YANKEE PUBLISHING, INC. -- EMPLOYEE IDEAS PROGRAM --

Transcription

1 YANKEE PUBLISHING, INC. -- EMPLOYEE IDEAS PROGRAM -- Executive Summary I. RATIONALE FOR THE EMPLOYEE IDEAS PROGRAM Most organizations do a reasonably good job of communicating policies and procedures downward from senior management to supervisors and employees. Departmental staff meetings, employee newsletters and intranets, and and print memos to employees are the most common media of choice. Annual company and holiday meetings provide additional channels for getting the message out. In the broad scheme of things, these efforts are admirable and effective... up to a point. Channels for two-way communication -- from company to employee and from employee back to management -- are less common and often left to chance. For YPI, the good news is this: over the past four or five years, we have made a conscious and consistent effort to open up the company by engaging employees in company events, group activities, forums, and committees in order to improve decision-making and communications. One consequence of that opening up process was a recommendation that came from our MVV task force. The group suggested that we create a mechanism for better two-way communications, especially for better upward communication from employees to management. Improved two-way communications benefits everyone. For management, it means a source of new ideas, an increase in company esprit de corps, and an improved awareness of what employees really think. For employees, improving upward communications means an opportunity to have an impact on the company, to feel valued and recognized, to experience the pride that comes from making a difference in helping a great company become an even greater one. Within this context and to achieve those ends, we are proposing the development of an Employee Ideas Program to give employees a communications channel through which they can contribute ideas, feedback, and suggestions that resolve company problems, improve our operations and procedures, and make YPI a better place to work. By soliciting input from employees, the program recognizes the true nature of the relationship we have with employees. We are partners. Pooled together, our individual and company assets enable us to create and maintain great brands, great products, and lasting relationships with our customers and other stakeholders. This program is clearly a win-win for management and employees. In addition, shareholders also benefit from this relationship with a more efficient, effective, and progressive organization. Customers, too, come out winners: they enjoy better products and are served more effectively by a staff that feels truly supportive, committed, and involved in YPI s Mission, Vision, and Values. In summary, the Employee Ideas Program provides a way to increase employee productivity and morale, as well as improve management decision-making, human resource management, and overall company communications.

2 II. CRITERIA FOR A SUCCESSFUL EMPLOYEE IDEAS PROGRAM What does it take to develop a successful Employee Ideas Program? As we thought about the program s objectives and structure, the following criteria seemed most important overall The program must be strategically sound. As with all new HR initiatives, the program must support and advance the strategic efforts of the company. In our Mission, Vision, and Values statement we express our desire to work as a team, to care about each other, to listen carefully and respond honestly, and to enrich the lives of employees, as well as customers and shareholders. The Employee Ideas Program can make a significant contribution towards achieving all of those objectives. As noted previously, having a motivated, engaged workforce and excellent two-way communications serves the short and long-term health of our company and the success of our two major brands. 2. The process for contributing ideas and feedback should be simple to understand and implement. We want employees to feel encouraged to provide ideas and feedback. The fewer roadblocks in the process, the better. Accordingly, the Employee Ideas Program will have a simple one-page form employees can use to provide feedback and ideas, as well as a minimum of procedural rules. 3. Employees who develop useful ideas and feedback should be recognized and rewarded. Employees who go the extra mile to help make YPI a better company and a better place to work deserve to be recognized and rewarded. The program offers various types of recognition and rewards so that employees feel their ideas are appreciated and valued. 4. The program should encourage as many employees as possible to generate meaningful ideas. Positive role-modeling is an excellent motivator for most employees. By publicly acknowledging the contributions of Employee Partner participants, we will be encouraging other employees to participate. 5. The program should focus on generating positive ideas and input from employees. Being aware and understanding employee issues and concerns is one of the fundamental responsibilities of management; however, the Employee Ideas Program should not be viewed as a conduit for employee gripes and complaints. Instead, it should be considered a channel for employees to communicate positive solutions and ideas that improve the status quo and move the company forward. 6. Recognition and awards should be made in a timely and consistent manner. To help maintain top-of-mind awareness of the Employee Ideas Program, it is important that communications and rewards be made frequently enough to serve as an effective reinforcement method for the program. Secondly, the schedule and criteria for communications and rewards must be consistent so that employees know what the ground rules are and feel confident that their ideas are being considered fairly and objectively. 7. The program must be cost effective. By setting reasonable minimum and maximum rewards, we can feel confident that the program will produce the desired outcomes within the budget allocated for the program. 8. The program must be well managed and maintain reasonable policies and procedures. To achieve its objectives, the program must be well-designed with procedures and Page 2

