AMERICAN WORKPLACE VOLUME 3 ISSUE 3 MAY 1995 U.S. DEPARTMENT OF LABOR OAW CLEARINGHOUSE OFFERS LINK TO HIGH PERFORMANCE Whether you call it reengineering, total quality management, stewardship, or simply breaking the management mold, the past 10 years have witnessed an explosion of fix-it strategies for American businesses. Even those at first reluctant now eagerly seek ways to break through artificial workplace barriers and replace them with a sense of shared vision, purpose, and forward movement. But growing businesses, especially small ones, do not always have the time or resources to follow every new wrinkle in workplace trends. To speed the learning curve, the OAW's Best Practices Clearinghouse is introducing four free, easy-to-use databases of best-practice information. Three databases offer brief bibliographic, reference, and event-related sources. The fourth database, created through first-hand interviews by OAW staff, is a directory of large and small companies engaged in high- performance practices that others can model. For business executives, union leaders, and managers seeking a reliable source, the Clearinghouse offers information on innovative compensation systems, teamwork structures, and technology design. It links users to information in these areas and adds the organizational experience of companies engaged in these and other practices integral to high-performance work- skills training and education, quality and customer service, union-management relations and worker involvement. The Best Practices Database--In spite of the immediacy of starting the change process, today's business leaders and organizational change agents need specifics before they adopt a new strategy or practice. At the heart of the Clearinghouse are case studies of businesses using innovative work practices. Typical questions faced by these organizations: What mechanism does a company use to involve employees in decision making? What types of bonus and reward systems are being used other than straight salary? What are the implications of employee ownership? What does a reasonable family supportive policy look like for a small business? How does a company make the union a partner? How can a company get everyone focused on customer satisfaction? Guided by staff, database users gain access to brief case descriptions of organizations that have tackled some of these workplace issues and are willing to share their knowledge. Database cases derive from companies as varied as Southwest Airlines, NYNEX, Rhino Foods, Phelps County Bank, and Corning. Users can refine the search, by geographic locale and size of organization, as well as by industry, union status, or specific workplace innovation. The References Database contains continually updated source listings of recent academic research, books, and professional articles addressing human resource use, worker participation, technology design, and other elements that large and small businesses face as they strive to become flatter, more effective, yet employee-oriented, workplaces. The Organizations Database offers a compendium of nonprofit organizations that can shortcut the search for more information. It includes nationally recognized organizations like the American Compensation Association, the American Productivity and Quality Center, and the Work in America Institute, as well as a compilation of university-based technology centers, state economic development agencies, area labor-management committees, and others. These resources give Clearinghouse users a chance to refine their areas of inquiry. The Calendar of Events, which will be fully up and running later this spring, will cite national and regional conferences, seminars, and courses to further speed the knowledge curve for those engaged in workplace innovations. Users can search the calendar by date, subject, or location. To contact OAW's Best Practices Clearinghouse, write, phone, or fax: Steve Donahue Office of the American Workplace U.S. Department of Labor Room N-5419 200 Constitution Ave, NW Washington, DC 20210 Telephone (202)219-5769 Fax (202) 219-8762 ---------------------------------------------------------------- COMPANY: Davis Vision, Inc SIZE: 250 Associates (multiple retail and fabrication locations) UNION: United Optical Workers Local 408 (I.U.E.) INDUSTRY: Vision Care Products and Services COMPANY DESCRIPTION: Large national provider of managed vision care. Elements: eye examinations, fabrication (frames and lenses), and claims processing. TRAINING AND CONTINUOUS LEARNING: Employees receive 8 days of company orientation on products and services, operations, and corporate culture. Employees also train in quality improvement techniques: teamwork, problem-solving skills, and supplier concepts. Company designates a mentor for new employees. Internal training and tuition reimbursement are available. EMPLOYEE PARTICIPATION: The Floating Associate Program enables employees to participate in departmental team meetings without being a permanent member, which facilitates cross-functional teams. Company formally surveys associates on training programs, work/family issues, and other areas. ACCESS TO INFORMATION: Managers and associates receive information on production costs and quarterly performance. Company's