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The CALMC Blog
Each Monday Jim and Meredith post a new entry about a relevant labor-management topic. We hope you will become a regular reader of the blog and offer your comments. Comments can be made by email from here or on the CALMC page on Facebook Entries
August 30, 2010
- Bad Customer Service Example
Blog Entry
- August 30, 2010
The result is bad customer service resulting from two companies stuck in rules designed for their convenience, not the customer. Following the rules was more important than providing good service. You may be thinking about similar experiences you’ve had as a customer. Unfortunately, they are all too real and all too common. It also raises this question: “Are their rules in your organization that keep you from serving your customers?” If we do not meet our customers’ needs, we cannot hope to build customer loyalty. They have no reason to continue to do business with us. World class customer service should be out goal. If the automatic answer has ever been “That’s against our rules”, it’s time to examine the rules and how we deal with our customers.
Blog Entry
- August 23, 2010
Last time the blog discussed the need for employees and employers to identify new and better ways of doing things to compete in today’s global markets to avoid layoffs or closure. This blog will provide some techniques groups can use to help them have productive meetings. There is some preliminary work that will help groups get off to a good start before they begin their work and can save them time later on. This preliminary work includes a mission statement to clarify purpose, ground rules that help establish behaviors for the group and boundaries that identify the discussion topics for the group of topics that waste the group’s valuable time. Another item that helps groups is an agenda that has been established by everyone, not select individuals. If the agenda is developed with everyone in the room, it’s more inclusive and everyone has the ability to contribute to it and start to have some support for the process. It can also help with accountability issues. People either volunteer to take ownership of a particular agenda item, or items, or may be assigned a particular agenda item. It’s also documentation that certain individuals have a job to do before the next meeting or will be called upon at the next meeting to respond to the agenda item. Agendas also help groups plan which can help to make meetings more effective. When agendas are made in advance, people can start to think about what needs to be discussed or bring additional information that can help the group with their work. If items need to be added to the agenda before the next meeting, everybody who will be attending the meeting needs to receive the additional agenda items so they can be prepared for them. Those who are not in attendance need to receive the agenda in advance so they, too, can plan accordingly. All of these items are good tools to have but it may also be a good idea to have a facilitator. A facilitator can be a neutral and can have the necessary tools to help groups be more productive. Facilitators can also help with the preliminary pieces mentioned above and they can always help groups establish agendas and keep meetings on task. Some groups have asked if it’s good to have a facilitator from inside the organization or better to have one from outside the organization. If a facilitator is from the inside of the organization it may be very difficult for them to be objective, especially if there is a particular agenda item of interest to the facilitator. A facilitator from the outside has a better opportunity of being more objective and better at helping a group achieve their goal since they don’t have a personal stake in the organization. Groups have also asked how long a facilitator should stay with a group. That answer depends on the group. Some groups don’t think they need a facilitator forever but some, and many of these are the most productive, think it is best to have a facilitator at every meeting because a facilitator can keep them on task and be objective to the needs and interests of everyone involved with their knowledge of tools and techniques. Our blogs in the future will continue to talk about
the role of facilitators and group productivity.
Blog Entry
- August 9, 2010 So many times we hear of layoff aversion strategies focused mostly on incumbent worker training that is specifically individualized training because employers want a skilled workforce. Workers do need to have adequate skills and it is important for workers to have the necessary training to do a job but that may not be the only solution to avoid layoffs and to save jobs. It is important, before any solution, or solutions, is identified for what appears to be a problem; we have actually identified what the SPECIFIC problems are in the workplace. In other words, focusing only on training as the solution may not be the only reason a layoff can occur. More than likely there are many other items that can be addressed to help avoid layoffs and a committee can work on those issues. Last week, we focused on committees not meeting because they had nothing to do. A number of committees, or teams, have looked at workplace issues such as workflow to improve their process and be more efficient, job descriptions and job duties, and other cost cutting measures that help instead of layoffs which have actually saved the organization money. Something teams need to do on a regular basis is to review work process. It is crucial to do that so the layoff or closure can be avoided. This is not always easy. It can take some time but that is why it is so important for teams to meet on a regular basis. The team needs the right people who are willing to spend time on workplace issues. Getting a lot of ideas is always better than focusing on one idea of one person. People bring their experiences, knowledge and perspectives to a team. Those are the strengths of a committee or team process. Areas that need to be addressed can be identified quicker by those who know and do the job before it’s too late. In addition, new ways of doing things can be identified before the competition does which can help in this difficult economic climate. The time invested reviewing work processes through a team or committee can help for long-term survival of any organization. Next week we’ll look at ways to help the team be productive and get the most work out of their meeting time.
