TQM3.Employees

There are four important objectives that a manager should pursue to maximize the contribution that his employees can make to the success of the company.

1.They have a positive attitude to work
2.They understand and observe the work standards and rules
3.They improve their technical skills
4.They find ways of improving the efficiency of the production process
and the quality of finished products.

The attitude of employees can have a major impact on the success of the company. The manager should be alert to indications of a negative attitude. Attendance and punctuality are two key indicators. A manager must find out the reasons for low worker morale, and find ways to foster a more positive attitude. A dynamic workplace where morale is high will also be a workplace where productivity and quality will be high.

If the production process is to run efficiently and deliver goods of consistent quality mangers must

- encourage employees to have a good sense of responsibility
- ensure that they understand the work standards and rules, and how important it is to observe them
- ensure that they actually follow the standards and observe the rules

Manufacturing technology is continually advancing. This requires ever-higher skills levels of employees. The best way for a company to achieve this is by encouraging its employees to raise their skills levels. This it can do by:
- encouraging employees to take part in the company’s educational and training courses
- creating an atmosphere where employees look for ways of improving their work
- supporting employees in developing their skills by setting up a qualifications system and standardizing levels of skills
- encouraging the exchange of information and ideas between departments

QC circle activities and similar group activities can be very effective in bringing improvements to production. A QC circle is conducted independently by its members to
- Develop their own original ideas for improving work procedures and operations
- Work towards both self-development and group development
- Create a dynamic work environment that encourages employees to make greater efforts.

Suggestion schemes can do a lot to encourage employees to seek out ways of improving product quality. A system should be set up to receive suggestions, those that are adopted should be implemented quickly and their proposers praised when the results prove good. The new procedures should then be standardized. Once employees are aware of the contribution they can make to product quality, they will be motivated to look for ways of improving their work processes.