How to Motivate Shop Floor Supervisors

[SteelMaiden]

It sounds as though these supervisors (maybe due to the fact that they've been around "forever"?) have learned that the expectations the company has of them is that they sit in thier office, manage from their office, and do not interface with their teams. To change this, your company is going to have to define expectations of this group, then they need to share those expectations with this group. After that, there is going to have to ba a lot of follow-up. First those supervisors are going to have to look at what is expected of them, come up with a concrete plan on how each one of them can meet the expectations and follow through with the plan with scheduled follow-up sessions with their manager. If they don't follow up as planned, there has to be some sort of consequence. Loss of supervisory role? Loss of job? Suspension?

The simple fact is that they are doing exactly what your company has set for expectations, and your really cannot blame them for living up to that expectation, can you? You know it is true, because if management really expected more, they'd be giving it.

And, I am sorry, but to those who take the stance of "fire them all" or "fire half of them", what are you accomplishing other than management by fear? And you'd still have the same cultural expectations and be right back where you are now within 18 months.

It won't be easy, and it will be especially difficult for the managers of this group. It sounds like they have their own problems with being wishywashy leaders.

 

[Kales Veggie]

You have to get management (= plant manager and his staff) out of the office and get them participating in the manufacturing floor problems.

Suggestions:

- MBWA (management by walking around)
- LPA (layered process audits)
- Walk abouts (each department has a "status board" that is reviewed daily by management team by walking from department to department)

If they can do the work in the office and computer -> you have too many supervisors.

The supervisors work should by 90% on the shop floor.

Your problem is common and not hard to solve, IF management wants to.

 

[ScottK]

what do their job descriptions say?

 

[palmer]

This is not a union shop.

I have found an interesting tidbit upon further investigation.....

All of the supervisors were promoted from within. They used to operate the equipment theirselves.

Some of the machines requires the operator to be active the entire shift. 3 of the supervisors are from these machines and tend to be on the floor most of the time.

Some of the machines requires the operator to get it set and then sit and watch the machine run watching for miss strokes. In the past, these runs could take an entire shift so the operator sat at the machine the entire shift. 4 of the supervisors are from those machines and are the ones who virtually never come out of the office.

It appears this is an instilled habit from years of repetition. One of the supervisors from the "busy" machines has been working a supervisor from the "sit and watch" machine and showing tendencies to sit in the office more and more.

Cutting back on the number of supervisors could be counterproductive because of their experience and knowledge. We are at 2 shifts currently and if we get busier (which will happen as orders increase during warm weather) we will go to 3 shifts again and probably a 6 day week.

They will spend time on the machines if an inexperienced operator is having difficulty running product that is very tricky to run. This is an exception, not the rule but if we don't have an experienced person to work with the newbies we get way way way behind.

Kind of a catch 22. Darned if you do and darned if you don't.



Terminating one sends a firm message but would it be the wrong one? Would the rank and file hunker down and toss pot shots from all directions to make life miserable for management?

Isn't it the responsibility of management and Continuous Improvement to find ways to motivate and inspire and utilize the employees? These aren't bad employees. They are employees with bad habits intilled from years and years of exposure. A product of their environment like most troubled children and teens whose environment teaches them incorrectly and need to be changed to break the habit?????????

 

[John Broomfield]

Palmer,

Your system caused this problem. Any one of us would be demotivated by a job that adds little or no value.

I recommend a book called Drive by Daniel Pink, it explains from research that motivation comes from within.

Too many of us think we can motivate others. All we can do is change the system so it enables the employees to motivate themselves.

Unless, of course, we are talking about motivation by fear.

John

 

[palmer]

Also...................................:mg:

We cut back on management and office personnel where we can barely keep things running without routine items slipping through the cracks. Management of the facility is down by 3 due to cutbacks and it doesn't look like they will be added this year.

The Plant Manager is overwhelmed with work. He puts in 10-12 hour days and a few hours on Saturday.

I try to help but I am on the same level as the supervisors on the organizational chart. I am responsible for safety as well. All training and keeping records and dealing with those issues.

The Plant Manager said that I am the 2nd busiest person here behind him but if I get behind it could cost us in injuries, audits, and OSHA visits.

