Executives from American Standard Companies, Inc., The Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company, and Ceridian HumanResource Solutions on:

Six Methods toIncrease Employee

ProductivityFrederic M. Poses, Chairman and CEO

American Standard Companies, Inc.

Kathleen T. Geier, Senior Vice President, Human Resources The Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company

Nancy Hanna, Sr. Vice President Human Resources, Ceridian Human Resource Solutions

When it comes to building a successful business, employeeproductivity is critical to that success. There are many pro-ductivity challenges that can be rectified easily and effec-

tively. This report provides helpful advice and suggestions onincreasing and measuring productivity, beneficial incentives, and cre-ating the right environment. Retaining good employees and estab-lishing a positive team reputation will allow you opportunities tohire good employees in the future. �

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Action Points

I. High ExpectationsCreating an environment that providespeople with a framework in which theystrive for success means creating a levelof high expectations.

II. The Bottom LineIf a company has a base line againstwhich it can measure progress towardimprovement, then progress can bemonitored.

III. Must-Have Tools for Measuring ProductivityEnsuring productivity and growth is anongoing process that should be moni-tored on a daily basis.

IV. The Golden Rules of The PeopleFactorBuilding a successful company requirespeople who are open to change, not justfor the company but also for themselves.

V. Essential Take-AwaysManaging stress is serious business. Anengaged and motivated workforce isvital to corporate success.

Contents

About the Authors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . p.2

Frederic M. Poses . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . p.3

Kathleen T. Geier . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . p.5

Nancy Hanna . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . p.7

Ideas to Build Upon & Action Points . . . p.10

Copyright 2005 Books24x7®. All rights reserved. Reproduction in whole or part is prohibited without the prior written permission of the publisher. This ExecBlueprints™ document was published as part of a subscription based service. ExecBlueprints,a Referenceware® collection from Books24x7, provides concise, easy to absorb, practical information to help organizations address pressing strategic issues. For more information about ExecBlueprints please visit www.execblueprints.com.

© Books24x7, 2005 About the Authors ExecBlueprints 2

About the Authors

Frederic M. Poses is the Chairmanand Chief Executive Officer ofAmerican Standard Companies,

Inc. Before joining American Standard,Mr. Poses was president and Chief Oper-ating Officer of AlliedSignal, Inc. Hejoined AlliedSignal as a financial analystin 1969 and was named general manag-er of the company’s Home Furnishings

Division in 1977. From 1977 to 1988, heheld several positions of increasingresponsibility and was appointed presi-dent of the Engineered Materials Sectorand Executive Vice President of the cor-poration. In October 1997 he was elect-ed to the board of directors and namedVice Chairman of AlliedSignal, Inc. He

was appointed President and COO inJune 1998.

Frederic M. Poses, Chairman and CEO, American Standard Companies, Inc.

☛ Read Frederic’s insights on Page 3.

Kathleen T. Geier was elected SeniorVice President, Human Resources,for The Goodyear Tire & Rubber

Company on Aug. 6, 2002. Ms. Geier isresponsible for developing and executinga global human resources strategy forGoodyear and ensuring that HR initia-tives are in place to drive the company’scompetitiveness in the marketplace.

Ms. Geier’s operational experience includ-ed assignments as plant manager in Mt.Pleasant, Iowa, from 1992 to 1994,where she managed an industrial andautomotive hose manufacturing facilityand served as President of Goodyear’sCosmoflex subsidiary in Hannibal, Mo.

Kathleen T. Geier, Senior Vice President, Human Resources, The Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company

☛ Read Kathleen’s insights on Page 5.

Nancy Hanna is Sr. Vice President,Human Resources for CeridianHuman Resource Solutions, an

HR services and outsourcing organizationheadquartered in Minneapolis, Min-nesota. Ms. Hanna has a broad, globalperspective on the changing world ofwork. Her background includes compa-nies large and small, in industries includ-

ing financial services and insurance,high-tech, and education. Noted for her thorough leadership in theprofession, Ms. Hanna speaks and writeson the role of HR, the changing world ofwork, and the development of high-performance cultures.

Nancy Hanna, Sr. Vice President, Human Resources, Ceridian Human Resource Solutions

☛ Read Nancy’s insights on Page 7.

