounded numbers you display confidence in yourself and that you understand what the value of the position is at the company. This shows the hiring manager that you are committed to accepting the job and that you want to make the most of your career.

#3 Employers Don’t Like Negotiating

After receiving a job offer, you are asked to come into the office to discuss the salary. You are nervous and dreading the negotiation because you do not want to make a bad impression and lose out on the position, but you also do not want to leave money on the table. Well, you should know that employers do not like negotiating either. Try to make the process more of a persuasive discussion than a battle for who can win.

#4 Remember Money Isn’t the Sole Factor

One of the most important tips in negotiating salary is that money should not always be the lone factor in the process. Employees want more than money from their employers. They also want health benefits, stock options, flexible schedules, a 401k, paid time-off and other perks. During the negotiations, you can ask the employer for telecommuting options, paid-for training, flex-time and much more. All of these can help items can help you negotiate a salary that helps you earn a living while also enjoying life.
When you use the four tips discussed in this post during salary negotiations, you will find that the process will be much easier to deal with for both you and the employer.

Advance Staffing Solutions, a great source of Detroit MI Jobs, can support your goals of being a better manager and retaining the bedt employees. Find out more by visiting our website today. 

Operations Manager Salaries in Michigan. What to Offer Candidates

Raza Rauf on May 21, 2014

Perhaps one of the most difficult decisions for a company to make, besides which candidate to hire, is what to offer their candidate of choice in terms of compensation. The state of Michigan is one of the best places to live and work, and many residents enjoy working as operations managers for great companies. These positions are available in many different industries, requiring a broad range of skills and experience. Therefore, offering a fair compensation is vital to successful recruitment.

Before you offer a salary to a potential operations manager candidate in Michigan, here are some things you need to know.

Range of Compensation

Salaries for operations managers working in the state of Michigan range greatly depending on the level of employment and the company where the positions are held.

Glassdoor has reported three operations manager positions in Michigan that have an average annual salary of $73,750. Another great place to work in Michigan as an operations manager is a company called Stryker, a medical supply manufacturing company that has operations managers working in Michigan for an average annual salary of $84,625.

Another excellent annual salary for operations managers in Michigan comes from Best Buy, where managers are making an average of $61,312.

Two of the lower range operations manager salaries in Michigan come from Staples and Old Navy. Managers who work at Staples find themselves earning an annual average salary of just over $41,000. Managers from Old Navy can earn a little over $31,000 per year in their position.

Duties of an Operations Manager

You might be wondering what an operations manager does on a daily basis while at work. Well, we have that information for you in this post. Operations managers are regarded as senior-level management officials within their companies. They are responsible for providing services or overseeing the production of goods.

Operations managers are responsible for analyzing budgets, monitoring reports, reporting to stakeholders, managing employees, reporting to upper management teams and much more. An operations manager must be able to multi-task as much as possible while working in this position. If they cannot, they will find themselves struggling through their daily operations and possibly out of a job.

Some of the best operations managers have worked their way up the chain of their current company, learning each department along the way. This enables the manager to know the ins-and-outs of the company and how it operates on a daily basis. They are able to troubleshoot issues and take care of problems quickly without involving others.

Working as an operations manager in the state of Michigan is a lucrative job if you have the right level of experience and are at the right company.

Looking to hire operations managers in Michigan? Get in touch with Advance Staffing Solutions — a top Detroit MI temp agency.

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Why you Lose Talented Candidates. Give Timely Feedback

Raza Rauf on April 18, 2014

Have you ever interviewed the perfect candidate, but as just soon as you make the job offer they inform you that they’ve accepted another job already? No hiring manager wants to lose talented candidates because it means starting over in the process of finding another. While you may be wondering what is going wrong, if this keeps happening it’s time to determine why.

Steps to Handle Candidate Feedback for Retention

One possible issue that could be working against your recruitment efforts is your candidate feedback process. Getting back to candidates in a prompt and positive manner can help to foster good will between your company and the people who hope to join your employee ranks. Here are some tips for providing timely feedback and retaining more of your prized candidates.

#1 – Make the applicant tracking system work for you.

One of the biggest pet peeves of candidates is applying for a job online and then getting absolutely no response from the company. Put the ATS to work by setting up a series of email auto-responders that thank candidates for their application and let candidates know of next steps in the hiring process. Send out an email to all candidates to announce job fairs and new open assignments.

