Corporate Management & Reduce Stress in Workplace
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Canada's Corporate Management & Reducing Psychological Pressure in Workplace
Frank Li Mar. 1, 2008, in Waterloo, Ontario, Canada
Updated in Nov. 9, 2010, Oct. 23, 2019, Mar.15, 2021, Nov. 21, 2023
http://www.kwcg.ca/bbs/home.php?mod=space&uid=61910&do=blog&id=1550
People will experience many things in the lifetime, many of them would be forgotten, some of them can never be forgotten, but often, they are haunting in the mind. Some of them are happy, but the most of them are sad; maybe, this is the part of life. It was such a feeling to motivate me writing this topic.
--- Frank Oct. 23, 2019 in Waterloo, On. Ca.
Contents
Introduction
1...Grote Electronics, a best managed company
2...Sunrise Farms – DC Foods, a best managed company
3...Extruded products Company
4...The closure of Triton Company
5...The relocation to Mexico of NCR Waterloo
5.1...A NCR's supervisor dared not supervise in work
6...Mrs. Joyce, a sober lady
Note: In 2008, the death of the boss of my first job in Canada shocked me very much, then recalling and asking acquaintances drafted this article; and then update it by deliberately going to work in different product companies to learn their managements and quality. Later wrote article The death of a Canadian business owner with the hope to help business owners, and later I wrote many articles with the hope of improving business management in Canada, and then enlarged the writing scope to Political, Economical, Religion, Philosophy, and Traditional Chinese Medicine.
For some good managed businesses that cited in this article, I want to use their true name, and I went to DC Foods to ask for permission in 2010, the HR manager Monica said that she needs to read my article at first, and soon I got permission to use any name of company and people.
Later, I applied to work in DC Foods, one day after job interviewed by Monica, when we went out from meeting room, the owner Rob was waiting there and asked Monica: Ready? Monica said: Yes. Then Rob held my hand to an office where joint-owner Don shaked my hand and said that: “I appreciate your article very much.”
That was the first time that I met Don and Rob.
Since then, I sent some of my writings to Don and Rob, and learnt that when the time we met of each other, the company they found and had been operating for 20 years had been sold to Dr. Peter Shoore, but it had not been handed over yet.
<<<<<<>>>>>>
In 2013 article My view on Entrepreneur and Enterprise inspired by Peter Shoore, above Don and Rob were the writer of the comments that "Now that we have been delegated to the back pages” on company's news letter, and the Rob was the two times heart attack sufferer and now he was in the rest forever under his ages of less than 60.
After learnt that the company has been sold out, I worry for Rob will be unable to bear the psychological blow after he found business was handed over, and told him to acquire back of 30% share of business as a condition that he will be able to work in company or ask permission of new owner, any way he must work in company otherwise he could not stand. Due to I felt that compared with Don, Rob was in too emotional with somewhat sincere of psychologically immature.
After living overseas for more than 20 years, I felt that all of kind and rational people are the same; especially business owners. As long as you are sincere to them and work, you will receive sincerity in return; maybe due to that they have been troubled by too many reckless employees. It was the reason that after I learnt the death of my first boss from former Soviet Union to be shocked too much, and until 15 years later today, I still can never forget. Now, I am tearful again.
--- Frank Li, Nov. 21, 2023
Introduction
Many modern studies have shown that stress or psychological pressure is the main inducement for most diseases.
Jan. 8 2008, a report Stress Causes Everything said that “Stress, to put it bluntly, is bad for you. It can kill you, in fact. A study reveals that stress causes deterioration in everything from your gums to your heart and can make you more susceptible to everything from the common cold to cancer. Thanks to new research crossing the disciplines of psychology, medicine, neuroscience, and genetics, the mechanisms underlying the connection are rapidly becoming understood.”
I summarize-reedit the important chapters of the article as follows:
In 1930s, Hungarian-Canadian endocrinologist Hans Selye firstly apply the word “stress” of an engineering term to living organisms. Cortisol considered as one of the main culprits in the stress-illness connection, although it plays a necessary role in helping us cope with threats. When an animal perceives danger, a system kicks into gear: A chain reaction of signals releases various hormones — most notably epinephrine (“adrenaline”), norepinephrine, and cortisol — from the adrenal glands above each kidney.
