Career pathing & Competencies, Part 2: Building a competency framework

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Developing a framework of the knowledge, skills, and business behaviors that every person uses in the performance of their role sounds complicated, but it doesn’t have to be. In this 2nd of 4 programs, I share resources to use as an outline and I describe the building block process I use to define competencies and develop a competency framework involving skilled practitioners as they perform. Begin by observing what and how their work is done, identifying the level of expertise needed to be successful, and defining the level of proficiency required to perform successfully is then followed up with conversations focused on how to obtain these varied skills and how long it takes.

Creating a competency framework involves a thorough examination of the complete set of skills people use daily and provides an increased level of understanding and connection between the individual role, the team processes, and where the strategic alignment to organizational performance fits in. Let’s talk more about how you can use learning as a strategic business and retention tool. We can Zoom or even use the phone to talk because together, we are stronger, and we don’t need being remote or at a distance to keep us from connecting and engaging – let’s learn and work together!  I’ll bring some coffee…. Use the contact button above or visit our web site!

What if this is the Great Opportunity?

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Millions of people are voluntarily leaving their jobs so do we have a labor shortage, or a shortage of good jobs filled with leaders worth following and purposes with meaning? In this video I explore what makes your organization an “employer of choice” to attract, and retain, workers.

If you are in the position of having open jobs and facing people leaving the organization maybe, it’s time to review the options available to you. Can you show the values that demonstrate your culture, the purpose and impact you have to each other and in your community? This moment is yours to create an innovative workforce that is new in how it works so reach out and tap into the curiosity, creativity, and compassion people have. Open yourself up to their ideas and encourage them to bring new solutions along with new ways to work, grow, and succeed. If you can be open to working differently perhaps people may be open to joining and staying.

People have taken the time to re-evaluate the quality of their lives, and many are choosing to invest their time focused on family, expanding their education, and living a more balanced, healthier lifestyle even if this means they don’t make as much money. Let’s talk more about how to use learning as a strategic business tool to attract people and enable you to be the employer of choice. Let’s Zoom or even use the phone to talk because together, we are stronger, and we don’t need being remote or at a distance to keep us from connecting and engaging – let’s learn and work together!  I’ll bring some coffee….  Use the contact button above or visit our web site!

What if this is the Great Opportunity?

Space can be more than a place

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When you hear the word “office” what pops in your mind? Big building filled with floors of cubicles? Is this the place where you store stuff, a place to put your jacket? Someplace that takes a while to get to.  What if we took this opportunity to redefine what the “office” could be rather than allow it to be what is has been, let’s create the workspace for tomorrow’s workplace.

Tsedal Neeley (@tsedal) offered the idea that the new purpose of the office is “as a tool rather than a destination.” In this video I share ways to reimagine how space can be seen and used to support a hybrid flexible workplace. We can create new ways to utilize the physical space as flexible meeting and collaboration areas that support remote tools so when projects need conversations with team members the work could be supported in a hybrid flexible manner rather than trying to reserve a cramped conference room. Space could be configured in ways to promote people safely coming together while allowing physical distancing and providing improved air flow and filtration to meet health protocols.

Space is a new frontier (apologies to Star Trek) we can begin to use differently than we have before providing greater flexibility, is multi-functional, and supports a wide range of technology to blur the lines between in-person and remote conversations and supports active collaboration. If you would like to talk more about using learning, and the space it needs, as a strategic business tool to impact your team let’s Zoom or even use the phone to talk because together, we are stronger and we don’t need being remote or at a distance to keep us from connecting and engaging – let’s learn and work together!  I’ll bring some coffee….  Use the contact button above or visit our web site!

The Great Recruitment

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Is your organization pushing to get people back in the office?  Has the topic of commuting, public transportation, and shared office space been raised and are you ready to go back to the 9-5 routine you once took for granted?  We have found that we are just as productive remotely and discovered new levels of flexibility that have made a difference in our quality of life so the idea of being pushed back into the cubicle isn’t attractive and leading to many talking about the “Great Resignation”.