#2 – Use the phone to pre-screen candidates.

Once you have gathered up applications, take the time to routinely screen those who pass through the initial online resume scan. Schedule a brief phone call to each candidate to thank them for their application. This personal touch shows that you value candidates and have an interest in learning more about their career goals.

#3 – Set up interviews as soon as possible with top talent.

When it comes to reeling in the best talent, the sooner you can set up personal interviews with them, the better. Schedule an interview and have promising candidates come in to learn more about work opportunities with your firm. Or use a temporary agency to conduct the initial interviews on your behalf.

#4 – Build a talent pipeline by staying in touch, and often.

Regardless if you have open assignments or not, giving feedback to candidates also involves having a way to build rapport with a certain amount of talented pros your business can hire in the near future. Develop online groups for your company and keep in touch with top talent through frequent company updates on new jobs.

#5 – Send a professional rejection letter.

If you do not choose a candidate for the time being, it doesn’t mean they may not be a great fit later on. Your job is not over yet. Have a well-written rejection note ready to send out by postal mail to all candidates. Be sure to let the candidate know you will keep them in mind for future employment opportunities and will be in touch again.

If you are concerned that all of this will take up too much time or be difficult to manage, your next option is to work with a staffing agency to maintain feedback with top talent. Advance Staffing Resources a Detroit MI staffing agency has experienced recruiters who are ready to help you find the best candidates for your company, and help with candidate feedback efforts.

How to Attract Temps with Incentive Programs

Raza Rauf on February 20, 2014

Finding the right employee in today’s tough job market can be very difficult. The reason for this is that there are so many people unemployed and so many others looking to switch jobs. When the job market floods with potential employees it can be difficult to determine which ones are the most talented and which ones are perfect for your company. In addtion to working with a quality Detroit MI Temp Agency, a way to attract some of the best temporary employees is to create an incentive program for them and your full-time, permanent employees.

Start with Recognition in the Office

One of the first incentive offers for temporary workers should be recognition within the office. Recognizing a temporary employee for a job well done in front of permanent workers can go a long way in building the confidence in the temporary employee. By doing this, you will create a track record that you can show your potential temp workers who are trying to make a decision where to work.

Provide Opportunities for Full-Time Employment

Another option is to offer temporary workers in Detroit full-time employment opportunities. You can make this incentive known to your potential employees prior to hiring them so their decision to work for your company is easier. If a temporary worker knows he or she has the chance of being hired full-time, it will help motivate them while on the job, making sure that success becomes a staple within the organization.

Offer Some Form of Cash Incentive

While interviewing a temporary employee, you might want to consider offering a cash incentive. Let the potential employee know about the incentive prior to hiring them so their decision to work for your company is easier for them to make. The cash incentive can be as simple as $100 for working a specific time length without an accident on the job or for remaining employed with the company for three months. You can also reward temporary employees who refer other temporary workers. This cash incentive can be paid out to the temp worker after the new hire is on the job for at least six months.

Paid Time Off

Who does not love days off from work? How about paid time off? Employees love both of these, so why not offer your temporary workers extra paid time off? Aside from their sick days and personal time, allow your temp workers the chance to accrue extra paid time off for every sick day or personal day they do not use in a given year. For example, an employee can accrue one additional paid day off for every two sick/personal days he or she did not use for the year.

By offering these incentives and more, you can recruit and retain some of the best temporary employees in the industry today. Advance Staffing Solutions, a  Detroit MI temp agency, is here to help you accomplish this.

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How to Keep Employees Productive During 2014

Raza Rauf on January 16, 2014

Keeping employees productive in a New Year can be challenging, especially when motivating those who have been with the company for a long time. Not every employee will need new incentives to work hard or to complete their projects on-time, but the tips outlined in this article can be put into effect in your company.

Bonuses and Other Financial Rewards

An excellent way to keep employees productive in 2014 is to begin offering bonuses or other financial rewards for top-notch work. Bonuses can be handed out at the completion of a major project, at the end of every year, or at designated times during the year. Other financial rewards could include handing out gift cards or other incentives for employees who have done an excellent job.

An Assortment of Perks

Outside of financial rewards or bonuses, a variety of non-cash perks  and incentives can help your employees stay productive at work. Such perks include extra vacation days, half-days, casual dress days, office parties and social events with the employees outside of the office.