3 policies that make sense for our company and our employees. On-going management of the program is important to ensure that it is operating smoothly, creating interest among employees, and achieving its objectives. Additionally, the design of the program must recognize the potential tax implications of various types of awards, as well as the potential contractual obligations that might result if program policies are not carefully formulated and communicated. III. PROGRAM OBJECTIVES We have established five main objectives for the program. The Employee Ideas Program will Improve and encourage the flow of two-way communications between employees and the company. 2. Develop useful ideas and feedback that improve company operations and the employee work environment. 3. Enhance employee morale and create enthusiasm and support for YPI s goals and its Mission, Vision, and Values. 4. Encourage employees to think creatively and proactively about company issues, problems, and opportunities. 5. Recognize the company-employee relationship that exists as we work together to serve customers and achieve company goals. IV. A DESCRIPTION OF THE EMPLOYEE IDEAS PROGRAM General Overview With the above objectives as our guide, the actual implementation of the program is fairly straightforward. As with any new program, we also need to be flexible and open-minded about making modifications in the future if the need arises. Here is a brief outline of the steps in the program as it is currently envisioned Employees will submit ideas and feedback that they believe will improve our operations or work environment. We will create a brief form for this purpose. 2. Employees will first send their ideas and feedback to the Human Resources Department, which will cull any obviously ineligible submissions and organize submissions for further review. 3. There will then be a two-stage review process. The initial review will be made by a three to five-member group comprised of senior managers and employees. The main purpose of this initial review group is to determine which ideas to present to the Senior Management Team. The composition of this group is important to its success. We need senior management presence to provide a broad, corporate overview of what is financially and operationally realistic. The inclusion of one or more nonmanagement members will help provide a fresh perspective on employee ideas, as Page 3

4 well as give reassurance to employees that their feedback is getting an open and fair hearing. The initial review group will respond to employee ideas in one of three ways: 1) Accept the employee idea as is and forward it to the Senior Management Team, 2) Request additional documentation or elaboration from the employee, or 3) Reject the idea and inform the employee of the reasons for the group s decision. 4. Following the initial review, the Senior Management Team will evaluate employee ideas and choose the one(s) they believe will most benefit the company and should be considered for implementation. During its deliberations, the SMT also has the option of requesting more information from the employee as necessary. 5. Employees whose ideas are selected will be notified and receive an award as determined by the SMT. 6. As appropriate, the company will plan and schedule next steps for the implementation of accepted ideas. Program Miscellany During the initial launch of the program, employees will receive an information packet with a brochure that describes the purpose of the Employee Ideas Program, why it was developed, and how they can participate. They will receive a supply of forms to submit ideas and give feedback. Although the final design has yet to be determined, the form will ask for some basic information such the employee s name and department, as well as a description of their idea, how they would implement it, and what aspect of company operations or work life they believe their idea will improve. The form will also be available for download from the company intranet. We are looking for viable ideas and helpful feedback, not just off the cuff suggestions or criticisms. The program is meant to encourage employees to think creatively about real solutions to company issues and problems, and to generate ideas for new business opportunities and improvements to our work environment. Even though a steady flow of ideas is encouraged and is more likely to result in one that can be implemented, our primary focus is on quality, not quantity. Although many ideas might require little or no documentation or elaboration, others will. Depending on the idea, employees might need to do a modest amount of research or provide other documentation that will help the company assess the viability of their ideas. This will most likely occur with product-related initiatives or cost-savings measures. As noted earlier, if an employee submits an idea that requires additional information or elaboration, the initial review group can make that request before making a final decision. Page 4