Blog Entry
- August 2, 2010 Sometimes, we hear labor-management committees tell us things like “We don’t meet regularly because there is nothing for us to discuss”, or “We meet only when problems occur.” Committees that say these things generally have one thing in common. They are ineffective. Cooperative, problem-solving Labor-Management Committees need to meet on a regular schedule. It takes regular communications and trust to be an effective committee. The less frequently a committee meets, the lower the levels of these vital traits. Most problems of any significance cannot be solved in a single meeting. Time is needed to gather data, speak with those impacted by the problem or decision, and carefully develop and analyze solution options to avoid potential unintended consequences. The longer the time between meetings, the slower the progress will be. As a result, problems will not be solved in a timely manner. If committees do not believe there is anything for them to discuss, they are not working hard enough. In any organization there are opportunities to work proactively to improve the workplace. The more time committees can spend in this manner, the less time they should have to spend in reactive mode. Teams should regularly brainstorm a list of potential problems and projects they want to address. We are not suggesting they “create problems” to give the committee something to do. We are asking them to take on the things that are already present in their organizations with an eye toward improving the system. When committees say they meet only when problems occur, they will probably be unsuccessful in addressing these problems. They will lack the trust and communications to deal with the problem and the collective experience in working as a team. Members will be less likely to ask the committee to address problems when they do happen. This approach also forces the committee into operating strictly in reactive mode. We recognize that everyone has a full calendar, and one more meeting is not what you want. Yet a meeting of an effective team is always better than time spent with an ineffective group. A good labor-management committee adds value to an organization, and committing the time to do the process right is essential.
Blog Entry
- July 26, 2010 As you may have gathered from our past blogs, we’ve been dealing with the concept of layoff aversion. Some of our colleagues have been struggling with what they are going to have to do in order to transition to this new target. At CALMC, layoff aversion is nothing new for us. Since we were first founded, we’ve been involved in helping employers be competitive, improve their workplace, solve problems, and involve employees. We believe labor-management cooperation is the best way to accomplish this. When employees and managers work together as a team, they can do great things. Layoff aversion means helping
employers be competitive, improve their workplace, solve problems, and
involve employees to ensure they are able to maintain employment and
continue to operate. We believe labor-management cooperation is still
the best way to accomplish this. If you think an employer, yours or another, might be at risk of downsizing or closing, let us know. There is funding available to help them through the Departments of Development and Job and Family Services.
Blog Entry
- July 19, 2010
All facilitators must know the difference between content and process. This distinction is particularly important for labor-management committee facilitators, as crossing the line will destroy the facilitator’s neutrality. Content refers to the specific topic the committee is discussing. Facilitators should avoid participating in the content of the meeting, no matter how well they know the subject or how much experience they have. We were observing a meeting of a committee with which we had worked when their new facilitator uttered the statement “In my organization, this is how we do it.” By taking part in the content, the facilitator lost any perception of neutrality and destroyed their effectiveness with the committee. They were asked to not come back. If the facilitator is not perceived as neutral, they will be unable to effectively do their job, which is to be the process expert for the team. The facilitator needs to be able to help the team move forward by offering suggestions, presenting problem solving tools, asking clarifying questions, and performing the many other functions of a facilitator. This can be particularly difficult for facilitators who work in the same organization in which they facilitate. They will have knowledge and even ownership of the issues being discussed, and will have to separate themselves from the content. Even those facilitating in other organizations may be perceived as being from labor or management if they do not demonstrate neutrality. Focus on process, stay out of the content, and remain neutral. These are the most important keys for a labor-management facilitator.