Learning Reimbursement and Support

A very popular perk that companies tend to offer is an education reimbursement. Any employee whom enrolls in such a program will be able to take courses and then have the tuition reimbursed by their employer should they earn a grade specified by the program’s requirements. Education not only creates a more skilled workforce at your company, but it also creates loyalty amongst your employees.

Workplace Amenities

Have you ever considered offering on-site daycare centers for your employees? This will help them focus more on their work instead of worrying about the care that their children are receiving. Other amenities include an upgraded cafeteria or a gym on-site at the office. The more comfortable you can make your workplace, the more productive and positive your employees will be when working.

Positive Reinforcement

If you are unable to add any of the aforementioned items to your workplace, you can go with the traditional positive reinforcement. Rewarding or recognizing an employee for an excellent job on a project in front of the rest of the office can go a long way towards their loyalty and productivity. Even if the public recognition is simply a mention in the internal company newsletter, it can make a world of difference.

Give Your Employees a Say

Is there a better way to motivate your employees than listening to what they have to say? We don’t think so. The more you listen to your employees’ ideas and insights, the more likely it is that they will want to be productive at work as much as possible. The next step in this process is to then use the policy or idea the employee has suggested. They will see that their ideas are taken seriously and that will encourage them to continue plugging away each day.

Don’t Watch the Clock

Your employees have very busy lives outside of work, which means that they might have to come in late one day or leave early the next for various issues. A child could be sick, the employee could be closing on a new home, or the employee could be feeling bad. Do not watch the clock and make comments about your employee’s use of time unless he or she is taking advantage of the system. Instead, offer flexible work arrangements and the opportunity to make up lost work time later in the week.

If you are looking for temporary employment agencies in Detroit MI, contact us today.

4 Tips for Onboarding Temps | Temporary Employees Toledo Ohio

Raza Rauf on November 15, 2013

Many companies have onboarding programs designed to welcome new employees to the company during the first few weeks on the job. Yet, they forget that temp employees can also benefit from an onboarding process.

Multiple workplace studies have shown that when temporary employees have access to onboarding support, they often perform to higher standards sooner and they stay actively engaged in their assignments. The Society of Human Resource Management (SHRM) released a report that advised that almost half of all new hires quit within the first 4 months on a new job when an onboarding process is not offered. On the other hand, when onboarding of temporary employees is part of the formal orientation program, the benefits to organizations include:

  • Saves co-workers the time and hassle of training all new temporary employees, increasing productivity from day one.
  • Clears up any miscommunication about the job itself, and demonstrates the reason behind all temporary assignment tasks.
  • Improves overall morale for the entire workforce, while showing the temp employee that he or she is a valued part of the company.

A temporary employee onboarding program does not have to be a complex one. In fact, putting together a temp worker onboarding process can be accomplished in 4 ways.

#1 – Create a welcome package specifically for all new temps.

The first day in a new assignment can be intimidating for temps. You can help to alleviate any stress and create a structured temp onboarding process by putting together a welcome package for temps. In this welcome package include: a welcome letter that overviews the company, a job description and task list, new hire paperwork, employee handbook, technology instructions, safety guidelines, and a directory of workplace contacts.

#2 – Schedule an orientation week that includes participation from supervisory team.

Temps often fare better if they are provided with a thorough orientation during the first week at least (sometimes more depending on their role). Create a schedule for this orientation and work with your supervisory team to best cover all aspects of the new temp’s job duties. Clearly explain and demonstrate every task. Go over company policies and procedures in depth. Set goals for temps and make the supervisors accountable for their success.

#3 – Set up a mentor for each temporary staffer for on-the-job guidance.

Before a temp has reported for work, have a voluntary member of your team assigned as a mentor. This person can oversee any challenges that the temp has, offer guidance for performing tasks, and help the temp with any troubleshooting at work. Over time, the temp will become self-reliant and the mentor will help facilitate their integration into the team structure.

#4 – Regularly provide feedback to the temp employee and staffing agency.

Each week, meet with the mentor and supervisory team to gather feedback on the progress of the temp. If you are getting negative feedback, relay this back to your staffing agency so they can schedule an on-site visit to work with the temp to improve. In rare cases, a temp may need to be replaced, but very often a little extra support can help bring them up to speed quickly.

If you are looking for temp agencies in Monroe MI, contact us today.