These hormones boost heart rate, increase respiration, and increase the availability of glucose (cellular fuel) in the blood, thereby enabling the famous “fight or flight” reaction.
Because these responses take a lot of energy, cortisol simultaneously tells other costly physical processes — including digestion, reproduction, physical growth, and some aspects of the immune system — to shut or slow down.
When occasions to fight or flee are infrequent and threats pass quickly, the body’s stress thermostat adjusts accordingly: Cortisol levels return to baseline (it takes 40-60 minutes), the intestines resume digesting food, the sex organs kick back into gear, and the immune system resumes fighting infections.
But problems occur when stresses don’t let up —or when, for various reasons, the brain continually perceives stress even if it isn’t really there.
Above was the abstract of the article. Nowadays, life is increasingly difficult and there are more and more people suffering from mental diseases.
Pathogenic role of stress cannot be changed; however, it can be reduced even avoided. This article is trying to discuss how to reducing the psychological pressure.
Reducing psychological pressure in workplace
Nearly 1 / 3 of the prime time of our life are spent in the workplace, and that’s where a lot of psychological pressure comes from. Therefore, there is necessary to consider seriously.
Nowadays, more and more people are greedy for financial wealth with belittling the material wealth and moral wealth. However, no matter how the world changes, the wealth of material and moral are the prerequisites for human survival. Financial wealth would be a mirage once it loses the support of material wealth.
The material wealth production has a by-product – psychological pressure. It is invisible but severely influencing our emotional well-beings that is determining our healthy or not. So it is important to minimize its producing when optimizing the efficiency of material wealth production.
The objective world is constantly changing whether we are willing or not. The stuff inside the book is always lags behind the reality. Theory and practice is always biased in more or less. Truth only produces from practice.
For searching good method of enterprises management from practice, more than 10 years, I am intentionally as an ordinary operator to work in different Companies. The owner includes Russian, American, German and Canadian. Although, nowadays, there are many recognized successful management methods could be used to optimize the production efficiency. However, they were not being well adopted in many Companies.
In an immigrant-based multicultural country, the enterprises run by the people from different countries are inevitably in more or less maintaining the culture of their mother country. Management methods are different and the results are different. My observations suggest that whether an enterprise success is not entirely depending on the capital or market, but determined by management philosophy.
Human is an emotional animal that is sensitive to the psychological factors. The physical ability will be impacted by their psychological state. Thus, the process of optimizing production efficiency actually is a kind of psychological warfare. Besides reasonable payment that respects employees’ psychological feeling is crucial. Smart employer takes staff as the partners that invested by their labors of intellectual or manual to share the profit together associated with their contribution, thereby employees would do their best stimulated by enjoyable psychology and produce telepathy with employer to make them think together, make effort together and enjoy the fruits together. Such an enterprise will be invincible.
Now I’ll try to discuss it by some typical Companies as example with anonymous of company name.
I have no mean to offend any Companies or individuals only with a best wish trying to rationalize some smart managing methods.
Here, I only want to say a few words off the subject in somewhat, it is that the closure of many businesses, according to my personal experiences, is not due to fail in market competing, but, it was due to some mindless employees made trouble in workplace.
1...Grote Electronics, a best managed company
A branch of a transnational Company in manufacturing lightening products (Shanghai China: http://www.cngrote.com), the commendable point is that distinguishes the employees’ work performance accurately by computers, which can promote the production in highest efficiency with lesser psychological pressure producing.
In the production site, those needs to be processed semi-products are being put in the containers with a Work Log that provides the products’ information: name, quantity, batch number, barcode, a brief instruction of operations and the place for operator’s signature and stamp with a ID number stamp.
Usually, the operators take the semi-products to work individually without any people’s tasking in advance. This will save some work time.
The first step of operators was to take the Work Log to go to a scan-machine that looks like a telephone hangs on the wall, to scan own palm print, enter own work ID numbers and scan Work Log barcode, and then start to work.