It doesn’t have to be this way; in this video I suggest reframing the conversation from one of “resignation” to one of “recruiting” the very same workers to stay with the organization.  Let’s start with conducting a Stay Interview where you seek a deeper understanding of what keeps that person working productively every day. Let’s expand the topic of compensation to be more than salary, include flexible schedules, remote and hybrid work options too. Use professional development to show the person they are valued for the long term. Finally, highlight their work and show how it has meaning, align people to purpose, encourage their passion, and you will see an impact in their performance.

I think we can make this the Great Recruitment that positively impacts retention. If you would like to talk more about using learning as a strategic business tool to impact your team let’s Zoom or even use the phone to talk because together, we are stronger and we don’t need being remote or at a distance to keep us from connecting and engaging – let’s learn and work together!  I’ll bring some coffee…. Use the contact button above or visit our web site!

Going to be different going forward

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What was it like the first time you went out “socially”? It was a little unsettling for me, and it will be strange to wait for an elevator, go to the break room for coffee, and be with people who aren’t family. This is going to be different for each of us. We need to be prepared to see a hybrid workforce with people making different choices and as leaders we need to be attuned to people who are at different comfort levels for in-person gatherings and we need to be responsive to new, more flexible, work options. In this video I share ways to support new practices to provide our team mates a healthier work/life balance and realize that these new working models are strategic intents centered on aligning people with purpose while valuing their personal needs to create a productive and happy worker.

You set the tone with your team demonstrating respect, integrity, and connection. As different as every employee is so will the response be to a hybrid work model. You must be comfortable in leading the change knowing there isn’t a standard solution yet being intentional in creating a transparent, open space to work and live from.  It’s going to be different going forward and embracing the hybrid framework will result in improved retention, engagement, and performance. If you would like to talk more about how this framework can be used in your organization let’s Zoom or send me an email and keep the conversation going!  I’d enjoy talking with you about how we can partner to strategically develop your team. Use the contact button above or visit our web site!

Attract (& Keep!) Your Dream Team, Part 2: The 5 “C’s”

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Hiring people and getting them up to speed takes time and money so use learning strategically.  In the first video segment we looked at the big picture, the 5 interconnected steps that impact your team as it forms and grows. In this 2nd of 4 parts I share the 5C’s you can use to create an environment of success and techniques to impact the retention process. The 5C’s is a strategic component of leadership and follows a common planning model with a focus on the talent pool we rely on to make and support the products and services of today and to be ready for future growth.

Next time we’ll examine how using a credentialing process can drive talent development and retention. Credentials come in different forms, so we’ll look at options to consider. In the meantime, I’d enjoy talking with you about how we can partner to strategically develop your team so let’s Zoom or send me an email and let’s keep the conversation going! Use the contact button above or visit our web site!

More than a seat at the table

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Learning & Development should be at the table to plan and be involved early on yet we need to be in the workflow more. Join me in this video to explore going beyond delivering training and begin using learning strategically to provide the organization with employees who are prepared, who can think, and use the collective wisdom of the community to develop a robust and skilled internal talent pipeline. We need to be in the workplace to grow and develop our people and that’s the seat L&D should be sitting in. Learning is a strategic business tool and developing people’s skills and strengths, including the ability to learn and think in the moment of need, is an integral component of an organization’s growth and success.

I would enjoy talking more with you about how we can partner on identifying ways to strategically develop your team so let’s Zoom or send me an email, let’s keep learning together!  Use the contact button above or visit our web site!

 

THE GOLDEN TOOL

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Welcome to our CEO, Tom Reeves, as he shares the last of his 4 blogs with ideas to consider. Add your reactions to the post below and use the the contact button above so we can continue the discussion!