Time to Hire Can be Seen as a Poor Recruiting Metric – Focus on Candidate Quality

Raza Rauf on June 7, 2013

One of the long standing arguments that have gone around in the recruitment community for quite some time is the issue of time to hire as a recruiting metric. Time to hire is literally how long it takes for a recruiter to source, screen, interview, and place into an assignment for an open assignment. The shorter this time to hire, the more “successful” the recruiter is viewed.

Why is time to hire used as a measurement of success in recruitment?

There are a couple of reasons why time to hire has been considered an important metric in the recruiting business. First, the more efficiently a recruiter can manage candidate selection and placement, the less time and cost are incurred. This means more money for the recruiter for a short period of work. Second, to clients, the sooner a candidate can be located and starts working, the sooner they too can realize productivity levels and eventually, profitability.

However, there are some critics of the time to hire metric as an actual proof of good recruiting practices. These are some of the points made that point to flaws in this old school method of evaluating recruitment efforts.

  1. It puts speed before quality. Sure, you can staff open assignments at the speed of sound, but just how much time did you spend confirming that the candidates have the right stuff for the job? In many cases, the faster you place candidates, the more you compromise certain quality standards. Quality is always more important than time to hire – focus on quality candidates!
  2. It doesn’t factor in retention. Once you’ve placed all your emphasis on quickly placing candidates into assignments, time to hire is done. You are no longer concerned with any other recruitment metrics, such as employee retention rates and candidate advancement. These are serious matters that the best performing recruitment firms factor in.
  3. It takes out the human factor. Sure, having a great time to hire number seems great, but you cannot fit just any candidate into any assignment. Attempts to beat the figures can result in poor fitting hires and major problems later on down the road. Again, carefully look at the human factor and get to know each candidate better to make sure the job fits their unique skill sets.
  4. It doesn’t work with specialists. Certain industries require highly educated and trained specialist candidates, therefore the time to hire metric just doesn’t work that well. In fact, you need to spend at least 30-45 days searching for the right candidate for a specialist assignment vs. trying to get in under that percentage. Time to hire just goes out the window.

The rule of thumb for successful recruiting is to stop worrying so much about metrics and focus instead on quality of hire. Take the time to carefully assess each candidate and open order. Don’t rush to fill assignments, rather find the best person for the job. This will help you grow as a company and increase your success rate as a recruiter.

We hope you enjoyed this post and share it with your networks! Also, we look forward to your comments and feedback!

Want to learn more? Explore important recruitment and employment topics by reading a few popular posts from Advance Staffing Solutions!

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Do You Have a Healthy Employee Recognition Program?

Raza Rauf on May 8, 2013

If you were to take the temperature of your current employee recognition program, would it end up hot or cold? In many workplaces, the addition of employee recognition programs become an afterthought – most often spurred by production challenges and falling retention rates. Yet, an employee recognition program can be a boon to your business for many other reasons.

When well-managed, an employee recognition program can support a workplace that is actively engaged in the betterment of all employees. This leads to higher levels of productivity, innovation, and collaboration. All of these factors help make a business grow strategically with the best employees who are on board for success.

To develop a healthy employee recognition program, here are some steps your company can take right now.

Evaluate the current incentive and recognition program.

Before you tackle the challenge of updating your employee recognition program, take the time to review what has been in place and what is being taken advantage of by employees. This should give you a good basis for developing an improved recognition program.

Conduct a 360 degree survey to find out what drives your employees.

Another way you can develop a healthier employee incentive plan is to ask your employees in a confidential way. Use a 360 degree survey to do this and you’ll be sure to get to the core of the incentives that your employees are looking for. After all, if incentives don’t mean anything to your staff, then they are not worth the time to implement.

Work with a staffing agency to improve your incentive plan.

If cost and time are factors in your hesitation to add more items to your employee recognition program, you can find support from a quality staffing agency. Ask what perks or bonuses can be obtained for contracting a temporary workforce. Ask for more ideas that will work well given your current employee population.

Look for low cost, easy to manage employee recognition ideas.

The best employee recognition programs are easy on the budget and your schedule. Find those that are simple and manageable. Focus on value and consistency rather than on dollar figures. Remember, employees like to be appreciated so make sure your management team is thanking them often in many different ways.

 Learn More from Advance Staffing Solutions: 

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What is Your Competitor Doing? | Employee Compensation

Raza Rauf on March 22, 2013

When it comes to boosting employee compensation, it’s a good idea for businesses today to be very aware of what the competition is offering their employees. The labor market is growing tighter by the hour and if you want to stay ahead of the competition, you need to be bringing top talent into your fold without concerns over losing them to your competitors who have sweeter compensation packages.