Back to BasicsWhen I think about the fundamen-tals of a successful business, I havethree major concerns:

1. People: Are we recruiting andretaining the best possible talentand giving our people maximumopportunity to develop andexpand their skills and increasetheir value to the company?

2. Environment: Are we creatingthe kind of working environmentwhere people are results-driven,where expectations are high,and where the organization isstructured to help people achieveresults?

3. Focus: When the economic cycleeventually turns down, do we keep our perspective and stay focused on the basics ofgrowth-building, such as im-proved customer service, com-petitive new products, and thekind of operating efficiency thatsupports profitability?

The People FactorYou can’t know with certaintywhat the company or the world willlook like ten years — or even tenmonths — from now. Instead ofrelying on predictions, you have torely on people in your organizationwith the talent to change the com-pany as the world changes. Somevery talented people will not surviveorganizational change because theythemselves will not change. Theyare in yesterday’s paradigm, whichheld them in good stead yesterday,but is a bad fit today and a disas-trous career trap tomorrow.

People are your pivot point.Recruiting and keeping talentedpeople is the real art of management.

Building a successful companyrequires people who are open tochange, not just for the companybut for themselves. Any graduatebusiness school program willemphasize the importance of strategicand operating plans. Those plans,though, are only as good as the peo-ple you select to implement them.

• Business is a game in which youchoose the best players andwork the game plan or funda-mentals to help them win. It’s nota game of solitaire; it’s a teamsport. You have to give peoplethe opportunity to get into thegame and use both their techni-cal and their interpersonal skillsto make a difference.

• It comes down to creating anopen environment where peoplefeel free to share and take risks,are encouraged to excel, and canexpect to be rewarded for suc-ceeding. That’s a prerequisite ofa good leader, and a priority forany CEO in identifying goodleaders within a business.

• Leadership takes passion, com-mitment, boldness, and self-con-fidence, qualities innate inleaders. You can build on andimprove these qualities, but myfeeling is that either people havethem or they don’t. A real leadercreates an open environment bybeing consistently open to theideas of others. The idea is tolearn from others, but not toimpersonate them. As a leader, Ihave to learn from others and thenconnect what I’ve learned to myown passions and convictions.

• Communication is a critical skillfor a leader. You must commu-nicate your vision, passion, anddesire to win if you expect peo-

ple to follow you. Your messagealso has to be consistent.

• If you have to break with thepast, make sure people under-stand why. Without that kind ofcommunication, they will under-stand only that their organizationis without consistency, and it’s aquick jump from there to feelingthey lack leadership.

• Communication also createsenthusiasm. It’s a way to moti-vate and teach. You also cancommunicate by doing things assimple as walking the halls orwalking the factory floor. Justimagine being able to talk toevery employee every day in per-son to swap ideas and concerns.

It is rare that a manager buildsa new team from the ground up,with entirely new players. Youalmost always start with someexisting players who’ve been withthe company for a significantamount of time, in some caseslonger than their leader has.Chances are high that you havesome substantial talent in thisgroup of veteran players, and it’s animportant part of your team-building responsibility to recognizeand develop the talent of these vet-erans. These people will bring vital

© Books24x7, 2005 Frederic M. Poses ExecBlueprints 3

Frederic M. Poses,Chairman and CEO,

American Standard Companies, Inc.

“The better the team is, the more moti-vation and support they need fromtheir leader. To keep good people on ateam, keep challenging them.”

• BBA from New York University

• Serves on the board of directors of the 92nd Street Y and is a memberof the board of trustees at theRiverdale Country School

Frederic M. PosesChairman and CEO, American Standard Companies, Inc.

continuity to your efforts if you alsotake on the challenging job ofblending them effectively with thenew talent you recruit to enhanceor add skills and experience.

As you retain your good peopleby giving them challenging andmeaningful work, your team devel-ops a reputation that will make iteasier for you to recruit more goodpeople in the future. So a virtuouscircle is created.

Creating the Right EnvironmentThere’s an endless list of variablesthat can help create the environmentthat helps people excel, including agood cafeteria, a fitness center, anon-site daycare center, varied ben-efit choices, and a reward systemthat includes stock options. Beyondthose tangible things, though, youhave to create an environment thatprovides people with a frameworkin which they strive for success. Aframework like that has to includehigh expectations.

