Keeping Employees Means "New Thinking"
Helping Employees
Acquire Value;
Empowerment is Part of “New Deal”
in Retaining Employees
Reproduced
with the permission of ENX
Magazine and Neal McChristy
As appeared in December 2000 Issue of ENX Magazine
By Neal McChristy
There's a new deal in employer-employee
relations, even as the major desires of employees
remain constant.
In the workplace there are
some things that remain consistent. U.S. Secretary
of Labor, Alexis M. Herman said in a Labor Day
address: "We know that as changes come and
years pass, three things remain constant: American
workers must have a balance between work and
family, rising economic security, and workplaces
that are safe and fair."
Those ideals will likely remain forever.
But in the "new deal," employees trade
value or work to acquire value for the chance to
stay employable. Employers, including those in the
technical-service field, are finding that besides
their normal management responsibilities, they are
encouraged to empower employees and contract with
them for training. It's a replacement for the
"old deal" where employees traded
loyalty for lifetime employment.
"The era of
cradle-to-grave company is over," said Paul
Schwartz, president of CopierCareers.com,
Minneapolis, Minn., which specializes in working
with technicians and employers for copier-industry
placement. "It is not unusual for the average
professional technician to work for four to five
employers over his or her career."
In fact, the U.S. Department of Labor has
found that the average worker holds nine jobs by
the time he or she reaches age 32.
"Today's loyalty is
defined by the employer's willingness to be
economically competitive and provide a
technician-friendly environment," Schwartz
said. "This environment is created when the
employer demonstrates a sincere interest in the
technician's professional welfare. In addition,
today's technician wants to be trained on the
'newest and latest equipment available.' "
Schwartz says that to many technicians,
technical training is considered as important as
money. And on the other hand, he says employer
frequently require a commitment by the technician
prior to training. Contract training is common.
"In a way, the new loyalty is not to
the employer or the employee, but to the
technology," Schwartz said.
It's a changing world for
everyone. Technicians who used to clean rollers,
set voltages, restring corona wires and replace
boards have found themselves in a world of network
software settings, drivers, network interface
cards and controllers. And service managers,
realizing who rules the network rules the machine,
have moved some service techs into a hybrid field
of computer engineering and service management
rather than outsource network maintenance.
"Successful managers are
quickly learning the value of a content and
knowledgeable field force," Schwartz said.
"As the digital age ascends upon the
copier industry, the technician's skill set
becomes of great use to other industries."
Evolving
Management
An Ernst and Young Survey at the 1998 American
management Association's Annual Human Resources
Conference and Exposition shows that many
employees would like time off as much as cash.
"Over the past few
years, we have noticed that 'family time' and
'personal time' have become large issues,"
Schwartz said. "Companies that have developed
extremely efficient management systems, which
allow their employees to be both productive in the
field, and able to schedule personal time on short
notice, will typically recruit and retain the best
technicians."
But how do you retain
productive employees who will stay? Studies have
shown that turnover among employees is most often
traced to unmet expectations, poor employee
orientation and socialization and a lack of
cultural "fit." Good communication has
been shown to be a major factor in retaining
employees. "In our experience, the
best way to attract and retain the best employees
is to have clearly defined employment agreements
so that all sides know what is expected,"
Schwartz said. "During the course of ongoing
employment, it is important to periodically review
these documents and adjust them in writing as
necessary."
The contracts remove misunderstandings and
doubt about what's been said and help the employer
create an atmosphere for long-term retention.”
Finding
an Employer
If you're an employee, doing your homework
about an employer is prudent. But also,
presentation at that job interview is critical.
Tim MacCartney, director of services at
Electronics Systems, Virginia Beach, Va., says
employees while the "first impression is the
gut," the employee should ask good questions
that show they are listening to what the hiring
person is saying.
The ability to sell themselves to
customers, MacCartney says, will show in the
ability to listen and not cut off the recruiter
when he's talking. He also says technical people
should know when to turn technical talk on and off
with an employer. He says it's probably not a good
idea for a technician to start too much "techspeak."
"If someone is a very good
communicator and shows he's well-organized, that's
70 percent of the battle," MacCartney says.
"We can teach the other 30 percent."
Schwartz says that when
CopierCareers.com is counseling candidates offered
a position with one of their clients, they
recommend taking time to check out the company.
"This consists of simple common sense
such as riding along with a lead tech, meeting the
owner, reviewing the company's Web site, and
finally, speaking with other technicians,"
Schwartz said. "This is a small industry and
the 'word' tends to get around quickly."
There are search engines, such as JobWeb
( http://www.jobweb.org ) that have online
information about companies.
Leadership
by Giving Ownership
Ever know a manager who gives ownership to his
employees so they will invest more in what is
accomplished? It's now being recognized as one of
the traits of effective managers and it's
happening in the service field, too, Schwartz
says. "Many
companies that we represent are now offering
incentives that actually allow the technical field
force to participate in the profitability of the
business," he said. "For example, one
progressive client of ours offers commissions to
their field force for sales leads and bonuses for
technical production beyond a set norm. As always,
this must be well defined and fairly implemented.
As in every process, communication must be mutual
and equally respected."
Technician
Demand Grows
While word about digital technology is
everywhere, it appears to be accelerating the
demand for technicians rather than depleting it.
Schwartz says the demand for trained
digital technicians can't be satisfied.
"That leaves employers
scrambling to recruit or retain the very best
analog technicians to begin training on the new
products while simultaneously servicing the analog
equipment already in the field," Schwartz
said. "Some of our clients believe that in
the future, the reliability of the digital
technology will require fewer service calls
possibly requiring a smaller field force.
“The majority of our clients believe that
ultimately any amount of reduced mechanical
service calls will be replaced with service calls
requiring network expertise.
"Whatever your belief of
the future of the industry, we can report that the
trained certified copier technician has never been
in greater demand."
Contact
information:
Paul Schwartz, president
Schwartz & Co.
Box 300140
Minneapolis, MN 55403-0140
PHONE:(888) 733-4868
FAX: (800) 464-3434
http://www.CopierCareers.com
About Neal McChristy:
Neal
McChristy is a freelance journalist who resides in
Pittsburg, Kan. He has worked for an imaging
magazine and Web site for
five years. Prior to that, he was staff
writer at a southeast Kansas daily newspaper for
11 years. He was news editor for two weekly public
newspapers in east central Kansas from 1982-84. He
is a 1982 graduate of the William A. White School
of Journalism and Mass Communications at the
University of Kansas, Lawrence, Kansas. He was a
social worker for 12 years prior to beginning
journalism.