Keeping charts, tracking production, posting these daily is virtually impossible. Putting this in the hands of the supervisors would require training of which we are lacking people to do this training.

It's a conundrum.

But there are several suggestions that you have shared that would work or be helpful.

Stiljoor is right. A root cause analysis helps and I think I found the root cause which I stated a couple of posts ago. The issue is how to change the habit, instilled behavior, status quo, etc.......

And to do this so if is gradual and not a system shock.......


Ideas and opinions? (besides previously stated on the thread)

 

[palmer]

what do their job descriptions say?

I can't answer that. My position was a new one 2.5 years ago and had a vague description. I personnally doubt there is one or if there is it is very vague.

Corporate kind of leaves us as our own entity. As long as we satisfy their demands they don't care how we do it as long as it is ethical and safe.

Building and forming a different way than the status quo while dragging all kicking and screaming to the new and better is what is needed.

 

[somashekar]

This is not a union shop.

I have found an interesting tidbit upon further investigation.....

All of the supervisors were promoted from within. They used to operate the equipment theirselves.

Some of the machines requires the operator to be active the entire shift. 3 of the supervisors are from these machines and tend to be on the floor most of the time.

Some of the machines requires the operator to get it set and then sit and watch the machine run watching for miss strokes. In the past, these runs could take an entire shift so the operator sat at the machine the entire shift. 4 of the supervisors are from those machines and are the ones who virtually never come out of the office.

It appears this is an instilled habit from years of repetition. One of the supervisors from the "busy" machines has been working a supervisor from the "sit and watch" machine and showing tendencies to sit in the office more and more.

Cutting back on the number of supervisors could be counterproductive because of their experience and knowledge. We are at 2 shifts currently and if we get busier (which will happen as orders increase during warm weather) we will go to 3 shifts again and probably a 6 day week.

They will spend time on the machines if an inexperienced operator is having difficulty running product that is very tricky to run. This is an exception, not the rule but if we don't have an experienced person to work with the newbies we get way way way behind.

Kind of a catch 22. Darned if you do and darned if you don't.



Terminating one sends a firm message but would it be the wrong one? Would the rank and file hunker down and toss pot shots from all directions to make life miserable for management?

Isn't it the responsibility of management and Continuous Improvement to find ways to motivate and inspire and utilize the employees? These aren't bad employees. They are employees with bad habits intilled from years and years of exposure. A product of their environment like most troubled children and teens whose environment teaches them incorrectly and need to be changed to break the habit?????????

I guess this is a global situation and as I can see it, it is sort of getting into 'comfort zones' being in the same function year after year and promotions up the ladder is not matched with imparting additional skills / learning to make the person more versatile. It is perhaps the HR policies or lack of the HR policies and the lack of top management focus on developing HR.
One way to beat this is to have a uniform job rotation policy and to have this effetively done imparting additional skills and knowledge is vital. Transfer with promotion is one of the good step that is taken to avoid this rusting of HR. While this is possible in big multi site organizations or in government establishments, the single site establishments can adopt the job rotation policy. This gives a chance to do different work and exposes people to meet people outside of the company.

 

[ScottK]

Clearly something needs to be shaken up.

Who is the direct boss of these supervisors? Is it the plant manager? Or is there another level of manager in between?

Going outside the box here....
make a health improvement initiative and issue pedometers to everyone with a goal of X steps per day with some sort of reward if everyone meets the goal. Keep a chart on the wall for everyone to plot their progess publicly.

Or - like Carol said. Get rid of the office. Put standup computer workstations on the floor.

 

[Stijloor]

I can't answer that. My position was a new one 2.5 years ago and had a vague description. I personally doubt there is one or if there is it is very vague.

Corporate kind of leaves us as our own entity. As long as we satisfy their demands they don't care how we do it as long as it is ethical and safe.

Building and forming a different way than the status quo while dragging all kicking and screaming to the new and better is what is needed.

BTW, make sure your resumé is up to date.
Challenging the status quo goes rarely unpunished. :mg:
One of the reasons I started my own business 23 year ago...

Stijloor.