• High expectations of achieve-ment — for both individuals andgroups — are essential to a thriv-ing, growth-oriented organization.

• High expectations drive innova-tion, and innovation meanschange. If you have modestexpectations, then your incentiveis to work just a little harder toreach them.

• High expectations, by contrast,create an environment wherepeople realize they can’t getwhere they want to go by doingbusiness in the same old way.That sets the stage for innovation.

• High expectations, translatedinto definable goals, also create

their own discipline. They givepeople a framework for makingdecisions. Self-discipline occurswhen people have a clear idea ofwhat the leadership of the com-pany expects from them.

Carefully target expectations andgoals. If people are asked to focuson three important goals, then theyhave the flexibility to move left orright, backward or forward,depending on opportunities.

A successful company is built around people who can deliver and execute –people who understand acompany’s vision and can turn it into action that pleases customers,motivates co-workers, and creates value forshareowners.

Frederic M. Poses,Chairman and CEO, American

Standard Companies, Inc.

It’s been my experience thatinnovative ideas spring from inter-action within small groups, ratherthan from an individual. To demon-strate, try a simple exercise. Writedown your solution to a problem,and then brainstorm with your col-leagues. I guarantee you will comeout with a much better solutionafter conferring with them. Highexpectations bolster innovation andpromote cooperation.

Employees have their own highexpectations and set individualgoals that align with those of thebusiness. If employees appreciateand understand a company’s expec-tations, they should develop their

own expectations for helping thecompany achieve its goals.

Consistent attention to the fun-damentals of your business will helpyou minimize the damage in diffi-cult economic times and make yourcompany stronger and more com-petitive when the business cycleturns around. It’s been my experi-ence that managers who are on topof the fundamentals of their busi-ness are also on top of the shiftingpatterns in their industries. They aregenerally better able to anticipatechanges in the marketplace to “seearound the corner” and to act withthe speed and flexibility to take strate-gic advantage of what they see. �

© Books24x7, 2005 Frederic M. Poses ExecBlueprints 4

Frederic M. PosesChairman and CEO, American Standard Companies, Inc. (continued)

Building a new team from the ground up:

start withexistingplayers

blend them effectivelywith new players

Measuring Productivity Ensuring productivity and growthis an ongoing process that should bemonitored on a daily basis. Eachperson should receive an annual for-mal evaluation as well as a quarterlyreview in order to ensure that thisprogression is occurring. Annually,our people set very measurableobjectives and then have periodicmeetings to determine how they areor are not working toward them. Atthe end of the year, they are thenappraised on how well they metthose goals. On a macro basis, otherpoints can be measured, such assales and earnings per associate.

Increasing ProductivityProductivity is dependent uponeffective prioritizing. It is impossi-ble to get everything done thatneeds to be done, so supervisingmanagers and HR teams need to beable to decide what should be donein what order. Part of prioritizing istime management and part of it isunderstanding the business andwhat is needed. If you can visual-ize the major blocks of work of HR(i.e., recruiting, managing benefits,payroll, etc.) and stack them in apyramid with the strategic block atthe top, tactical blocks in the mid-dle, and the transactional (day today, back office) blocks at the bot-tom. This process allows you toidentify duplication of work —work that can be eliminated or com-bined or outsourced. We look atwhat simply does not need to bedone by using the Six Sigma tool toidentify waste.

When an employee is non-productive:

• The first step in addressing theissue is to assess his capabilities

and competencies to determinewhether anything can be done toimprove his efficiency.

• He may be able to benefit fromtraining or from being put on aspecial project and then mentored.

• His deficiency should beaddressed so that a developmentplan may be set.

• If he fails to progress, then heshould be considered for a dif-ferent role or position for whichhis skills or competencies maybetter fit the requirements.

Making sure that everyperson is involved inworking for the samegoal is the best way toincrease capacity.