Early in my career, I worked as a junior safety professional in a large manufacturing plant. This plant had over 1600 workers and these workers made large home appliances. One of the worker jobs on the production line was especially troubling. It was ergonomically difficult and after about three months, the typical worker would often be injured to the point of needing surgery. The company tried for years to fix the ergonomic issues associated with this job. The latest solution had been to add a helper to the job who would stage parts to reduce the ergonomic risk to the operator.  That solution resulted in delaying the injury but, sadly, did not prevent it.

The risk with the job was two-fold.  Both risks involved installing a rubber boot-shaped part that served as part of the water drainage system into the bottom of the appliance. First, the worker would put their hand through the boot in an awkward down-facing position. Then, the worker would seat the boot into a slot at the bottom off the appliance by extending their arm. The worker would then use both thumbs to press the edges of the rubber boot into a hard plastic ring at the bottom of the appliance.  It took a few weeks for the worker to develop thumb and wrist pain. If the worker remained in the job for three months, they often needed resulted surgery to repair either the thumbs, wrists or both. Something had to change.

The plant leadership and our corporate level EHS support was very focused on reducing and eliminating the injuries at this workstation.   As a newly minted safety professional who wanted to prove himself, I was also very determined to fix this job – perhaps too eager. Luckily, my boss introduced me to a toolmaker in the maintenance department and we began discussing approaches to creating a tool to get the worker’s hand out of the rubber boot. We both visited the workers doing the job on different shifts and asked for their input.  The workers were enthusiastic to give their ideas.  We drew up a prototype concept and the tool maker built it. The prototype involved a wooden block the size of the top oval ring of the boot.  The edges of the wooden block were rounded allowing the block to rock back and forth. Then, we mounted an angled handle to the top.  If the prototype worked, we’d eventually fabricate a version made of more durable materials and mount it to a zero-gravity connection to further remove stress.  But, first, the prototype needed to be tested.

The rubber boot had critical to quality requirements.  If the boot was not seated and secured properly, the appliance would leak water into someone’s nice kitchen.  Every appliance was leak tested at the end of the assembly line and a small percentage of the appliances consistently failed the leak test and required rework.  Our initial hope was that using this tool would result in a net-zero change in the results of the leak tests while reducing the ergonomic strain and risk of the job.  After a few initial tests with the prototype and after making a few tweaks to the design, we settled on a third version that seemed to work very well.

Using the new tool, the job changed. The worker still had to use their hand to seat the boot in place but now the worker needed to be less exact with their placement.  This resulted in less pronation of the wrist and far less force on the fingertips and thumb.  The tool did most of the work to secure the boot into the oval hard plastic ring.  The new method involved rocking the tool back and forth in with the wrist and hand in an ergonomically neutral position — it was determined three times was optimal for seating the boot ring. The tool made the job easier, faster, reduced ergonomic strain, and much to our surprise, it greatly improved the performance on the leak tests.

At the time, I could not imagine a bigger success. Workers, supervisors, a toolmaker, and a young safety professional had worked together to discover a viable solution to a job that reduced risk, made the job more efficient, and improved product quality. That is when the project crashed in ways we did not anticipate.

Once the worker began to use the tool, the task was completed faster. This triggered the industrial engineers to do a time-study. A time-study is where a job is assessed for the time the worker is utilized. If a job utilized the worker more than 80%, a helper was used. Prior to instituting the tool, the worker was utilized close to 90% of the time, so that was the reason for the helper. But, using the tool, the worker’s time was reduced to about 50% utilization. According to the work rules, the helper was no longer needed. In this case, the helper’s job was eliminated. That is when I received my first grievance. The representatives argued the tool was a significant change to the job and should not be allowed. Then, the tubs began to fail the leak tests at a greater rate – the tool was blamed, and the workers claimed the helper was still needed. That is when the operations manager and plant manager called me and my boss to their office and asked why I was causing trouble. I was baffled. I thought we made the jobs safer, increased quality, and efficiency. I had no idea I had hit a cultural landmine.