After finished whole container of products, sign own name and stamp with a stamp of ID number on the Work Log and to repeat the first step again as an important procedure to entirely finish one container products. And then put them on a shelf for finished products before working on other products.
Team leader only acts as a nice teacher and consultant. Due to the employees’ team is stable; everyone knew how to do the best job. So, in most of time, in the workplace, you cannot distinguish who is team leader and who is general operator. The team leader is doing the same job with general operator together rather than as doing in the most of other Companies – just walking and looking around. Here, no one was doing this kind job that is directing with an old management method inherited from slavery. The method should be rest in their grave after the slavery was abolished long time ago.
In the working time, everyone is focusing on own job without free talking unless the operation needed because that of work efficiency of the individual is being calculated and recorded between the two time’s scan before and after finishing one container products, which is acting as an invisible eyes to supervise people to force them working harder without the negative feeling that produced under the slavery-like supervision.
Because of the work performance evaluated by computer based on the daily records, no one would doubt its impartiality. Thereby reduce the displeasure or even argument between the staffs or staff with management personnel, which is the main generator of psychological pressure.
The records may be used to peacefully solve the thorniest issue – layoff people when Company downsizing without hatred causing. Because the layoff process is based on the work performance backed by daily records. People would be self-convinced that they were being laid off by own work performance rather than by improper judgments of any individuals.
Of course, there is some room for improvement in this Company. Such as, take the Work Log as a ticket from start to terminal accompanying with a batch products going through the whole production process by recording the name of the operators in different processing procedure, so that the responsibility of defect products could be tracked clearly in case of some individual could not work well. The container should be marked with numbers, so that they can be recorded on Work Log to travel together without missing each other, and so on, there are much detailed job should and can be done with potential of further optimizing productivity.
Maybe you think that everyone works consciously without supervision is the most humanized. The idea is perfect but, it is impossible at all, because the nature of people is different, not everyone could work faithfully, especially in an immigrant-based multicultural country. Non-visually supervising is perfect and necessary for running well any enterprises.
No doubt that reasonable staff performance evaluation is the ideal way to promote the production efficiency to highest level with lesser stress causing. It is well run in Grote Electronics mainly due to their countable products. Their current experience* may not be able to be directly copied by most of other Companies.
However, management is an art rather than a rigid dogma. There is plenty of room for artistic creation. But, the art of management is unique because the creations must meet the practical situation of the business. It needs managers with the sense of taking the management position as a sacred duty rather than as a performing stage to personal soloing and dancing.
Two heads are better than one; since that more heads would produce more useful wisdom.
There would be many smart methods adoptable from employees’ mind rather than from textbook dogmatically, which could overcome any barrier in the practical production. Such as that invites employees to discuss the standard of work performance evaluation and update from time to time. Even if this method is still not work. We still have other method to study. DC foods is a good example, their human resource manager, Ms. Monica is an outstanding management artist that is worthy to be taken as a good model for establishing a humanized wok environment.
There is a necessary to point out the reason of my saying their current experience* in above. It is because of the Grote Electronics has the potential to develop new product and could flexibly develop well matched managing approach that would be worthily studied again regardless the product is countable or not according to my observation for their management team and their smart management manner in many other aspects.
Here was a story. They has quarterly update meeting to sum up the past and look to the future. Once, the top director asked the meeting attendees to raise some unclear issue regarding his quarter statement, but no one answered. For easing the embarrassing situation, I asked him about the new product development that was a question not being carefully prepared. However, the top director stepped close to me, listened and answered carefully.
Since then, I felt the top director paid much attention on me – a general operator. Also I felt him a person who is paying full attention on Company future and I got an idea that he will never be limited in current products.
I remember that I once saw information about a patent of Grote Electronics on Internet with the name of the top director.
Here needs special to mention that, when completely finished one batch of products, after repeated the first step, in the bottom of the screen of scan-machine will appear the words of Rank, and followed by a number. I guess that it was the work-efficient rankings.
I worked in night shift with about 30 people. In more than a year’s time, there were about 20 people from the Job Agency to have left. The shortest working period was only one day, the longest was two weeks. Those people, some individual capacity were not suitable for the job, some are capable, but did not try to do their best. Some even got smart.