Kathleen T. GeierSenior Vice President,

Human Resources, The Goodyear Tire & Rubber Com

Any improvements that are madeshould involve employees. Anybodywho may be affected by newchanges should be a part of theprocess and in constant communi-cation. If people are involved indetermining solutions, they willnot feel that they are simply cogs ina machine. They will be more like-ly to work with the changes.

One technique for increasingproductivity is lean management.This is a continuous improvementmethodology that involves lookingat a whole process and determiningwhere waste can be eliminated. Forexample, baking a cake requires aseries of processes — but most cakeshave a cooking time of an hour. Thetotal time from start to finish ofpreparing the ingredients to “cool-

ing” the cake after it leaves the ovencan be two to three hours. LeanManagement would look at everyphase of this cooking process toreduce or eliminate “wait time” orpreparation time to get as close tothe one hour as possible. We do thesame for work processes.

Sustaining ProductivityIf a company has a base line againstwhich it can measure progresstoward improvement, then progresscan be monitored. Essential to thisprogress is involving employees insetting the measures and setting theplan to reach those measures.

Productivity assessment in a pro-duction environment can be based

© Books24x7, 2005 Kathleen T Geier ExecBlueprints 5

Kathleen T. GeierSenior Vice President, Human Resources,

The Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company

“At Goodyear, we go through “blocksof work” exercises in staff organizationwith which we analyze what needs tobe accomplished and what category ofurgency it is.”

• With the company since 1978

• Bachelor of science degree in biology and psychology from Heidelberg College in Tiffin

Kathleen T. GeierSenior Vice President, Human Resources, The Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company

on output and associate hour costper unit. One incentive for increas-ing productivity is having peopleshare profits that come fromincreased productivity. Effectivemotivators of non-monetary incen-tives include:

• Recognition

• Performance reviews

• Letters of commendation

• Team meeting celebrations forexceeding customer expectations

• Write-up in company newsletterson exceptional performance

• Sometimes a simple “thank you”can be very meaningful for anemployee

Supervisors• Supervisors have perhaps the

most important impact on anemployee’s productivity. Peopletend to look to their supervisoras the major provider of infor-mation and communication.They are the people they trust.They are the people from whomrecognition means the most.

• Supervisors should know whatmotivates the people that workfor them and make sure that theyprovide the necessary rewardsand recognition.

• Supervisors must spend qualitytime with people to know whatmakes them tick and then theymust conduct quality perform-ance updates on a regular basis.

Technology and ProductivityTechnologies such as the Internetand e-mail are a dual-edge sword.These tools make communicationfaster and make working with theworld across time zones a possibil-ity. Before electronic communica-tions, interacting with people inChina or Europe was incredibly dif-ficult. Enhancing communicationsenhances productivity. On the otherhand, sometimes it is too easy forpeople to write e-mails rather thansee a person face-to-face. �

© Books24x7, 2005 Kathleen T Geier ExecBlueprints 6

Expert Advice

In order to be competitive in our worldtoday, we all have to figure out howto do things faster, better, and moreefficiently. Productivity will onlyincrease because if it doesn’t, peoplewill be out of the game. Every com-pany can always discover untappedcapacity to do more, and I think the keyto increasing productivity is in tappingthe collective minds of employees.

Effective motivators of non-monetary incentives include:

performance reviews

recognition letters ofcommendation

team meeting celebrations for exceeding customerexpectations

write-up in companynewsletters on exceptional performance are as well

sometimes a simple “thank you” can bevery meaningful for an employee

Kathleen T. GeierSenior Vice President, Human Resources, The Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company (continued)

Measuring and EnsuringProductivityThere are many metrics for assess-ing productivity specific to differentfunctions. At a corporate level, wemeasure employee productivity withrevenue per employee. That metricis on our HR dashboard and wemeasure it monthly. We make sureto meet with our employees as oftenas necessary in order to ensure theirgrowth. Each employee has differ-ent needs depending on his or hertenure, experience, and confidence.Ceridian’s performance manage-ment process, for instance, aligns anemployee’s work objectives with thecompany’s overall goals and objec-tives. Both manager and employeeuse a prescribed process tool to cre-ate ongoing formal and informalperformance feedback discussions.This means that employees can tapinto an endorsed process if theywish to suggest customized feed-back or influence the frequency ofmeetings with their supervisor. It’sa great way to improve performancecontinuously in ways that meet theemployee’s goals — and those of theorganization as a whole.

