A Factory of Profit and Compassion

It has never occurred to me that I would have the opportunity to create a manufacturing start-up. This is a position I never even considered wanting to try. Yet, the assignment fills me with a kind of excitement that surprises me and overcomes limitations of my own making. As I stand on the brink of this adventure, two things inspire me: my old friend Jack Purves, who used to tell me stories of how he found himself (a leftist music major) in a management position of his father’s factory where he tirelessly advocated for the rights of the workers, and Charles Greer, author of Strategic Human Resource Management, who, along with others, is convincing me that an excellent workforce is the most powerful competitive tool a business requires.
Before I begin, I must clarify that there are two conditions that I require before I participate in this project. First, I need to be convinced that the manufacturing plant we are building is producing a product that is helpful to the human race and will not cause landfill overcrowding or toxicity to the earth. On the same token, I must be assured that the processing of the factory is not causing pollution to the surrounding area. Secondly, I must know that the workers we are hiring will have clean, safe working conditions at all times.
Now, the fun begins. My goal is to design a team of workers and managers in which excellence is the standard, regardless of job status or position.
I begin with the office administrative employees. This is a key role, and requires very specific qualities. I would be looking for people who have experience as parents and can double or triple task easily, doing multiple tasks at the same time. Job sharing (hiring several people to fill one job) would be an option. These workers would undergo personality tests to screen for qualities of organization, punctuality and flexible learning. I would ask all applications to be hand written to check for neatness and consistency. During the interview process I would reject anyone with a hint of dourness or cynicism, looking primarily for a good first impression, pleasant phone voice, and willingness to be helpful.
Next, I would engage an agency to hire twenty to thirty temporary workers, including several that would fill in as practical managers on the floor. These people would allow production to begin, while giving me more time to hire the ongoing work force. It would also allow me to observe the workers and anticipate some of their work challenges. This information would be useful as I continue to strategically hire employees with the qualities needed to avoid or overcome pitfalls. Any temporary worker that proves him or herself to be the kind of employee we are wanting would be hired long-term.
Considering that the information received from a resume, references and an interview is a tiny portion of the overall data about a human being, I would ask that applicants for all positions be personality tested in-house. Not only does this screen for specific good qualities such as flexibility, ability to get along with others and willingness to problem-solve, it lets workers know immediately that we take them and their work extremely seriously. All applicants would be required to do standard drug testing and to go through an orientation prior to being hired.
At this orientation, clear expectations would be communicated. There are behaviors that this plant will not tolerate such as any kind of sexual harassment or racism. All workers will be rigorously cross-trained and will be expected to do any job description that is needed at any particular time. Workers will be expected to excel at their jobs, and any kind of “slacking off” or bad attitude will not be acceptable. Evaluations that include the ability of the worker to contribute to a positive work culture will guide the renewal of contracts.
In return, our workplace will offer unprecedented respect for all employees. We will embrace a no-layoff policy. Each worker will have personal work goals that the managers will assign, according to what is needed to make our plant produce competitively. If that goal is accomplished before the day is over, the worker is welcome to go home early, with unpaid time off. If that goal is exceeded, the worker will be rewarded with a profit-sharing system that is proportional to the excess of the production goal. All workers can expect on-the-job training with a mentoring system for newcomers. Workers will be trusted with an open book policy because it is my belief that people need to know why our standards are set to a certain level and to know as a group what we are all striving to achieve. Employees will have fair pay, health benefits, and access to a grievance procedure that does not include their direct supervisor. Regular staff gatherings and holiday observances will be emphasized to inspire, rather than to reward.
Once the person is fully aware of the rewards and limitations of the job, they will have an option of discontinuing the interview. If they agree to proceed, and if they meet the qualifications required and if I have a good “gut feeling” about them, they will be hired.
Recruiting motivated employees will be a challenge. I would start first with recently released prisoners. In my experience, ex-cons have an almost impossible challenge in finding a job, and yet are some of the hardest workers available. It would be great to have an arrangement with a prison to do some pre-training for workers not yet released. Secondly, I would recruit through unions and secretly through other plants in the area with word of mouth rumors of our factory’s progressive stance on respect for workers. I would not hesitate to hire the very old or the very young (ages 18-70) into the workforce, if the proper personality qualities of open mindedness and willingness to learn are met. All other standard job advertising would be done as well; job fairs, TV ads, posters, newspaper classifieds, and recommendations from current workers.
Once the workforce is established, the next step is to find a management team that is able to mold this group into excellence and to maintain a positive organizational culture of dedication and exceptional work standards. Trying to incorporate other managers into this paradigm will be the most difficult task yet. Since I was hired to set up the project, I have set the stage for success. But to realize that success will take a management team that is on the same page. I would ask the parent company to choose carefully which managers are transferred to our plant, and ask that the managers are aware of the specific, unique goals of our site. As for the manager I hire, I would look for a person with experience to complement my inexperience, and with an enthusiasm and vision that matches my own.
Once the management team is established, I would make sure that we each have our own areas to supervise, with as little cross-over as possible. The team would meet at least once a day, to share information and support each other in decision making for the greater benefit of the whole. As a group, I would recommend that we get regular off site training in all areas of expertise, from human resource management to technical training in the field. We will also do intentional sensitivity training and team building exercises on a regular basis to help us work together.
Why can’t our manufacturing sector really be like this in the real world? Why can’t we decide and demand that respect for humans and the earth be part of our business standards in all fields? Perhaps it is because the field of business is often left to the greedy and the corrupt instead of those who want to make a difference. Perhaps it is because the business world is trained in profit rather than in compassion. I hope to yet see a world where those two things come together as one and the same.