A girl, in first day, was testing whether light-emitting of the diode on circuit board with test-instrument. Typically, a batch of products needed about 3.5 hours to complete. She only took half an hour to complete and put the products on the shelf of finished products. Obviously, she was not 100% tested. Since next day, I never saw her again.
It is suggested that accurate assessment methods in Grote Electronics can quickly identify and remove incompetent person.
2...Sunrise Farms – DC Foods, a best managed company
DC Foods, located in Waterloo city, Ontario, Canada, is a federally inspected food processor specializing in the custom processing of Par-Fried Batter Breaded quick-freezing products, it was found by Mr. Don Kilimnik and Mr. Rob Curik in 1991, and was acquired by Vancouver based Sunrise Farms on November 27, 2010.
The idea of profit-sharing with employee was initiated by the founder of DC Foods.
At the start, they took 5% of profit as dividend equally to all employees quarterly with the simple purpose of employee can share the fruit of they hard made.
Later, due to staff’s absenteeism seriously affected normal production, then the distribution of profit-sharing linked to the attendance of employees.
As a foods processing Company, in DC Foods, the most jobs are standing with both hands and eyes busy in a minus temperature environment. Working condition is not very good, but humanized management is good.
In nowadays hard life, perhaps, some times, some people might forgotten to celebrate own birthday. However, in DC Foods, you need not to worry about it. Ms. Monica will face you to sing happy birthday to you when your birthday. You may imagine the feeling when Monica is singing facing to you if you are not working there. Would you not be moved? Perhaps it is the happiest birthday in your life besides your mother’s celebrating for you.
In their employee’s team, there are lame, dumb, and even deaf. Every one works happy. Employer’s seeing is, is employee doing the best rather than how much could be contributed. Of course they would assign the job according to the ability of individual employees.
There is about 10% to 35% of total payment being paid as bonus based on the basic payment, which is floating with the profit quarterly. This kind of payment makes the employee produce the feeling as a partner to share the profit with the owner together to cheer them working harder with full heart.
They have an automatic packaging machine that is same model with the one that was using in another company. In that Company, the success rate of packaging was 80% – 85%, there was 15% – 20% of packaging defect boxes being shredded into the trash by the operators. However, in DC foods, the packaging machine has been carefully improved. Their method is extremely simple, only with some Plexiglas cemented on the specific area of the machine to make it functions properly. Thus, the success rate of packaging increased substantially. Even if occasionally produces some packing defect boxes, the operators would fix them manually, so that there is no any box is wasted. This is the positive effect of their smart profit-shared bonus policy. If the production cost is reduced, the profit will be increased, and the bonus will certainly be increased, too. Humanized management make the employees feel in working for their own. Although, the foods processing is not a high profit industry, the payment could not be very high. However, DC Foods is making up the shortfall with making the employees comfortable psychologically.
Traditional management is mostly to maximize the profit with minimizing the cost in payment, not to mention to let the employees sharing the profit. Now it is outdated. Running a business is like sailing a boat against the water current, it is easily to be forced going backward, which can be only avoided by more people paddling with concerted efforts. Profit-shared payment could make every employee doing their best in paddling to ensure a business boat to keep going forward, especially in nowadays hot market competing environment. The higher payment could be compensated from improved productivity by attracting and preserving smart and skilled employees and the long term steady development of the business.
The profit-sharing payment does not mean that eat all profit without preserving the fund for long term development of the enterprises. It only reforms the rigid payment style that paid annually or hourly regardless the company’s profit to make employees and employers shared their fate together. The operation may be as that takes a portion from the basic payment to be paid as bonus in floating with profit. The whole payment should be up or down with enterprise’s operating performance that determined by every employee’s work performance.
The profit-sharing payment is facing all the members of the enterprise rather than only facing top managers usually. It may play a leverage effect in promoting employees to exert their potential, which is different with the financial leverage because of only good no hazardous.