newsletter, The Spectacle, provides information on business developments, associate survey results, and special recognition to the company and individuals. EMPLOYMENT SECURITY: Avoids downsizing through normal attrition rates and practices like cross-training which allows associates to move among departments. No layoffs in 28 years. SUPPORTIVE WORK ENVIRONMENT: Company conducts prevention-based courses in lifting techniques, materials handling, and the proper use of tools. Permits alternative work schedules (flex-time and telecommuting) for some associates. PRODUCT/SERVICE QUALITY: * Each major piece of equipment has a preventive maintenance schedule, and vendor service technicians provide any critical reconditioning or recalibration. * Managers benchmark at least two companies every 6 months. Benchmarking teams, which include associates, have traveled worldwide. Methods of benchmarking include surveys and collaboration with trade associations, clearinghouse consortiums. * Customer service includes a 24-hour toll-free access for all plan users, an unconditional warranty against breakage of plain eyeglasses, and other programs. The company has no client loss due to dissatisfaction of quality or service. COMPENSATION LINKED TO PERFORMANCE: Offers a profit-sharing 401k retirement program and performance benefits. Salary increases and bonuses are based on semi-annual reviews, which provide for employee accomplishments through a self-review form. WORKER-MANAGEMENT RELATIONS: Representatives from the United Optical Workers are actively involved in key decision-making processes; the shop steward and business agent serve as ad hoe members of the Quality Management Team. Company has had no strikes or work stoppages and all contracts have been settled with annual salary increases. AWARDS: Davis Vision was the 1993 recipient of the New York State Governor's Excelsior "Quality at Work" Award. _______________________________________________________________ POINT OF VIEW NETWORKING: WHAT'S IN IT FOR MY COMPANY? Charles Edmunson Vice President of Manufacturing Web Industries Leaders in business know their job is to grow, adapt, and change FAST...or get left behind. For small manufacturers, that means learning faster than our competitors. For Web's 270 employees, we try to instill a strong learning culture, because we know it is our key to becoming more competitive. And one of the most powerful ways we learn is by observing other companies-- even those outside our industry. What can we learn from growing companies in different industries? We find they are struggling with some of the same problems we are-how to instill a sense of shared ownership, how to implement new reward systems, how to work in teams, how to communicate among those teams. We discover that they don't always succeed the first time when they adopt new work practices or processes. And connecting with other businesses gives us a place to turn if we experience snags along the way. When Web faced the issue of making employee ownership real in the eyes of workers, we looked to Phelps County Bank in the Midwest. What did a manufacturing firm and a bank have in common? Both are employee owned through an ESOP. We knew their ideas wouldn't transfer directly to our company, but learning from them put us on the road to shared ownership. Later we informally networked with a construction equipment company to observe its use of advanced manufacturing techniques. And we have used informal benchmarking with other companies to evaluate reward systems, training practices, and total quality management programs. Like lots of other small businesses, we don't benchmark in a formal sense. But we use company visits and networking to stretch our thinking. We are constantly asking ourselves: How are we doing? Are we still on track? If not, we have a resource--another company that has faced a stumbling block or two. It's surprising how long we use the information from our networking efforts. Six years ago, our production managers visited an air conditioning manufacturer to see how self-directed teams worked. Now we are heading in that direction, and we remember how they described the process, the problems, and their results. That visit still spurs our thinking. The lasting advantage to networking is that it creates peer-to-peer business relationships. We know we have other sources of information besides the conferences, seminars, and training sessions we attend. After a site visit, our executives, managers, and line workers never fail to have their creativity stimulated in new directions. Another company's ideas become part of our vocabulary. When we reciprocate and other companies bring their employees to Web, the power of networking is multiplied. We have found their questions spur us on, challenge our thinking, raise issues we may not have considered, and force us to refine our ideas. Essentially, looking at other companies shakes our view of ourselves. Editor's Note. Web Converting, a paper, foil, and fabric converter, is headquartered in Framingham, MA. Web is listed in OAW's Best Practices Clearinghouse. __________________________________________________________ GLASS CEILING FACT-FINDING REPORT RELEASED The Glass Ceiling Commission, charged with recommending ways to eliminate