Blog Entry
- July 12, 2010 During a couple of meetings last week we discussed the art of facilitating labor-management committees. I call it an art, as facilitating these groups can be much different than working with other types of committees. Part of the discussion focused on the role the facilitator should play, what I’ll refer to as active and passive facilitation. Active facilitators run the meeting based on the agenda determined by the group. They chair the meeting, suggest ideas to help the group along, and play an active role in the meeting. They do not participate in the actual content of the discussions (facilitators can never do this in labor-management committees), but use their skills as “process experts” throughout the session. Passive facilitators spend most of their time observing the meeting. Members of the committee function as the meeting chairs, while the facilitator watches the process, offering comments and process suggestions only as they feel it necessary to keep the group moving forward. Which style do we think is best? The answer is clear – it depends. We may use either style, depending on the needs of the committee. If a committee has demonstrated the ability to work together to handle problems and stay on task, passive facilitation may be all the group needs. The facilitator needs to be certain the group maintains its focus and not be hesitant to offer suggestions or ask process questions if they feel it necessary. Some groups are concerned about having an “outsider” in their meetings telling them what to do. In these situations, passive facilitation may be necessary, at least at the outset. When groups are new to the cooperative process or have difficulty using problem-solving tools, a more active style can be used. This can help the committee get off to a smoother start and provide them with a structure designed to build or enhance a cooperative process. Some facilitators prefer one style over the other. The choice, however, should be based on the needs of the committee. It can vary as the committee grows in the cooperative process or handles difficult problems. No matter which style you use, remember that a labor-management committee facilitator must remain neutral. Once neutrality is lost, so is the effectiveness of the facilitator. We will talk more about that in a future post. What are your thoughts about the role of a facilitator? Please share your ideas with us, and we can focus on them in coming weeks.
Blog Entry
- June 28, 2010 A couple of weeks ago, our membership meeting focused on joint labor-management apprenticeship programs. These programs offer benefits for employers and job seekers. Apprenticeships are defined as training in an art, trade, or craft under a legal agreement that defined the duration and conditions of the relationship between master or journey level and the apprentice. In the U.S., apprenticeship regulations became formalized after the passage of the Fitzgerald Act in 1937. Although many believe apprenticeships exist only in manufacturing or the trades, today the U.S. Department of Labor recognizes programs in over 1000 occupations. In addition to the traditional areas, they include aerospace, biotechnical, energy, health care, child care, hospitality, information technology, transportation, and other areas. In Ohio, 220 occupations use apprenticeships involving over 1000 current sponsors representing over 10,000 employers. There are over 14,000 active apprentices. Each year, 3700 new apprentices register and earn an average of $12.25 per hour during their apprenticeship. An average of 1,700 completion certificated are issued each year, with recipients earning $22.60 per hour. While the completion rate of 83% is impressive, so is the continuity of employment for apprentices, with 90% still employed in the occupation 1 year after program completion. Besides teaching the technical skills required by the job, many apprenticeship programs include classroom work that results in meeting most of all of the requirements for an Associate’s Degree upon completing of the program. Apprentices who complete the program also benefit by receiving a nationally recognized portable credential, sustainable wages and benefits, and increased marketable skill sets and job security. Joint apprenticeship programs permit unions and employers to create programs that ensure those completing them have the skills and work ethic required to be good, productive employees. In Ohio, 53% of construction apprenticeship programs are jointly run, producing 82% of all successful apprentices. Apprenticeship programs provide participants an opportunity to learn a trade while earning a decent wage, complete a college degree at little or no expense, and secure sustainable employment. Employers who utilize apprenticeship programs benefit from greater employee productivity, improved quality, greater employee retention, enhanced recruitment, and a systematic approach to skill upgrades through the program. Even in difficult times, apprenticeship programs are an excellent choice for people seeking their first jobs or those changing careers. Thanks to Andrew Maciejeweski, Executive Administrator of the Ohio State Apprenticeship Council for the information in this entry.