Employer should encourage the employee to joint working in development of products and markets with the profit–associated award, such as 20% to 50% of the first year’s profit from a new product or a new market. In information exploded today, the development of new products and new markets is not a matter limited in Company’s technicians and salesperson, every employee has the potential. There would some smart people be attracted in with their new products or potential ideas from outside the enterprise. There would be more products to be developed and more market to be opened from more people willingly to share the headache that is certainly belong to the employer. Doing business is to put up a performance stage for dancing and appreciating with smart people.
In fact, I once worked in DC Foods only 2 weeks from a job agency in 5 years ago, at that time, Ms. Monica was not work there yet. When I heard her story recently, I was tearful. As a personnel manager, her humanized manner is significant. We might have learnt that France Telecom employees committed suicide, Foxconn employees suicide by stepping down from high building. Their suicide is not just the end of their own life; the impact for their family members is fatal. For their colleagues and all of us also is substantial psychological harm. Maybe some people might say that those suicides are depressed. However, we should seriously reflect on that, why are more and more people being depressed in today’s society, a society is being believed as highly civilized. I think, it must be there some thing is not civilized yet.
Tragic reality has presented us with a serious question: What is the purpose to run enterprises? Yes, it is for making profit, but the ultimate goal is to make people live better. If an enterprise can not make employees comfortable, then what is the significance of the enterprise’s existence? The most of human social activities are aimed at a better life with a beautiful hope. Why do we use unbeautiful manner to manage the beautiful activities? We need to call for humanized management. We need more Ms. Monica.
Good Ms. Monica enlightens me to expand the vision to the broader scope beyond the enterprise management.
French finance minister Mrs Lagarde said that, “most women in power, on the other hand, were less ruled by their libido and thus able to make more cool-headed judgments.” I think her comment is reasonable. Compared with the man, woman is more patient and humane due to their maternal instinct. Ms. Monica is a vivid example. Here, there are other examples.
In addition, recently, I am working in DC Foods again. I found good supervisors that worth to mention.
Dave, the supervisor of the day shift. As a production-line’s Supervisor，in all aspects of his work are great. Here, I just want to talk about one thing that he did, but, unrelated his duties. We work in a food processing plant that need to frozen foods with Nitrogen. The door of freezers can not help but have nitrogen leaking. Dave has been using the wet paper to seal the door to block the Nitrogen leaking every day for many years. I appreciate Dave initiatively considering lowering the production cost with practical practice and insisting for many years. His deed is rare and great. I heartily treat him as a good friend.
Paul, the supervisor of evening shift. The position as supervisor is to work by watching and instructing generally. However, Paul is to work as general operator that is busy all shift, once find some operator’ operation is wrong; he will make demonstration rather than instruction orally. Once some operator can not come to work, he would replace the post to work as a general operator. The rare and great is that he has been insisting doing so for many years. I heartily treat him as a good friend, too.
3...Extruded products Company
The operators exchange the job each other after every break, which may help operators to reduce the boring feeling effectively when doing a repeated job following an extruding machine.
4...The closure of Triton Company
A Canadian PCBs manufacturer once located in Kitchener Ontario, Job assigned by team leader, supervisor supervised there every day. Operators could talk each other whispered, some times some young operators speak loudly, supervisor would condemn them loudly.
As human culture nature, usually, most people have the self-esteem and eagerly to do perfect job to avoid being suspected by the eyes of contempt. In Triton Company no one can keep their self-esteem because they finished products were being put together in two or three operators’ group, which can not distinguish who is defects maker. They have bonus too, but the amount is not linked with the work performance and the profit. There were different in paid amount of bonus between the employees, but the determination was according to the personal impressions of team leader and supervisor without a convincible objective data supported. So, the result was negative. It acted as paying money to lower down the production efficiency with causing argument and psychological pressure.
In most of the time, the old employees worked as a teacher with the new comers because employees quit frequently. I think, the partial reason of those people quitting is due to the confused management can not preserve their self-esteem. In this kind of work mode, the products’ quality is certainly uncontrollable. The Company was being run as a training school paid training fee for their competitors. Finally, a large number of products’ returns happened, then the orders reduced, and then Company’ door was being shut down.
