Productivity Planner

Companies the world over are asking “What is lean manufacturing doing for 5S implementation in the office?” Understandably, they usually look to the production or hospital floor for applying methods such as 5S, but maybe a big part of the underlying problem is that you need 5S implementation in the office!

For many businesses, the front office consumes as much as 50% of the total budget, yet it is very often overlooked and is a sort of blind spot for management. So much of the focus is on the shop floor, yet many of the underlying causes for production waste is in the office.

The silent killers

A 5S implementation in the office will quickly reveal many areas of waste. Some of these silent killers are:

• People waste

• Process waste

• Information waste

• Asset waste

• Surface waste

So many programs, so little to show

A common experience in companies that are trying their best to implement lean manufacturing is that they have experts all over the building, people flying in and out, charts and posters in all the right places, program after program running, but where’s the beef? What is there to show for all this effort? You don’ t want your people to be wondering, after six months, what is lean manufacturing?

Just as the decision to implement lean manufacturing begins and ends with top management, so does the process. If the front office is disorganized and an endless pursuit of playing catch up with all the ongoing details of daily activities, it is only natural that the operation of the business will be lacking.

Suppose that you have 5s, Six Sigma, and Value Stream Mapping, all running at the same time. You have specialists, Black belts, and responsible employees engaged in monitoring an [Read more →]

Tags: , , Leadership, Inspiration, Management, Organizational Culture by Chris Russell
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The lunch hour seems to have disappeared in the modern office world. People rush from one meeting to the next and spend every spare minute trawling their in-boxes. Coffee or cigarette breaks are more common than the lunch break which is often spent wolfing down a quick meal at the desk. A study by KFC Corp found that 60% of workers in corporate America consider the lunch hour to be “biggest myth of office life”.

But the demise of the lunch break is having an adverse effect on the office workers of today. Employers should take note of the benefits that a break can provide in terms of productivity and employee happiness.

Here are 6 options for the lunch break that could benefit you and the company.

1. Give your brain a break. Concentrating hard on work tasks all the time makes it difficult for the brain to rest. In a resting state, or doing something different, the brain can often come up with the answers that are sought. If somewhere is available, take a nap. A study with NASA pilots showed that a 26 minute nap improved mental performance by 34%. A 45 minute nap boosted performance for up to 6 hours later.

2. Give your body a break from the computer. Office workers suffer from posture issues, eye strain and Repetitive Strain Injury (RSI). Workplaces may encourage stretching and mini-breaks but these are often forgotten in the rush of trying to get everything done. Get out of the chair and go for a walk. Give your mouse hand a rest, change posture and stretch in the lunch break. The majority of offices are also air conditioned which dries the air and recycles fumes, spores and other people’s germs. Dehydration and inactivity can cause headaches. A walk in the fresh air and drinking more water can help combat these issues.

3. Get some sunlight. Sunlight improves mood and lifts happiness. People spend so much time under fluo [Read more →]

Tags: , , Leadership, Inspiration, Management, Organizational Culture by Chris Russell
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For many people meetings are the bane of their workday. They dread them, have no interest in the subject, can’t figure out why they have to be there, don’t know why the meeting is being called, and think meetings are generally a waste of time.

For these and other reasons people who dislike meetings, often arrive late, bring other work or the newspaper with them, sigh deeply during key discussion points, speak sarcastically, or exhibit other disruptive and dismissive behaviors that hamper the effectiveness of the meeting.

Here are 7 things you can do instead of holding a meeting or to reduce the number of meetings you do hold.

1. Assign the decision, project or recommendation to a small group who may be able to work faster and more effectively without a big group. Too many meetings get bogged down by your local contrarian, negativist, or other meeting killers.

2. Hold a conference call or use Go To Meeting or other conference services.

3. Send out a memo or email with a request for input on the subject and a deadline. Follow-up with the results.

4. Assign someone to do white paper that is distributed to everyone.

5. If you know the decision has already been made, don’t call a meeting to get phony input or pretend to discuss it. Just announce the decision and offer to work with people who will be adversely affected or need more information.

6. Have each person email or post the report or check-in they would have reported in the weekly meeting. Encourage people to discuss what is important to them with the appropriate person.

7. Announce a new procedure, process or change by going around and speaking to as many people as possible in person. Get their feedback, ideas and input. Using that information make adjustments that were suggested. Follow up with an email or memo to ensure that everyone has [Read more →]

Tags: , , Leadership, Inspiration, Management, Organizational Culture by Chris Russell
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