Establishment of measures ofexcellence and personal develop-ment objectives are a critical ele-ment of performance discussions atCeridian. Performance feedbackcommunicates the individual’sprogress towards meeting objec-tives, and it documents the compe-tencies attained as the personprogresses. These reviews also serveto enhance work-oriented commu-nications between the manager andthe employee, reducing the likeli-hood of misunderstandings aboutresponsibilities or expectations.Using this process, managers can pro-vide each employee with a writtenreview of demonstrated results

against objectives. We make it clearthat, although a partnership existsbetween the employee and themanager in the development andmanagement of individual objec-tives, the employee is the ultimateowner of the objectives and of theirown personal development.

In terms of increasing employeeproductivity, we do a lot withprocess improvement. We use SixSigma methodology to look atprocesses and to analyze bottle-necks, remove unnecessary steps, orfix problems in our systems. Thismethodology is a discipline thatforces us to analyze problems invarious ways so that before we leapto a conclusion, we can be surewe’ve looked at all the factors, con-sidered all the stake-holders, andexamined the different outcomes.Six Sigma ensures that we under-stand the problem very well beforewe try to fix it, so that we aren’tworking on any assumptions.

Teamwork is another way toimprove productivity. Because of thenature of business today, there is ahigh correlation between team-work, cost containment and bot-tom-line impact. When anorganization encourages employeesto work together, rather than dic-tating actions from above, it createsa far greater potential for learning.Teams can address tactical andstrategic issues in ways that are trulycreative. They can find solutions tobusiness challenges that might neverbe suggested in any other organi-zational scenario. Encouraging proj-ect-based learning throughteamwork has a strong impact onproductivity because the organiza-tion becomes more innovative andmore effective. Individual manage-ment and leadership skills areenhanced. And cross-functional

communication is encouragedthroughout the enterprise. Besides,teaming reinforces relationship-building, and it’s fun!

Creating a Culture of ProductivityEach person creates their own con-text, applies their own values andlayers in their own cultural inter-pretation. The potential to succeedin the marketplace depends upon anorganization’s ability to create com-mon frameworks and contexts sothat there is broad alignment ofmeaning and results. Because cul-ture has strong potential to affectchange, the value implications arebroad.

© Books24x7, 2005 Nancy Hanna ExecBlueprints 7

Nancy HannaSr. Vice President, Human Resources, Ceridian Human Resource Solutions

“It is important to have a culture thatspeaks to people, allows them to getexcited about what they’re doing, andgives them a connection to a sense ofpurpose. People give meaning to theirexperience and the information andknowledge they absorb.”

• B.A. in French, and an M.A. inHuman Development

• Over 25 years of HR experience

Nancy HannaSr. Vice President, Human Resources, Ceridian Human Resource Solutions

By fostering the right corporateculture, organizations strengthenalignment without added expense,because culture can tangibly affectthe behavior of their workforce.Because values like trust and hon-esty must be embraced deep with-in the enterprise if they are to beeffective; this strategy shows strongpotential for building integrity andtrust in the eyes of shareholders andcustomers.

Organizations can respond tobusiness challenges by creating andpromoting a healthy corporate cul-ture. For organizations everywhere,the new “leadership development”is culture development.

Related to culture is the conceptof employment brand, or promise.A company’s unique promise to itsworkforce takes on new cachet ina world dominated by the specterof a more competitive job market.And in the dynamic environment ofglobal commerce, corporate leadersseek strategies that provide realreturns and tactics that producemeasurable results.

When the organization can livethe brand internally and project itexternally, it reflects the corporateculture consistently through people.A sound structure and effectivecommunication effort provide indi-viduals — and corporations — withincreased resilience in a changingand challenging world. A strongcorporate culture drives real valueby motivating behavior and deci-sions that are “natural” and embed-ded in the fabric of the workforce.

Stress ManagementLook at the realities of businesstoday: employers push more andmore responsibility on people whoare already doing more with less.

Sometimes these people are asked toperform without the tools and thesupport that enable them to fullysucceed. The result? Added stress.Compromised productivity.