After first time large amount products’ returns, the site director was being fired. At the period of his two weeks’ waiting for leaving, I asked to chat with him with a hope to give him somewhat comfort. Before talking, he asked me to wait couple of minutes, he was going to washroom. Around 10 minutes later, he came back from a 10 steps distance washroom with red eyes and being new washed face. My eyes filled with tear immediately. I worry that as a being fired production director, he could not find a job as same position in future.
He told me that head Company control every thing without any flexible power for him to make decision according to the actual situation in a branch Company located in other province, such as, the salary and bonus, the basic incentive methods to improve the productivity by preserving skilled employees.
I asked him; “What is the plan for future?” “Prepared to open a consulting firm with friends in Toronto.” he answered. I wish him well.
Obviously, the top manager in head Company was dogmatically applying the management theory and controlling the costs without concerning the objective situation. Site director was being punished for others.
Until now, I often think of him. His figure was busy in the workshop and his red eyes after being fired. Here, once again, I remotely wish him every thing going well in Toronto. God bless him and us all.
There a operator named John is worth to special mention in this company, he was a drunkard and heavy smoker. Due to the bad habit damaged his brain, he was unresponsive with hands palsy. He obviously can not do a perfect job, especially the production of PCBs, which needs more mental concentration and deft hands. But, because of that supervisor also was a heavy smoker and at break time they belched out smoke and swallowed fog together.
John could not do any job properly, supervisor changed his job position many time, finally sent him to make final functional testing for PCBs by a test-machine. Obviously, this was a critical position that controls the quality before sending PCBs to customers.
Obviously, that John has played a key role in the closure of the Triton Company. We may say that is a mindless emlployee to have ruined a good business – good products with stable customers. But the key cause was the chaos in the management, it could not exclude such an incompetent staff timely.
I have a suggestion for young people, when you looking for a managing position, be sure firstly to make clear what the size of performing stage provided for you is? Is it large enough for exerting your talent? The payment is second, even ignorable. The exertion of the value of life is over the value of any amount of money. Also, it is important to avoid being fired due to the mistake made by a dogmatic boss and ruin your career earlier.
In fact, the products of Triton Company are similar with the products of Grote Electroniks. Only the purposes and the target markets are different. They could copy the management model of Grote in 100%. In production site of Grote, there are two team leaders, both works hardly with ordinary operators together. InTriton Company, there are two team leaders and one supervisor, in most of the time, they chat with operators after finished their production report on computer and answered some possible questions.
Since some individuals’ work harder, so they was hired as permanent employee much earlier than that of others and the bonus was higher than that of others, also those outstanding individuals was troubled by others, not only defamation, even being made defects on their finished products. This is the reasons that people are often willing to flow others and do not want to outstanding. This manner is no problem in daily life interpersonal activities. However, in the large-scale production, it is hazardous because it would reduce overall production efficiency, even force good employees to leave. Sooner or later the enterprise would be destroyed.
Some people have the nature of selfishness and hatred with unique concept of fairness. For example, there is $10 of bonus money for two people, they got $6, other’s $4 is unfair only they got $7, and other’s $3 is fair. Their more energy are not looking at how to work well, in contrast, specializes in how to do a bad job and not be found. Because their energies are not on the job, therefore, their work performances are not good, so that their salaries and bonuses naturally be affected. They do not try to find the cause from their own work attitude, but always feel being unfairly treated, thereby always think of ways to retaliate with endless complaint. The chaotic managed enterprise would provide an opportunity to those people. In their workplace, employee would negatively supervise each other, so that no one dared to work harder, the overall efficiency would be naturally declined. Work performance evaluation system has a function to distinguish such a person; they will soon be eliminated.
In the most of time, the most of people are self-esteemed. They more concerned about is not the money, but eagerly hope to be fairly and dignifiedly treated. A work performance evaluation system is the best way to meet the need perfectly. Grote Electroniks and Triton Company is a vivid example. First one is healthy running and second one was closed silently.
Talk about here, I think of my son’s comment after we landed in Canada couple of months. At that time, his second school teacher gave him homework of reading some English novels as a course to improve his English. After he read a few of the English novel, he had own thoughts. Said, Dad, in addition to the language and appearance, under the sun, the nature, feelings and family relationships of all the people are similar.
