Entrevista a un Director de Recursos humanos

Human Resources Director: José Antonio Fernández:

1. I understand there was some tension and demotivation among the staff before the Continuous Improvement project began. Why was this happening? How do you think it affected the normal production flow at the factory?

The thing is, we're a very old company. A family business, so there are some habits and customs that the staff had, and anything we already had before Marc arrived, people were a little reluctant to adopt, although not all of them. The advantage we've had with Marc is that he has a great understanding of the entire continuous improvement system and makes the tools we lacked available to the employees. This helps people see that things work, and Marc also has a great ability to motivate; he's a great motivator. Besides being very knowledgeable about the tools, since they're his own creations, what's most important to me is that he's not only a great motivator, but he also involves all the staff, making them see the importance of things.

This fosters ideas at both the individual and team levels. His expertise was crucial, because when you have a group accustomed to long-standing habits, the "I've always done it this way," the ingrained vices, the bad habits, the "we've been doing this for a long time, what are you going to teach me?" attitude—Marc reversed all of that.

Apart from the tool we didn't have, we had another system, but he has now given all the staff, and especially the middle management, very easy-to-implement tools, which has generated a very positive change in the Offset section.

2. I understand there have been cases of absenteeism. How did you deal with this?

Yes, I would say everything is connected. Let's say we had some people who were "very frequent users of sick leave," and here it's "a medical issue, where we can't get involved." I think people have become more aware; the company has been working on prevention for over a year, holding meetings and making them understand the importance of prevention for their health. Health is important, but so is knowing that we have to come to work.

We also have a couple of new people who haven't developed the habit of saying, "I don't feel well, I'm staying home." Generally, that's not the case; those were isolated incidents, but they've improved.

3. In terms of staff motivation and efficiency, how do you think the contributions of the 'Continuous Improvement' method that Marc Tarral has implemented in the company are bearing fruit? Do you think you will be able to maintain this high level of motivation for as long as possible?

Yes, absolutely. On a personal level, people are now aware of what's happening to them, why things are happening, and they're analyzed. This encourages people to participate in everything, whereas before there were only summaries at the end of the month, and the numbers were explained every two weeks, depending on the situation. Now they have it, if they want it, every day. That's important, not so much as a form of criticism, but to find solutions. That's the positive aspect.

That's why the tool Marc implemented allows people to understand in detail what's happening, so middle management can focus on those problems and analyze them with employees on a shift and machine-by-machine basis. This way, everyone is also aware of what's going on.

There has also been a lot of investment in machine maintenance, which, between one thing and another, was already needed.

4. Do you think these improvements and contributions can remain indefinitely, or will Marc leave tomorrow and you revert to what you had before?

No. We are aware that Marc has done an excellent job, and therefore it is now up to us to maintain that level and ensure it doesn't drop. If at any point, and we are certain of this, we need Marc to return to advise us on any matter… well, we will contact him.

From the first moment the industrial director and I saw it at a presentation at the Guild, we decided. “This is what we need. And we weren't wrong.”.

We are generally satisfied with their tools, methods, and their excellent communication and staff motivation skills, which is very important because it's not easy. Especially in a production system where people have been there a long time and have developed habits; changing those habits is difficult, and it's not because people are bad, but because they've developed bad habits. Even we, who have been there for so many years, are somewhat influenced by them.

So, when someone from outside comes in with a clear mind, it makes these changes happen, and I can tell you, with all the years I've been in this business, Marc has been the person I've met who best knows how to motivate and implement tools that get everyone involved.