barriers to advancement of women and minorities in business, has issued a fact-finding report showing that: * White males occupy 95-97 percent of top corporate leadership positions. * Women and minority men are seriously underrepresented in top corporate management though they comprise two-thirds of the population and 57 percent of the labor force. * Diversity in top management is good for business given the global economy and the composition of consumer markets and the nation's labor force. The report, Good for Business: Making Full Use of the Nation's Human Capital, contains case studies of three "best practice" organizations-Xerox, IBM, and Procter & Gamble--as well as 100 employment practices currently used by many other organizations to enable them to be productive, competitive, and to fully use the skills and creativity of all employees. The Commission's final report, containing recommendations for government action, is due by November. Printed copies of the fact-finding report are available from the U.S. Government Printing Office (202)512-1800. Electronic copies are available from the Internet World Wide Web server at http.//www. ilr.cornell. edu and Gopher at 128.253.61.155. _________________________________________________________________ SENSIBLE ALTERNATIVES TO DOWNSIZING American firms are continuing to downsize and lay off workers at alarming rates. Yet some companies, employees, and organizations have developed creative alternatives. They approach restructuring in ways that preserve jobs, enhance worker commitment, and increase productivity. The stories of five companies that have chosen creative ways to avoid layoffs are the subject of an upcoming OAW video, Responsible Restructuring/Responsible Downsizing. Hosted by Secretary of Labor Robert B. Reich, the hour-long program presents the first-hand accounts of company officials and workers who faced the downsizing dilemma. The alternatives they developed are as varied as the companies using them. For example, Rhino Foods in Burlington, VT, adopted an employee exchange program. Employees at Advanced Technological Solutions in Brooklyn, NY, saved their jobs by buying the plant in which they worked. The regional phone giant, NYNEX, forecast its downsizing and, through a ground-breaking agreement with the Communications Workers of America, avoided involuntary layoffs and upgraded the skills of remaining workers. In addition to showcasing companies that managed to avoid layoffs, the video also looks at the effect on companies and workers when layoffs or shutdowns are inevitable. Dr. Dana Friedman of the Families and Work Institute and Dr. Carrie Leana of the University of Pittsburgh discuss the effects of restructuring, job loss, and family supportive policies on individuals and institutions. The video will be offered nationally through the PBS Adult Learning Satellite Service (ALSS) on May 17 from 2 to 3 p.m. (Eastern time). Those organizations with satellite capability can contact ALSS for information on the satellite downlink. Others may contact ALSS to learn about the organizations in your community that may be purchasing the downlink- businesses, public television stations, and colleges or universities, for instance. For further information on the May 17 satellite downlink of Responsible Restructuring/Responsible Downsizing, ALSS at: 1 (800)257-2578. Editor's note: Look for information on OAW's companion publication, Guide to Responsible Restructuring, in the next issue of American Workplace. _______________________________________________________________ RESPONSIVE GOVERNMENT U . S . FAX WATCH The Government Printing Office is offering free, round-the- clock access to information on its products and services through U.S. Fax Watch. To use the service, customers call from the touchtone handset of their fax machine or a touchtone telephone, follow voice prompts, and receive the faxed information in minutes. Products and services currently available include: * Information on pricing, stock numbers, and availability of Code of Federal Regulations volumes; * A listing of GPO publications for sale, broken down by category; * Government electronic products; * Depository library locations; * A listing of U.S. Government bookstore locations; * Ordering information and instructions on how to establish a standing order with GPO. Callers are limited to five documents per call. U.S. Fax Watch is available at: (202) 512-1716. OSHA FAX The Labor Department's Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) offers rapid delivery of OSHA-related data and information at low cost through OSHA FAX, the agency's new fax-on-demand system. The service offers OSHA fact sheets, a list of publications, OSHA inspection statistics, and other health and safety-related data. A recent listing of Fact Sheets, for example, includes an Ergofacts Index, a Safeworks Index! and OSHA CD-ROM information. They are among more than 200 brief documents available for a nominal phone charge of $1.50 per minute; the typical cost of a document is under $5. Callers access the service via touchtone telephone or touchtone handset of their fax machine; there is a limit of two documents per call. OSHA FAX is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week at: 1 (900) 555-3400.