Originally posted by csc99svt:
I work in the plastics and coatings industry for a company that supplies color to multiple things...A plant in ruins, to the point where the new plant manager was sent in to try and turn things around, upon which i entered multiple, multiple interviews and tests and now here i am as the manager of all lab activities and basically second in command.

The employees left over from the previous regime are so far gone that even when the president of the company is in town on business, the same ole crap continues to happen because said employees just dont care. For so long no one has ever done anything to discipline and they figure that no one ever will...

Our particular plant is small and busy enough, that i cannot just fire said employees and start from scratch, and unfortunately some of these employees, somehow, have 10-15 years vested in this company...

Aside from being "bad cop" and making an example of someone, does anyone have any creative ideas to get attitudes to change? Maybe some other Executive level people ahve been in this sort of situation before? I am open to any logical, mature suggestions anyone might have.

Thanks



Reading this again makes me think that there has been a turn-over in upper management, probably with each new guy doing things his way. This means a constant change for no reason, as pervceived by the guy on the floor. I bet they are also worried about job-security. Re-affirm job-security if you can. A good trick can be to 're-sign' employees. It gives you a chance to discuss what you want from them, hear what they want, and a way to find out what they don't want and don't like. You get a better handle on your work-force's abilities, and can see (and hear) if people have been shuffled into inappropriate areas.
Then you can shuffle, mix up the pot, and put people where they are happier (if this is the case). If this is an appropriate route you will instantly elevate employee happiness (guys doing what they feel best at), instantly change the frame-of-mind of the guys, and have an ability to say, in a closed environment, "What will make you happy, and make you work more efficiently?".

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