5 We will provide employees with a quarterly update of the ideas and feedback that have been submitted and which ones have been selected for implementation. Employees can submit ideas any time throughout the year. There are no specific deadlines. We will accept anonymous submissions; for obvious reasons, no rewards will be made under those circumstances. There are no restrictions on what issues or areas of the company an employee can address as part of his/her feedback or idea. However, some of the more typical ideas might focus on -- o More efficient ways to do a job or reduce costs. o Improvements in product quality, vendor relationships, or customer service. o Better ways to create/produce our products and services. o Ways to reduce waste. o More efficient ways to use office space or other company assets. o New sources for obtaining materials and supplies. o Ideas for improving employee work life and our work environment. o Better ways to safeguard company and employee property. o Ideas for improving company and employee communications. The Human Resources Department will promptly acknowledge all submissions with an thank you note and a brief outline of the review process so that they employee knows what the next steps will be. Members of the Senior Management Team are ineligible to submit ideas, as are employees or employee committees whose primary purpose is the development of new ideas. Employees who contribute ideas that are accepted for implementation will receive gift certificates and/or monetary awards as determined by the Senior Management Team. Rewards will recognize the amount of effort that went into presenting an idea, as well as its potential value to the company. In addition to gift certificates and monetary awards, the company will also present employees who submit winning ideas an attractive Certificate of Appreciation. Special bonus awards will be considered annually by the Senior Management Team for presentation at the annual employee meeting. Page 5

6 V. OUR COMMUNICATIONS PLAN: CREATING ENTHUSIASM AND SUPPORT FOR THE EMPLOYEE IDEAS PROGRAM The most deadly and demoralizing response employees can have to this type of effort is, Oh, no! Not another program! Some might be skeptical about the purpose of the program or concerned that the company is making them do more, fill out more forms, or adding more pressure to their already considerable workloads. With that in mind, our overriding communications objective for this program is to convince employees that this is a program they can truly get excited about. Everyone thinks they have a better idea, a way to do things that will save money, make YPI more efficient, or more people friendly and a better place to work. If only someone would listen to me! goes the lament. With the Employee Ideas Program, employees can go right to the top with their ideas and get a fair, objective hearing. What s in it for them? The satisfaction of knowing that they have made a difference to the company, their coworkers, and their own lives -- not to mention possibly receiving some attractive rewards and recognition. Accordingly, we propose a communications campaign designed to generate: 1) awareness and understanding of what the program is all about; 2) excitement and enthusiasm about participating; 3) a feeling of pride and satisfaction in our employees and the company. Employee Communications Our initial communication will consist of an 11x17, attractively designed brochure folded to create four pages. We will design a program logo for use on the brochure and all subsequent visual and printed materials. The brochure itself will feature a lively description of the program, why we established it, and how employees can participate. We will give examples of the types of ideas that might be appropriate for submission and the rewards available to employees with accepted ideas. A single page insert will serve as the idea submission form with instructions on how to complete the form. We will also describe how ideas will be reviewed and who will be involved in the process. When the opportunity arises for a more direct, personal presentation of the program to employees, the Human Resources Department will create and deliver a Powerpoint overview of the program. We believe that a personal presentation will help reinforce the message provided by our printed materials, create renewed enthusiasm for the program, and create an opportunity to clarify potential issues and answer questions. On-Going Communications No successful program can rely on a single burst of communications to achieve a lasting impression on its audience. Accordingly, we intend to use other communications tools to keep the Employee Ideas Program in front of employees. Regular updates will remind employees about the program and help motivate them to participate. We plan to design large Employee Ideas Posters and display them in Page 6

7 departmental areas, together with a stick-on brochure pocket that will carry brochures/applications for the program. Additionally, we will reinforce participation in the program during new employee orientations, our annual employee meetings, and regular department staff meetings. Page 7