Liberate the workforce
For a manufacturing company, OSRAM SYLVANIA is on the cutting edge of workplace
flexibility. Although shift work and other circumstances don't always lend
themselves to an anything-goes policy, the company has made real strides
in providing flexible work options at all levels of the organization. This
mentality does not stem from altruism, however; "it's a pragmatic
response to the issue of securing talent and figuring out how to deploy
talent in ways that work," Geoff Hunt, OSRAM SYLVANIA's vice president
of HR says.
"One of the reasons we deliver first-class HR to employees
is that by minimizing diversions, we help them focus on their main
responsibilities. When we talk about productivity, we talk about
freeing up people's time so that they can focus on productive activities."
Beth Spieler's and Julie Thibodeau's - who co-manage of OSRAM
SYLVANIA's corporate HR Service Center through a job share - situation
is a perfect example of
the company's
commitment to this concept. When asked to put together
a policy on flexible work arrangements, Thibodeau immediately turned
to Spieler, one of the company's first telecommuters, for help.
During the course of their analysis, it occurred to them that they
would be ideal candidates for a job share. Both wanted to balance
their time between their children and continued professional advancement.
Because their skills were complementary, they believed job sharing
would fulfill their personal and professional needs without jeopardizing
OSRAM SYLVANIA's objectives.
Hunt says their job share proposal forced him to do some hard
thinking about flexible work options. The jobs were highly visible,
with hundreds of people around the company relying on easy access
to and consistent availability of both managers. "It's easier
to visualize job sharing with two design engineers, where they
can more easily exchange concepts and ideas or parcel out parts
of a project," Hunt explains.
In the end, the proposal was approved, and the arrangement has
been a successful partnership. It also serves as an example for
the rest of the organization-flexible work arrangements are now
being implemented even at the plant level, a former bastion of
rigid scheduling.
Introduction of flexible work arrangements in the company's manufacturing
facilities hasn't always been easy. "They had pushback from
employees who felt it couldn't be done anywhere other than corporate," Watson
Wyatt consultant Lynn Kirby says. "But Julie and Beth don't
agree with that. And while flextime may be tougher in plants because
there are production lines that need to be manned during specific
hours, the company has found it to be possible if the onus for
meeting business needs is put on the employees involved. They've
set a very good precedent."
In OSRAM SYLVANIA's Central Pennsylvania facility, hourly employees
are now in charge of their work arrangements. Employees have the
freedom to take four hours off to attend a child's dance recital
or to take an elderly parent to a medical appointment, as long
as they partner with someone on another shift for coverage.
"The key to smooth, flexible work arrangements is that they
are designed to support the business needs," says Kirby. "At
OSRAM SYLVANIA, employees seeking flexible work options are required
to submit detailed proposals explaining exactly how they are going
to complete their work on a reduced or altered schedule."
If they can't show how the work will be accomplished, the arrangement
is rejected. One of the collateral benefits to the proposal exercise,
Thibodeau says, is that it "really makes people think about
how work is done."
Serve yourself
At the same time that OSRAM SYLVANIA is giving employees power
over their work schedules; it is also giving them control of
their HR transactions. From job requisitions to benefits management,
employees handle their HR transactions through the company's
HR portal and other electronic systems.
The payoff from OSRAM SYLVANIA's investment in eHR was evident
last year when the company acquired Motorola Lighting, Inc. One
purpose of the acquisition was to secure the skills and knowledge
of a group of Motorola Lighting's engineers-employees who could
potentially be troubled by the acquisition. OSRAM SYLVANIA undertook
a massive communications campaign to showcase the benefits of working
for the company and to ensure that these key employees understood
how much they were valued.
One of the most popular themes stressed in the communications campaign,
according to Kirby, was OSRAM SYLVANIA's self-service philosophy
and capabilities. "When the company brought PCs into a Motorola
conference room to allow online benefits enrollment, the employees
were thrilled," she says.
Spieler agrees. "They had a kiosk in their facility that
was never turned on—literally never plugged in," she
says. "These employees were excited to see the investment
in technology OSRAM SYLVANIA has made." In the end, nearly
all of the employees stayed with the company-the primary goal of
HR.
The benefits of going paperless have extended beyond employee
satisfaction—International Data Corporation estimates that
the company's HR portal will save $1.5 million over three years,
bringing a 251 percent return on investment.
Lead from within
Final proof of OSRAM SYLVANIA's highly evolved HR mindset is its
commitment to leadership development through Lead for Results,
a company-wide initiative that provides training for new managers
and supervisors. Its objective is to make recently promoted or
hired managers comfortable in their new roles, and to provide
them with tools to make them immediately effective.
Other evidence includes the Manufacturing Management Institute
(developed in conjunction with Cornell University to develop the
skills of individuals identified as high-potential for plant management
positions) and an executive development program associated with
Babson College that focuses on individuals likely to advance into
an executive role.
In addition, OSRAM SYLVANIA has an overall leadership development
program that covers topics such as conflict resolution and strategies
for giving recognition. The initiative uses instructors culled
from the company's rolls, instead of external instructors or consultants. "We
believe one of the benefits of this program is the exposure to
leaders within OSRAM SYLVANIA. In effect, we have our leaders teaching
others to be leaders, resulting in a transfer of knowledge and
skills," says Alan Barlow, director of HR.
The leadership programs are designed to create consistency in
expectations across the different business units. "We want
to establish a set of leadership qualities that are consistent
from one unit to the next so that people can move easily from one
part of the company to another or from one position to another," Barlow
explains.
Ultimately, however, leadership is learned on a day-to-day basis. "It's
not the do-or-die situations that teach you leadership, it's the
simpler things," Barlow says. " It's learning how to
convey a sense of leadership to your employees during the normal
course of work."
Through honest communication about the company and its goals,
a commitment to hiring the best talent available, workplace flexibility
and a focus on the development of employees, OSRAM SYLVANIA has
grown its HR organization with the times.
In fact, Spieler and Thibodeau recently received the prestigious
OSRAM Star Award—the company's highest employee recognition
honor for outstanding performance. Two of twelve recipients worldwide—and
the first from HR—they were selected based on their accomplishments
regarding the Motorola acquisition, as well as their successful
job share arrangement.
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