The tool was immediately abandoned, and the workers went back to the old way of doing the job. While working on this project, I had been recruited by a different company to take another role and decided to accept the job. Within a few weeks I was gone — but I was still shocked by what happened. After a few weeks in my new job, a package showed up with a note. It was from my old boss. The package contained two things: the prototype, which he painted gold, and a note that simply said, “You did the right thing.”

I do not believe I could have learned two greater lessons at this early point in my safety professional career. The first lesson was to be mindful of my eagerness to prove myself.  The second lesson, to paraphrase the great management consultant, Peter Drucker, is that culture eats everything for breakfast [Hyken: 2015] and while the tool maker and I had developed a technological solution for a problem, I failed to recognize and navigate all of the organizational factors this change would trigger due to a combination of my eagerness and my lack of understanding. The lesson is that there are organizational forces, which, if not addressed, can greatly resist change — even when the change is good. To this day, that gold-painted prototype sits on my desk as a reminder to think and act holistically in any change.

Understanding the Critical Risk Management Cycle is key to Converting Management Safety Efforts into Performance

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Welcome to our CEO, Tom Reeves, as he shares the 3rd of 4 blogs with ideas to consider. Add your reactions to the post below and use the the contact button above so we can continue the discussion!

When faced with the implementation of an integrated management system – meaning a management system for health and safety, quality, and environmental – organizational must design the system with performance in mind.  It’s not enough to have the individual parts – the parts or processes must work together.

The critical risk management cycle helps organizations understand now aligning processes for risk identification and assessment flow into processes for risk controls and the verification of risk controls.

One of the most effective tools for risk identification is a Job Safety Analysis with a risk component – often called a Risk Assessment.   In the risk assessment, the basics of the job tasks, hazards, risk before controls, controls, and residual risk (remaining risk with controls) are detailed.

Risk Assessment is a great tool for assessing a single job.  But, withing a management system, the Risk Assessment kicks off a series of processes.  For instance, all of the risks can be compiled into a common Risk Registry.  This gives leadership a clear view of the organization’s most significant risks.

Once risks are assessed, controls can be implemented.   Many controls are implemented in the field, such as engineering controls like guarding or warnings such as signs and lights.   Other controsl are administrative in nature and exist in a Document Control process or Training or Learning Management System.   There should be a direct tie back of risk controls to risk assessment.

Controls must also be verified.   Verification, from proactive to reactive, can occur in inspection, preventive and predictive maintenance, audits, and, most reactively, in incident reports and lagging metrics.

When deficiencies are detected, root cause can be assessed, and corrective actions implemented.

Many organizations have implemented independent processes to the parts.  That’s necessary to pass audits.   But for those organizations that truly want to perform and relentlessly reduce risk, an integrated approach is necessary.

BUSINESS INTEGRATION IS KEY TO HEALTH & SAFETY PERFORMANCE

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Welcome to our CEO, Tom Reeves, as he shares the 2nd of 4 blogs with ideas to consider. Add your reactions to the post below and use the the contact button above so we can continue the discussion!

Have you ever wondered what “Context of the Organization” in ISO 45001 actually means?   It means that health and safety doesn’t exist within a vacuum.  Rather, the health and safety business function exists within a broad context of the organization.

This begins with the organization’s strategy.   Strategy involves how the organization competes in the marketplace, the customers it serves, the competition, the investment community or doners, and how the organization addresses sustainability.

There are also organizational factor, such as the organizational values, the culture (or the way things are around here), people, and the leadership.

Operational factors must be integrated with health and safety.   This may include everything from logistics, R&D, manufacturing, and/or construction activities.

Finally, health and safety management systems exist with other systems.   There may be management systems for quality or environmental risk.  But there may also be financial systems – often called an ERP – or HR systems.

Health and safety leaders should seek to understand the context of their organization and frame a health and safety approach that works with the organization, not against it.