Blog Entry
- June 21, 2010 A couple of weeks ago, we wrote about a labor-management committee that is working on layoff aversion. Although this term is showing up more frequently in discussions and the press, not everyone is sure what layoff aversion entails. In June 2010, the U.S. Department of Labor provided a definition of layoff aversion. Jane Oates, Assistant Secretary of Labor, wrote that a layoff is averted when: “A workers job is saved with an existing employer that is at risk of downsizing or closing; or “A worker at risk of dislocation transitions to a different job within the same employer or a new job with a different employer and experiences no or a minimal spell of unemployment.” Layoff aversion benefits employees by enabling them to continue their jobs or similar jobs while maintaining financial stability for themselves and their families. Employers benefit by avoiding both the tangible and intangible costs of downsizing. Taxpayers benefit from not having to provide unemployment compensation, while food banks and other resources for financially strained families are maintained. The overall economy is helped by avoiding home foreclosures and loss of tax revenue. Joint labor-management initiatives are one of the best ways to develop layoff aversion strategies, but organizations need to begin planning before a crisis hits. There are resources available to assist with aversion efforts, but if organizations wait too long, their ability to implement an effective program will be limited. If you are interested in learning more about layoff aversion or would like a copy of the Department of Labor memo that defines layoff aversion and outlines some strategies, contact CALMC.
Blog Entry
- June 14, 2010 Last week, we wrote about the readiness of labor-management committees to do problem solving. Whether your committee is a cooperative problem-solving committee or one which only meets to share information, it is important that all members of the committee know and agree with its purpose. Our vision of labor-management committees is one where members jointly identify and resolve issues that are related to proactively improving the work system. Not all committees are ready to accomplish this. Sometimes organizational culture, past history, individual behaviors, or even convenience and comfort prevent higher levels of cooperation. What is essential for all committees is they determine where they want to set the bar for their function. Whether it is to have a committee that meets to exchange information and ask questions, or one that functions at a different level, it is important that the group members agree on how they want to operate. Without this agreement, members will become frustrated and the committee will become non-functional. Remember, once the bar is set, it is important for the committee to periodically review the decision and decide if they are ready to move farther. Even small, initial steps toward cooperation can build a readiness for more as time goes on. One thing is certain, if the committee sets the bar low and fails to reconsider their decision later, it will never advance from its original level.
This week in the office we had a discussion about labor-management committees and their level of readiness and ability to do problem solving. Not all committees or teams are at the same level in ability or readiness to resolve problems jointly. After they have gone through committee effectiveness training, some committees or teams are determined to demonstrate the characteristics outlined in the previous blogs of cooperative labor-management committees. They are eager to identify specific problems they want to work on and utilize problem-solving tools they learned in training. They also recognize they may need some help until they’re able to work on their own, trust levels improve for each side, and they continue to build their relationship. The very best committees are those where members of both labor and management have said they want to be a problem-solving committee. It may be their relationship had been so bad before neither side was happy with it and decided it was time to change, or both sides may decide they are ready to go to the next level. It doesn’t mean they won’t make mistakes as they continue to develop their abilities and relationship - they will. The members work through the mistakes in a different way than they did in the past. That is a real test of the commitment. But some groups may not be at the level of readiness to work together to solve problems or have a relationship with the other side to be able to work through problems jointly. The relationship improvement this group wants is simply to learn to respect and trust each other so they can communicate freely about their thoughts and ideas. These groups usually rely on traditional methods of decision making. Decision making is typically done by one of the parties, usually management. Only information needed is shared by each side about particular issues. A joint, structured problem solving process is not something this group prefers. They may want to work together only on a single problem or a few problems with easy resolution. This does not mean these groups are wrong in their approach. This is about their level of ability based on leadership, the job they do, or the organizational environment. For example, people doing a job that constantly requires quick reaction or quick decision making skills may not be able to easily adapt to a deliberate problem-solving process that takes time and careful decision making. It also does not mean they will always want to maintain this status. There may come a time they will want to be strong problem-solving committees, or, unfortunately, they could go backward and the relationship deteriorate. Both types of committees represent the spectrum of labor-management relations. One end can be the result of a very bad relationship and the other end can be the very best, but there’s all different kind of relations in between. It’s the committee or team that determines where they want to be in the spectrum.
Last week, we had the opportunity to work with a newly formed labor-management committee. This group came together to deal with the impact of technology on their jobs. The fear was that the new procedures would result in the elimination of their positions. The committee is an example of one of the possible targets of an effective labor-management committee –layoff aversion. This team will look at the overall work process in their organization to find ways to improve efficiency and quality. They recognize their jobs are changing, and will work to identify ways in which their skills can best be utilized. The people who do a job know more about it than anyone else. They know what they do, the problems, they encounter, and how the work system could be improved. Labor-management teams can take advantage of this knowledge to improve efficiency and enable the organization to grow and be more productive. Hopefully, this committee will be able to save jobs and improve the organization, a true win-win. If the way they came together during the training is an indication, they will be successful.
