Conference 7.286::digital

Secretaries, wich don't pick up a phone are every were. There are also
TSC people, who don't call back a customer. Programmers wich quit a nice
program, wich they are developing, just because it is 5:25, and the day
after, they even can't remember what the hell that funny line is doing
in their program, because they forgot about the great idea, they had
the day before. Also we have a lot of coffee break people and people
who get ill, when they don't have anymore vacation days, or when there
is an important football game on TV...

Our problem here in Europe (don't know about the states) is that there
are much too much of this sort of people.

The other problem, is that we are going trough a "hire_rush" like I have
never seen before in any other company...The result is, that our hire
managers, don't look any more at quality, because they are looking at
quantity...Try to explain. that we better have one System ingeneer, wich is
good, instead of 3, wich are bad...

You also cannot start to fire all these people...the result would be, that
we certainly would have much better quality, but not enough people anymore, 
to do all the job, so the quality would sink again...

I can't see any solution to a problem like this...

You fire everybody, and everything goes wrong, because of the lack of people.

You keep everybody, and everything goes wrong, because of the lack of quality.

(saying everybody, I mean those who need it..)

The solution of "changing" those who need it, is not acceptable. You cannot
"teach" somebody to love his job..

Any suggestions out there?

Norbert

I like the solution of changing people, because:

1. people are good and I don't like to think that they don't like their job.
2. everybody is able to learn how to work well to be happy with his job.
3. if you explain to someone that DEC mind will give him fun, he will understand
4. giving training to an employee is an obligation, at DEC.
5. after all the above elements are considered, the employee who DOESN'T
   want to change knows what is the last solution.

You are right when you say that there is a dilemna between "good" and numerous
people. Remember that quality has always been the first reason for our success.
Please forget the quantity problem. 

And if the JP&R (a note is missing in this file...) detects that an employee
is not good for his job, you will always find a speciality in which he will
be able to give his best.

note for John: "him" is "the employee", who can be a man or a woman, ok? :-)

Didier

"after all the elements have been considered...."...

Wrong Didier...I have been a little over 2 years in this company, and I have 
seen people who have been in the company for several years, who perform poorly,
and all the steps you are talking about has been taken...and that person is 
still in the job, and still performs poorly. 

Sometime, there are attempts to make that person change to a different job, on 
the hopes that she/he may do better at the new job; but the fact of the matter 
is that there are people at Digital who's only concern is the job security that
Digital offers. I don't hear of too many people who get fired inside Digital. Am
I to assume that all are good performs, and everyone are doing their jobs. That
is very difficult to believe. 

Also, hiring people who are not qualified for a job, to do the job. I have to 
say that I was shocked to know that an organization I used to work in  hired a
person who was a pilot with Digital as a manufacturing Engineer. Why? I don't 
know...I can only tell you what I heard...it is because of who he knew. Now 
that is too difficult to swallow. I know what kind of performance that person
was doing because I had to deal with that person on professional level, and of
course as you would expect, he knew nothing of what is expected of an Engineer..
(process engineer).

What it boils down to is the following:

1.	Not all people are dedicated to the company or to insure its success.

2.	Digital's "job security" image is hurting the company, because people
        are getting too comfortable and lazy.

3.	Hiring because of contacts and personal knowledge rather than 
 	qualification..





Nisreen

Hiring someone that is good is a function of how good the manager is.  When I
went for my job interview my current boss put me through the toughest 
interview of my life.  And I respect him for that because he is a good manager.
He knew I did not come from a technical background and had to make sure that
this younk kid straight out of college could pull the technical load.  I've 
made it because I am good.  He knew I was going to make it seven months ago.
If he was a bad manager and did not interview me as a good manager should then
I, if I was a loser, could easily have become an extra burden on Digital.

Pablo,

Re: -.2 Hiring based on contacts is only deterimental when it is abused.
Hiring people based on who they know may or may not be wrong, it depends
on the job.    For example.    If I am a salesman and I'm on good personal
terms with the presidents of DEC's top 10 customers, then I might be 
worth hiring.     If I'm a messenger and the other condition applies then
probably not.

If I have responsibility for an application development project and I have
authority to hire people for that, then I will prefer to hire those people
who I know can do the job and the best way of knowing that is if I have 
worked with them in the past.      

    Re: secretaries who don't pick up phones during lunch, or after hours
    
    <FLAME ON>
    Some secretaries answer the telephone constantly all day!  If a
    secretary agrees to answer the phone as part of her job during her 
    scheduled working hours, she either should do so, or arrange for someone 
    to cover for her while she goes elsewhere in the building.
    
