the office
By bonitacuy
- 274 reads
-So where are we at with the Effective Utilisation scheme-
A young man in his early twenties with a pale nervous complexion turned
around to face his manager. He delayed his answer for a couple of
seconds in order to compose a suitable response using the company
vernacular.
-We are making progress, but we need to keep the line managers in the
communications loop so that they are fully aware of what reductions
they need to reach by the end of period 3-
-Good- responded his manager a thickset man with a paunch and a
cheerful ruddy face.
-How exactly did you set out the proposed targets in your memo? - The
manager asked, as the two walked together along a well-lit corridor,
with whitewashed walls and a shiny lanolin floor.
The young man gave a hesitant response his voice wavering, unsure if he
was giving the right answer. His eyes not quite making full contact
with his manager's. -I gave them the original Regional North target of
420,000, allocating reasonable individual unit targets within it-
The manager looked at his company's latest recruit and gave him a
sympathetic look. Despite the mangers expansive waistline and receding
hairline, he was still a relatively youthful man of thirty-seven. He
recalled his own anxious enthusiasm of 15 years ago when he was the new
employee and was keen to impress his bosses and make his mark. -OK,
that will give us a bit to play with in terms of numbers, if as
expected our initial target is to be downgraded. What has been the
reaction by the line managers to your memo?- He said.
-To start off a bit aggressive, but later when I was able to explain
that we are probably able to manipulate the figures by not removing the
TY Type they seemed happy enough. If they are unable to meet the
proposal and can justify their reasons the Area Managers and you and I
can sit down with them to work out solutions to their issues-
The two men reached the end of the corridor and paused to continue
their conversation in front of two recently painted blue doors. - I
agree- said the manager, his jowls gently bobbing as he spoke. -The key
thing is to keep them informed, but these reductions need to be pushed
through quickly, so we will need to be firm with some of the unit
managers-
-I know- Replied, the young man, the lines in his forehead crinkling as
he showed his exasperation. He continued. -It is a pity we didn't have
much time, only a week's notice, to put forward a plan. GH seems to
have selected the reductions at random and some units are will be more
affected than others. There is an uneven spread of reductions-
The manager lips inclined slightly to give an understanding smile. -Oh
well, we will have more time to plan for next years lot. You've done a
really good job to pull this together in such short notice- He said, to
the young man, who felt reassured and who gave a more confident
response-
-Thanks, I've enjoyed getting stuck into some real work for a change;
project work is fine and I am learning a lot about the company,
particularly on the operational performance side, but I am really
struggling to get the shift managers to buy into the performance
measures project. As far as they are concerned if they have cleared all
their items by the end of the shift then they are doing a good job.
They don't think of other factors such as quality, or cost. These have
such an impact on our overall area budget-
-Don't let the bastards grind you down you'll get them on board in the
end- said the manager. -Listen, I've got an area manager meeting in a
couple of minutes so can we touch base and go through the actual
statistical report that you have produced later this afternoon, say
about 3pm-
-Not a problem, I'll see you then, in the mean time I've got to see
some of the line managers on the factory floor to explain in person the
reduction scheme- Said the young man pushing the right hand side door
half ajar in order to make his exit.
The manager moved towards the other door and gave the young man some
jocular encouragement. -Good luck, if we get this reduction scheme in
successfully there will be a 10% increase in the Planning team bonus.
You will be able to take your lovely wife out and have an expensive
meal in one of the restaurants in the Square and wash it down with a
bottle or two of red-
-The meal yes, but only soft drinks for us-
-You are not drinking?-
-No, my wife is expecting. She has given up drinking and so I have
decided to give her some moral support by doing the same. In any case I
need to lose some of the weight I have put on from all the greasy
dinners I've had in the canteen.-
-Congratulations that is really great news. When is the baby
due?-
-Oh, not for another 6 months- replied the young man.
-You've got a lot of sleepless nights and hard work ahead of you. When
the baby is born you will be coming here just for a break-
-I hope it won't be that bad. Anyway, I'll see later this
afternoon-
-Yes, see you then-
The young man pushed the door fully open and entered a small tidy
office with papers and folders neatly arranged along a series of
plastic shelves. A chestnut desk with a faded bottle green mantel lay
at the back of the room. Behind the desk a short bald man with
gold-rimmed spectacles sat scribbling furiously without looking
up.
-Ah, we did say 9.30, that we would meet up- Said the spectacled man
still scribbling furiously. -I will only be a minute while I finish
this memo off- .A moment later he had finished and he looked up at the
young man who had entered.
-Have you come to talk to me about the reduction plan? It is not
realistic I cannot think what head office is thinking of imposing such
targets. We are doing our very best at the moment by gassing 70,000 men
and women on the late shift. What has to be remembered is that we do
not have a production line process but a batch one we cannot process
continuously but only set quantities and at set time periods. Really
these targets are quite impossible-
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