Blog Entry
- May 17, 2010
This week, I want to continue the list of characteristics of an cooperative labor-management committee. See how you committee compares to the items on these lists.
These are some the things we thing characterize an effective labor-management committee. What other characteristics can you think of?
Blog Entry
- May 10, 2010 Labor-management committees are not a new concept. While they were innovative at one time, today they often represent a continuation of adversarial labor-management relationships. Rather than solving labor-management problems, they often make them worse. Cooperative, collaborative committees represent a new way of doing business for many organizations. They require the commitment from both labor and management to jointly identify and resolve the problems they both face. This week, we want to begin to identify some of the characteristics of cooperative labor-management committees.
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Cooperative committees are based on team-based
paradigms
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Cooperative committees use a non-adversarial process
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Members shift to new cooperative roles
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Labor and management act together proactively
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There is an atmosphere of trust
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The team meets frequently on a regular schedule Next week, we will take a look at more characteristics of effective, cooperative labor-management committees.
Blog Entry - May 3, 2010 Labor-management committees have been around for a long time. They represent an opportunity for the parties to come together to resolve issues within their organizations. Unfortunately, this opportunity is often lost. In many organizations, the LMC devolves into mini-negotiations. The parties sit on opposite sides of the table and hurl accusations and demands at each other, and behave as they might during contract bargaining. Little or nothing gets accomplished, members get frustrated, and often meetings are infrequent or cease to occur at all. Our goal with LMC’s is to build cooperative problem-solving teams that work together to identify and resolve the issues both parties face. Meetings become productive, and members feel they are working together for the good of the organization. By operating in a cooperative manner, committees have an opportunity to address real workplace issues that can help increase productivity and efficiency, head off problems before they grow, and provide opportunities for increased employment. Making the transformation from traditional to cooperative is not easy. It requires real effort and the use of a different skill set. Most of all, it requires commitment. In the committees with which we work, the single most important factor in determining whether or not the committee can function cooperatively is the commitment of each of the members. When members commit to working cooperatively, they can make the transition. Without commitment, it is too easy to slide back into the traditional behaviors that stymied the committee. Talking about being committed is not enough. Members need to demonstrate their commitment to a cooperative process through their actions. Only by “walking the talk” both in and outside of committee meetings can the necessary trust levels be built. Establishing a cooperative committee requires the support of the leadership of both management and labor. Whether or not the top leaders are on the actual committee, they must demonstrate their support for the committee as it makes the transition. They must be kept informed about the committee and what it is doing and provide their input. When the committee makes a decision or recommendation, they need to be prepared to support it. Effective committees must have a common vision and mission shared by all members. Members must have a desire to identify and solve problems in a proactive manner using effective data-driven tools in an established problem-solving process. Most of all, to begin the transition, members just have to decide to do it. Some of our most effective committees began the process out of frustration over their own meetings. They realized there had to be a better way of operating. In coming weeks, we’ll look at some
other aspects of cooperative labor-management committees.
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- April 26, 2010 Welcome to the Columbus Area Labor-Management Committee Blog! Each Monday, we will post a new entry on a topic related to labor-management committees, employee involvement, facilitation skills, layoff aversion, or related areas. Our blog entries can be read here on our website, or on the discussions tab on the CALMC page on Facebook. We are also considering starting a bulletin board. Through this blog, we hope to provide continuing support to the groups with which we have worked and others interested in the things we are. We hope it will generate discussion about the things we present. We want to hear from you about our postings. If you go to the Discussions tab on our Facebook page, you can add your comments to our entries. We look forward to hearing your thoughts, ideas, and questions, and hope we can use this to build a dialog. While you’re there, we invite you to join us on the page. We hope you will make this blog a regular part of your week and will take the time to give us your comments. We’ll keep our posts short and do our best to keep them relevant to you. You can help us with that by suggesting topics for us. Thanks for joining us and being part of our first blog entry. See you next week. Jim and Meredith
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