There are times when organiza-tions make these pushes for pro-ductivity just because they must.There are restraints, and in those sit-uations it is critical that everyonerecognizes that they’re in a crunchtime. It’s critical for leadership todemonstrate that they are appre-ciative for what people are experi-encing. If you cross that line toooften, though, employees will getover-stressed and their attitudes willshift. You need to make sure thatyou have the people in managementand leadership roles who understandand care about issues of employeeengagement and productivity.

Managing stress is serious busi-ness, because an engaged and moti-vated workforce is vital to corporatesuccess. These solutions free thestaff to focus on doing their bestwork. Work-life programs are anapproach that keeps the organiza-tion competitive by creating ahealthier, more effective workforce.The most effective solutions arethose that allow employees toreceive immediate, confidentialaccess to help that gets them backon track. When workers can receivethe kind of personal attention theyneed — when they need it — theirstress is reduced. Their satisfactionrises. And their employer sees realimpact in retention and productiv-ity. By helping employees handle theissues that impact their lives, we canfree the whole workforce to be moreproductive.

• One way to help employeesmanage stress is through employ-ee assistance and work-life programs.

• Another stress managementstrategy is surprisingly simple:have fun. Because human beingswork, and because they are com-pelled to form relationships,there is nothing more satisfyingthan making a difference andhaving fun doing it with peoplewe enjoy.

This gets back again to theimportance of corporate culture andits profound strategic effects. Cerid-ian is a good example of this. Wediscovered that as our corporatevalues began to resonate with ouremployees, they communicatedtheir enthusiasm directly to cus-tomers in small but significantways. Our customers responded inkind, and their feedback was so pos-itive and so immediate that it wasfelt throughout the enterprise. Theenergy this created has been remark-able. It’s really been quite an amaz-ing thing to experience.

I believe that Ceridian’s consis-tency of message has helped every-one in the organization understandthe personal, business and profes-sional value of their efforts. Ourclear articulation of corporate cul-ture has fostered a new appreciationfor colleagues at all levels of thecompany — and a vibrant new

© Books24x7, 2005 Nancy Hanna ExecBlueprints 8

Nancy HannaSr. Vice President, Human Resources, Ceridian Human Resource Solutions (continued)

EmployeeCommunication

corporatevalues

employees customers

connection with customers. Wehave engendered a work atmos-phere that is more comfortable,more honorable and simply morefun.

Technology and ProductivityNew technologies such as the Inter-net and instant messenger can helpimpact productivity by opening upthe world, but like anything else,they can be a really useful tools orliving nightmares. Email, for exam-ple, can be very effective in savingtime and stopping all of the backand forth that occurs with messageson the telephone. However, emailgets overused in many organiza-tions. All the carbon copying andthe email blitzes that people sendout to casts of thousands become aproductivity drain of major pro-portions.

Overall, though, informationsystems are beneficial to produc-tivity. ERP systems and similarapproaches continue to provideincreased capability at an applica-tions level for many of us. I expectto see more and more developmentsin technology-enabled tools. I lookfor ways that will allow better con-nections across the collection ofbusiness databases upon which somany of our decisions depend. I

expect new tools to give people real-time information.

One of the most exciting appli-cations of technology for HR willcome in the form of Human Capi-tal Management solutions. HumanCapital Management is the beliefthat employees are an asset merit-ing investment — that organizationscan see greater financial benefitfrom a creative, engaged workforcethan if they built a new facility orupgraded desktop PCs. Technologyand productivity come together inthe best Human Capital Manage-ment approaches, because they’redesigned to provide solid businessprocess support. When organiza-tions use technology to allow mul-tiple methods of access, they getreal-time analytics that can helpwith a broad range of business chal-lenges such as succession planning,performance management andincentive programs. I believe thatorganizations that focus on humancapital management are much morelikely to show strong shareholderreturns.

Planning for ProductivityI think that over the next year wewill continue to see gains takingplace in productivity. In the longterm, however, I don’t know if wecan expect to see such rapid increas-es. People in general are working atcapacity. There are still ways inwhich companies waste the energyof their people, so improvements arepossible in areas bogged down bybureaucracy, or in places whereefforts aren’t necessarily alignedacross organizational silos or theoverall corporate goals aren’t clear.