The rub in all this is that most businesses today still aren’t ahead of the recession enough to have endless reserves of money and benefits to throw at candidates. More importantly, uncertainty over taxes and health care coverage has many businesses reluctant to overextend themselves by offering too much in the way of compensation and benefits.

So, where does that leave you as a business owner? The bottom line is that you need to find out what your competitor is offering so that you can remain competitive without getting into an outright wage war that only damages both businesses. But, how can you learn this information?

Consider Third-Party Salary Survey Resources

These resources offer a wide range of options to research when checking out your competition. What you’re looking for, in this particular situation, relates completely to the compensation your competition is offering employees in the way of pay and incentives. Don’t forget, however, to factor in other considerations that can impact the salary, job satisfaction, and total compensation such as these:

  • Job Description – in some cases this is the game changer that takes someone from a five-figure to a six-figure salary without a fancy title to go along with it. Companies use tactics such as this all the time in order to tilt the compensation scale wildly in their favor. That’s why it’s so important that you’re making apples to apples comparisons when comparing jobs and salaries.
  • Commitment Expectations – some companies prefer so many hours of work each week at a minimum. These expectations are factored into salary offerings rather than offering overtime pay and keeping records of the hours worked. This practice is something else that can make the compensation packages of competitors seem so much more than what they really are.
  • Localized Salary Figures – some companies include salaries from around the world in their facts and figures as well. While that may work in your favor if your office is located in one of the traditionally higher paying regions (California, Hawaii, or New York City, for example) this could actually work in your favor. However, for most of the country, the averages make the companies look like they’re offering larger salaries and/or compensation packages.

Employee compensation is so much bigger than salary alone. It’s always in your best interest to avoid trying to create a dollar for dollar match of other company’s compensation plans. Keep in mind that there are too many additional ways your business can be the superior company to work for. For more information about employee compensation planning and providing the best to your staff, be sure to review our previous posts on this topic here.

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Lean Manufacturing Is About Your People, Not Tools

Raza Rauf on September 6, 2012

Lean manufacturing may be all that you are hearing about as a manufacturing organization or business owner. Yet, business owners who are putting all of their time and attention into lean tools are missing the fundamental key aspect of this movement. It is not just about putting in place a system for getting the work done on the floor. Rather, businesses need to think people, too.

The Mistake So Many Are Making

Going lean is the big goal. Many businesses are being told that by implementing lean tools in their organizations that they are going to see significant improvement and achieve global competitiveness. In fact, there are dozens of authors promising this type of outcome if we just implement lean. They are basing this on the performance results Toyota has achieved with their TPS production system – known for its effectiveness. However, TPS is not just about lean tools. Without the true connection to people, there’s something major missing that’s going to hold you back.

What Is TPS Really?

Two components make the Toyota Production System so ideal. One element is continuous improvement. The second is respect for all people. Yes, it is a simplistic symptom, but that comes from maintaining these two aspects. For those businesses in the U.S., learning about lean tools, such as value stream mapping, poke yoke, and kanban, there is a huge disconnect from what the TPS methodology really is. For lean technology and methods to be effective, there must be a change in culture within the business, too.

What Does This Mean?

To ensure that a business “going lean” is able to succeed at it, they must change their culture and way of thinking when it comes to people. The business owner must trust people within the manufacturing plant to solve problems regardless of where the problem came from. The goal here is that businesses must focus on obtaining a critical mass of people who will act, think and believe lean and rely on them to push the business forward.

Solve problems with a TPS perspective. Here are some examples.

  • Keep hitting your numbers is the old way of thinking. The new is to product only items that the customer has ordered.
  • Avoid too many problems with unions or vendors is the old thinking. The new is never to skip past a problem.
  • Make sure there is plenty of work in the backlog you say with lean focus the goal is to work to continually improve the processes.

Do not let people handle problems alone. Do skip over something that can be handled right now. This changes the job of the plant manager significantly.

The bottom line is that before manufacturing industries focus on lean tools in their business, they need to teach their employees the way of seeing the operation through lean eyes. Be respectful of the team. Teach them. Learn from them. Adapt together to approach a lean methodology.

Looking for the best manufacturing staffers? Get the right team members for your manufacturing business growth by working with the staffing experts at Advance Staffing Solutions in Michigan and Ohio.

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