5...The relocation to Mexico of NCR Company
A machine assembles Company with good working environment once loctaed in waterloo Ontario. There is a Labor Union. When I newly work there is with 6 people to assemble a machine. My job is installation of electrical wiries and switches on the empty case-frame of the machine, then other people install the parts insides and make final testing for sending to customers.
The people are very friendly in the work team. After one hour of my first day’s work, a gentleman friendly told me that: “please do not work too hard like this; you may go to washroom to have a rest, or go to other work station to talk with friends. Any way, you should slow down the work.” Then, I noticed that other people were talking and joking with a slow working.
Compared with other Companies, that NCR Company have occupied the top of the food chain with a welcomed end products, it certainly has greater profit margins supported by an enviable team of skilled technicians and operators. So that it should be running better and sustainable. However, it was being shut down earliest before the Financial Crisis 2008.
The loss of more than 1,300 good payment jobs is not a trivial matter for a city of 100 thousands population. Besides local governors, there seems to be no other people concern the negative impact for local economy and the threatening for the life of local people, such as, social security.
Now, looking back the overall production efficiency at that time, in my work team, only reached about 50% of total production capacity.
About half a year later after the NCR Company was shut down; in a supermarket, I met the gentleman who once advised me to work slowly. We were talks a while. At that time, he was looking for a new job after worked for a job agency a couple of months.
Now, from whatever point of view, in NCR Company, he asks others to lower down the work speed are not associated with any reasons for his own interests. his payment was over $ 20/h, but for Job Agency or any other job may less than $12/h. I wonder that maybe was him to have made the Job Agency closed again, because that is his hobby.
From all aspects of assessment, the gentleman is well self-cultivated showing very nice and friendly without flaws in personality. His attitude on work also is common in most of people universally. As unique means of production with emotion, human beings are born with weakness and strength. One of significant aspect in management is to good use of the strength and avoiding the weakness.
Management is a kind of art rather than a rigid technology, it provides a special stage for performing intelligent dramas, however, some of them may be enjoyable, and some may be not.
Such as, for the shutdown of the NCR Company, one of important reason might be unsatisfactory productivity that caused by that of payment was not associated with the working-performance, which was no different for operators who finished 3 machines or 6 machines in a shift. Obviously, this kind of payment method was acting as a cooler to cool down employees’ working-enthusiasm. It also was one of the reasons that had triggered the collapse of former socialist countries. So I once said that in other article, capitalist countries are following the dust of the road that socialist countries have been past.
The romance of payment and work-efficiency is a good topic for a good management drama.
Suppose that, in the NCR Company, takes 3 machines as basic task of a team per shift, after finished first 3 machines, the fourth one pays $6 to each operator as bonus, the fifth pays $9, the sixth pays $12. Thus would incent the operators to work with full-load. In this way, every day will make extra profits from three extra machines by only extra payment of $189 that may only a little bit compared with gained extra profits. If so, the Company would be still running, that gentleman might still work there with a better payment rather than that of anxious for job-looking.
Here, there a more detailed account can be calculated. When production without bonus, finished 3 machines per shift, suppose the profit margin is 20% after deduction of raw materials, wages, utilities and other basic costs. On this basis, for finishing extra 3 more machines, only need to increase the cost of raw materials and bonuses, then, the profit margins from extra 3 machines may be much higher than that of 20% of from first 3 machines. The bonus possesses magical effect that can satisfy both employees and employers at the same time.
An important step of the success of China’s economic reform was have broken the old wage system that was continuation from that of the Soviet Union, and largely increased the share of payment that associated with individual’s work performance.
Some simple management measures could reduce the severity of the antagonism between employees and employers, and that will be good for all with reducing psychological stress in workplace, also can increase social wealth by improving the efficiency of production. That is the origin of that article.
5.1...A NCR’s supervisor dared not supervise in work
Here, there is a story that is worth to mention. Before NCR moved to Mexico, every year before Christmas, the company must recruit a lot of temporary workers to complete the backlog of the orders.
One day, the Supervisor who took charge of my team told me that he will leave for vacation about two weeks. At first, I was very surprised and even doubted whether I misheard what he said, or he was joking.