Individuals by and large areworking hard, but HR and the

organizations we serve will seegreat benefit if we find ways to bemore effective and more efficientinside our organizations.

Part of this efficiency is a plan-ning issue and part of it is an align-ment issue. The bigger the companyand the more geographically dis-persed and global it is, the morechallenging that planning and align-ment will be. It is important to takesteps now — even if they’re smallsteps — if you’re working to createconnections across large systems.Every effort makes a difference inthis complex and challenging area.

The real competitive edge comeswhen you find a way to analyze and manage processes. Processmapping can hold great value,especially for larger organizationsand those that are experiencingstructural change. Solutions thatcombine technology, processes andpeople are the fastest way toimprove quality and productivity. �

© Books24x7, 2005 Nancy Hanna ExecBlueprints 9

Nancy HannaSr. Vice President, Human Resources, Ceridian Human Resource Solutions (continued)

Insider’s Tip

Frequently, these process improve-ment initiatives are cross-groupprocesses. We will pull a teamtogether to work collaboratively. Wetake pains to ensure that the workitself is organized well and executedefficiently. We look at all ourresources, considering tools andtechnology carefully so that we canensure that people have what theyneed to get the job done.

The employee is theultimate owner of theobjectives and of their own personaldevelopment.

Nancy HannaSr. Vice President, Human Resources,

Ceridian Human Resource Solutions

I. High ExpectationsCreate an environment that pro-vides people with a framework inwhich they strive for success:

• High expectations of achieve-ment

• High expectations drive innova-tion, and innovation meanschange

• High expectations, translatedinto definable goals, also createtheir own discipline

• Self-discipline occurs when peo-ple have a clear idea of what theleadership of the companyexpects from them

II. The Bottom Line

Methods to Increase Employee ProductivityCreate incentives such as:

• Have people share profits that come from increased productivity

• Performance reviews

• Letters of commendation

• Team meeting celebrations

• Write-up in company newsletters

• A simple “thank you”

III. Must-Have Tools for Measuring ProductivityEnsuring productivity and growthis an ongoing process that should bemonitored on a daily basis.

• Each person should receive anannual formal evaluation as wellas a quarterly review in order toensure that this progression isoccurring

• People can set measurable objec-tives and then have periodicmeetings to determine how theyare or are not working towardthem

• At the end of the year, they arethen appraised on how well theymet those goals

• On a macro basis, other pointscan be measured, such as salesand earnings per associate

IV. The Golden Rules of The People FactorRecruiting and keeping talentedpeople is the real art of management.

• Create an open environmentwhere people feel free to shareand take risks

• Leadership takes passion, com-mitment, boldness, and self-

confidence, qualities innate inleaders

• Communicate your vision, pas-sion, and desire to win

• Your message also has to be con-sistent

• If you have to break with thepast, make sure people under-stand why

V. Essential Take-Aways Help employees manage stressthrough:

• Employee assistance and work-life programs

• Making a difference and havingfun doing it �

© Books24x7, 2005 Ideas to Build Upon & Action Points ExecBlueprints 10

Ideas to Build Upon & Action Points

© Books24x7, 2005 Ideas to Build Upon & Action Points ExecBlueprints 11

Ideas to Build Upon & Action Points (continued)

ExecBlueprints is a subscription-based offering from Books24x7, a SkillSoft Company, for more information on subscribingsee: www.books24x7.com.

10 KEY QUESTIONS AND DISCUSSION POINTS

How do you measure employee productivity?

How do you manage workers who simply slower?

Without increasing the length of the working day, what are three methods you use toincrease employee productivity?

With employee productivity in mind, how do you keep the human side alive and well, andprevent employees from feeling they are simply cogs in a machine?

What pitfalls should you watch for when trying to increase employee productivity?

How do you sustain year to year gains in employee productivity?

What units of measure are used in assessing employee productivity?

What sort of incentives have proven successful in increasing employee productivity?

What technologies are either being employed or will be employed in the next year that willdirectly impact employee productivity?

Where is productivity headed in the next 12 months? Are companies in general working atcapacity? Where is there potential for growth?

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