    According to the personnel manual, though, Digital employees have lunch
    breaks--breaks from their scheduled work.  It certainly is easier
    to go to the cafeteria or to go outside the facility if you want
    to relax.  At the same time, a secretary or anyone else may
    occasionally wish to eat his or her lunch alone in the office. 
    A clear agreement should either be made that the secretary is not
    responsible to cover the telephones between 12 and 12:30, or that
    someone else is responsible during that time period.  But if a
    secretary has answered the telephone all morning, she should be
    able to sit at her desk and eat her lunch without continuing to
    answer the telephone, if she wishes!   
    
    A similar situation occurred when a secretary I know stopped answering
    the telephone at 5:00 pm so that she could write something her manager
    had been asking for all day.  The other secretaries in the building
    had gone home at 5:00, but this woman stayed late to finish this
    memo.  She had not been able to attend to it all day because of
    constant interruptions, and telephone coverage.  A manager in her
    group received what he considered to be an important phone call,
    and he only managed to answer it on the 10th ring, upsetting the
    caller on the other end.  He blamed her!  
    <FLAME OFF>
                                              
    It is also true that if it is lunch time, or after hours, and a
    person can easily answer the phone, it is helpful if they do so.
    
    I think a lot depends on whether the person in question gives their
    best most of the time, or is generally one of those people who are
    known to do only the minimum.  I would agree that giving only the
    minimum does not constitute excellence.
    

    I am an Admin. Secretary.  I've been working for DEC for a little
    more than two years.
    
    Great telephone coverage is a challenge no matter what your title.
    
    I sincerely feel that TEAM WORK makes it all work...no matter
    what the job or the issue.  I've enjoyed seeing the pros and
    cons of people trying to work as a team here at DEC.  Even when
    we think team work may not be working, it usually is.
    
    The other secretaries in our group have really had to pull to
    gether to support ourselves and all the people in our group
    regarding telephone coverage.  Sometimes things go very well.
    Other times we could do better.
    
    When I'm here after 5pm or on weekends, I answer the incoming calls
    in my pick-up group.  Not everybody has the same point of view of
    life that I have.  This is where team work comes in.
    
    There are times when all of us become a little frazzeled.  Support
    from those around you makes the going easier.  Are we really
    talking about telephone coverage?
    
    Thanks for listening.
    
    Gina
    

    	I kind of agree with the last 2 answers.  Also, it's my experience
    that the people who gripe the most about not answering calls are
    usually people who have someone who's supposed to answer calls for
    them.  Take a couple of these turkeys and pull them on a HOTLINE
    for a couple of days and straighten them out.
    
    Keith
    
    

    I agree that the probable cause concerning lack of motivation is
    due to others around being depressive. I and others have seen that
    when you show comitment to the company people tend to abuse your
    willingness to help. Icame from a technical workshop enviroment
    in Digital. I worked very hard to help the company and myself do
    well. I was almost supporting the workshop but when I wanted to
    move to a different part of the company ie. Field service, support
    or installations, like so many before me I found that the prospects
    of a move caused my manager to make several attemps to persuede
    other managers not to hire me.This caused resentment and the group
    motivation fell apart. This would not seem to be an ideal situation
    for a successful company. 
    If a part of the company has low moral the effects are low out put,
    increased absence and generally poor work.
    As you may probably be aware 1 manager stopping 1 enployee furthering
    their career can affect a whole workshop.
    
    
    generally moaning 
    Alan
    

    
    Excellence ?  Yes there are areas of Digital which have it - the
    trouble is it's so difficult to be excellent all the time !  I have
    been with the Company for just over the year and to date I haven't
    come across anyone who doesn't pull their weight - but then perhaps
    I'm lucky (or naive).  Digital is a great place to work because
    it allows individuals to take on challenges, but it sometimes doesn't
    know when to stop loading individuals and allow them a breather.
    Too much stress in the job stops people being effective and thus
    endevouring to be excellent, because even the strongest and most
    resilient will occasionally blow a fuse.  Put simply you can't expect
    people to work at fever pitch constantly, they must have time to
    breath.  If Digital doesn't recognise that then the very best workers
    might very well wave good bye for less stressful shores.  Perhaps
    that's how Digital should tackle the less diligent - put them in
    jobs that require 150% dedication.  They'll either find they love
    it or leave.  It's just from time to time those wonderful beings
    called customers might not appreciate that approach if they're on
    the recieving end of a dosser.  Personally, I know I'm excellent -
    I tell myself every day !
    Margaret.