Since that the production was so busy with so much new temporary workers, as a Supervisor who takes the main management responsibility, why, at this juncture to leave for vacation?
A few days later, I went to work, my team colleagues asked me that: did you watch the TV this morning, in other department, the night shift temporary workers collectively made trouble, even to have smashed some equipments after learnt that they was laid off.
Some people might doubt that how did this happen?
A few years later after the NCR closed, I talked with an acquaintance who once worked in NCR Waterloo, to have known that, in the NCR, the payment will be more than $14 per hour after hired as full-time employee, which is much higher than that of any other companies.
Now, we would realize the reason that Supervisor left for vacation in the busy juncture. He was to dodge for avoiding trouble. Also, we may easily imagine that the Supervisor leaving for vacation might become routine manner at the busy juncture in before Christmas every year.
It is really a incredible matter. A Supervisor as middle management in a legitimate multinational company, his work should be aboveboard and dignified; however, he had to act as that of criminal to dodge some time every year, but conversely, the criminal manners of those workplace troublemakers were acting as aboveboard and dignified, there no one dared inhibit them. This might be the most absurd thing in the world.
It is simply as that of the sky and the earth has been swapped the position.
Indeed, the supervisor never says any thing for that Jim slow down the work. He seemed have never taken his supervising responsibility besides hard work as a general operator.
Now, we can see the reason of the difficult of the corporate management, which is duo to it pestered with Crowd Psychology.
If you ask common citizen of Waterloo city, maybe there is no one remembers the news on local TV about the mob event that happened in NCR Waterloo years ago. As common citizen, they would not concern the important to keep a local enterprise health running. But if you ask the officials of Waterloo city, they will clearly remember that, because that they had made every effort for the stay of NCR, but failed.
We need a powerful means to prevent such sadness playing continuously. For this point, the ISO standards will play a perfect role.
6...Mrs. Joyce a sober lady
Here I think of Mrs. Joyce, she is the landlord of my colleague, I visited my colleague in her home in 2005 summer. She eagerly talked to me about 20 minutes, and then she returned to her bedroom. When I ready went away to say goodbye to her in front of the door of her bedroom, she asked us in, I found her lying on the bed. She said welcome me come again and said sorry for that she cannot get up to see me off with a weak voice. When I went back home immediately called my colleague, knew that Joyce had liver cancer and has been a week without eating foods. Since then, I called to ask her illness every day. A few days later, she was admitted to the hospital, and after a period of time, she was gone forever.
More than 5 years past already, I still remember Joyce because her sound: “Ten years ago, Canada had a lot of big companies, but now has few; most of them have been sold to other countries.” This is the only time I heard such a far-sighted comment. It showed worries from a cancer sufferer. As a liver cancer sufferer with a clear mind she might already knew that she would say Goodbye forever soon. However, she still insists on talking to me for 20 minutes. Maybe she was with her last effort in the reception of her tenant’s friend, a never met stranger. Over the years, I always regret for that day I did not find she was a patient and consumed too much of her strength that maybe shortened the valuable time of her staying in this world. Now, I am tearful again.
Yesterday, Nov. 7, 2010, I called my colleague and knew that Joyce once was an accountant with suffering cancer more than 5 years, and later transferred to the liver when her aged about 75. Joyce made me an idea that people who have vision is often strong-willed, too. They will do very good job whatever. Our society is lack of such people.
If every people can think the problem like Joyce, conscientiously do own work, then, triton Company and NCR Company would not be closed, we will have more job opportunities. Our life would be much better.
Worthy to mention is that Grote Electroniks and DC Foods are still well running. This seems to be a problem that is no need to mention, because it is a matter of course. I do not know about the extruded products Company. However, I believe it will still be running, this is also a matter of course.
Recently, I read happy news. Canadian government rejected a foreign company’s acquisition of a Canadian mining company. Natural resources are shared by all citizens, involving our future generations, should be well preserved. If Joyce is still alive, she would be very happy with the news.
Above is involved with labor-intensive enterprises. It seems not applicable for intelligence-intensive enterprise. Such as, software programming. Following, I will try to discuss it.