Time Spent on the Floor

JulieP

This is a question for all of you, but especially those of you in manufacturing settings. How much time do you spend out on the floor, walking around and talking to employees?

Whatever

My main location is in New York. I try to walk around the plant at least once a day. Whenever I go to the New Jersey, at least twice a month, I always walk around the plant. However, I'm on the committee that reviews all accidents that are more serious than requiring a simple bandaid. Also, if an employee asks for an accomodation, I like to see for myself what the job entails.

dynamite9551

i tried to walk through at least once a week - just to say "hi" and let the employees know i was available. but if they needed me they knew where to find me - and usually did!

LindaS

I try to go through the plant once per shift. I am in the plant more often but it is usually to deal with a specific issue. My office is right off the plant floor so employees can come to me anytime during the day.

System

I take a walk around the store when I come in in the morning. I am lucky in that I remember names and faces really well. I say hi to everybody. I get down there alot more than that though. The only bathroom is all the way downstairs and across the floor. And NO in advance I don't mean alot because I have a medical condition.
Excuse me, I gotta go downstairs for a moment.

mwild31

It really depends on what my workload looks like & what's happening out in production. If my workload is too high, then it might be once or twice a week - same true for production. Basically, I try to get out once a day to see how things are going....

Don D

In spite of my addiction to the Forum, I am on the floor at least during each shift, daily. It is not unusual for me to be on the floor on third shift at 4:30 or 5:00 a.m. Those people are often neglected and their comments in meetings reflect that if they are ignored. Our plant is organized in many work 'cells' which are small groupings of 3,4,5 people doing common or related things. It is my goal to be in a different cell at least once during each shift, covering them all in two week's time, but hitting breakrooms and picnic tables as well. I don't think people in the plant should have to run into me only when there's an accident or a crisis or one of our sometimes-boring-meetings. This morning at 5:30 I brought a lady in the plant a bag of frozen catfish to repay her for the homegrown tomatoes she brought me yesterday at 7:00. We believe strongly that the very best 'issue avoidance' program starts with supervisors and managers paying attention to 'concrete time', the need to actually be on the concrete, interracting frequently. When I was new here in April, I walked the floor all day and half the night for 3 solid weeks. I told people individually, "First, tell me the names of your kids. Then, tell me what you do. I want to learn your kids' names as well as what your job is." I think it makes a difference when employees see that I can make coffee for them in the hourly breakroom and pick up trash just like anybody else can and that I am just as capable of going out to the parking lot to look at their antique pickup as I am of suspending one of them for sexual harassment. There's no such thing as 'professional distance' here. I hope the concept died 20 years ago. x:-)

JulieP

[font size="1" color="#FF0000"]LAST EDITED ON 08-18-03 AT 07:35AM (CST)[/font][p]I really like your answer Don. I try to spend time on the floor each day. I try to walk all the way around the plant and say hello to everyone I see each day. Then, of course, I go out there when there is a reason also. The reason I asked this question is that someone told me recently that a good HR person should spend at least 25% of their time on the floor. I try to spend plenty of time out there, but I thought 25% was a little much.

Whatever

I get worried about percentages. There are days I walk around the production areas and I'm done in no time. There are other days when I am bombarded. There are, also, times when I can't get free to go out on the floor (sometimes because an ee has problems that are very time consuming to resolve). Being told I have to spend a minimum of time on any aspect of this job is just too rigid for me.

LarryC

Like Don, I like to hit all shifts daily and during the day I see everyone at least 4-5 times a day. We're in four buildings with about 100 employees. The important thing for me is that they know me personally and I know them personally (family, hobbies, special interests). The important thing for employees is for me to get back to them on any issue they give me in no longer than a couple hours. Whatever it is they want or need becomes my top priority until it's done. It's very job satisfiying for employees to know that someone is taking their problems and running with them, like right now. Most of my information comes to me on the floor and it's getting more so because people know I care and that things get done promptly through me. If I'm talking to someone and I get paged, I ignore the page. And, hey, walking 3-4 miles every day ain't bad excersise.

For those that have the courage to venture into "the HR office", they're met warmly and when they take a seat my chair is four feet from theirs and NO DESK IN BETWEEN. If the phone rings I don't answer it.

I like to think that I meet their needs so that they can do their jobs. Our plant manager has a sign in his office that says, "Secular management is defined as getting things done through other people. Biblical management is defined as meeting the needs of the people as they work at accomplishing their jobs."

Leadership and service are not contradictory.

That's it for my sermon. Someone have a benediction?

ritaanz

I make it a priority to be out in the plant every day. Although we have a page system, I go and find the person I need. As I walk through the different departments, I stop and visit with the employees. The switchboard has been instructed to give all plant employee telephone messages to me instead of their supervisor. I take them out to their work station and give it to the designated employee. This gives me a chance to socialize.

My office is located just outside the production area. Employees need to pass by to get to the water fountain or the rest rooms. Someone is always stopping in to visit. The only negative thing I can say about this is when I have do do a RIF. It hurts. Bad.

HRQ

One thing I enjoyed about my old job was that we were all in the same building. I knew every employee's name, could spell and pronounce it correctly (lot of hispanics), could usually recall their hire and birth month if not date. I knew so much more because I saw them daily - I visited the breakroom at least once daily. Employees could pop in the office to ask a quick question.

Now, we have 17 locations spread as much as 45 miles away. I visit each location at least once quarterly for employee file audits, etc., but honestly sometimes I whiz through the building to get done what needs to be done and don't always make time to chat. I decided recently that I need to make a conscious effort to schedule time to do nothing but walk through each school, enter each classroom and say "hi", even if just for a minute. This will definitely help people understand I'm not just some person in the corporate office making new rules, signing memos, fooling around with the benefits plan. "Oh yeah, she's the one who did Orientation! I remember her!"

Funny how I allowed myself to forget how important personal contact is.

cebudragonlady

I am the one who opens the factory in the morning, and I walk the production area at least once daily..to say hello,answer questions,get to know the workers
personally. My office is right next to the production line, with a window,and the workers can pop in at any time for help.

Chari

Balloonman

No right no wrong, but Don nailed it, time on the floor so they get to know you and vice versa is essential. When working in manufacturing, I was on the plant floor every day and like Don made it a point to be seen on all 3 shifts. Now in construction, I typically visist jobsite at least once a week. When doing that I always leave time to stop and chat with everyone on the jobsite. I want them to feel comfortable that if they need to they can talk to me. I recently had an employee bring an addiction problem to me that he was having and ask for help. This may sound sappy, but the fact that he felt he could come to me with something like that made me feel great!!!!!
My $0.02 worth.
DJ The Balloonman

ps LarryC your boss' sign offends me, please ask him to take it down.
x:D For the slow ones that is humor!

Whatever

I've said it before and I'll probably say it again (I was never accused of being an original thinker) "The best part about the job is when a help someone."

Sunny

I have two plants, 8 miles apart, and I usually go through both several times a day. My office at the larger plant is in an outbuilding on the dock and I keep the safety supplies so the plant folks are also in and out all day.

I agree - don't worry about the percentage of time you spent on the floor, just make sure the people know you care and know them and their working conditions.

Don D

Dragonlady: I think you're setting yourself up for either a comp claim or a complaint. You said your office is right next to production and you have a window and people can pop into your office anytime. Isn't there some way you can arrange for them to take the long way around and come through your door? I'm worried for their safety and I don't want you getting unnecessary complaints. We look after each other here on the Forum, ya know. (Before somebody accuses me of being an 'idiot', I've just taken a long walkthrough of half the plant and had a really productive 'tour'.)