There’s one more quarter left in 2013 – one more opportunity to ensure that your annual plan for maximum productivity and product value is on target. Now is the time to take a good, hard look at your value chain, maximize and reinforce its strong links, and repair the weak ones.

Strengths & Weaknesses
Your strengths are the competencies critical to your company’s competitive advantage – and as an HR leader, your role is to hire the right people to ensure superiority in:

  • Production, quality, cost control and delivery.
  • Sales, marketing and after-sale capabilities.
  • Design, research and development.
  • Innovation throughout the value stream flow.
  • Technology in operations and proactive maintenance and engineering.

Your weaknesses are the constraints that hinder these competencies.

Evaluating strengths and weaknesses means looking at every aspect of the manufacturing process – from component prep and scheduling through warehousing and delivery. And of course, it all starts with people.

Take a look at your team, as the most critical element of your value stream analysis. Does an employee provide the needed value to boost your company’s competitive edge? If so, then continue to develop and recognize them – more so if necessary as the year draws to a close. For those falling short of goals, development and recognition remain critical, but zero in on what needs to change. This would be a good time for a one-on-one meeting to clear up any misunderstandings and get them back on track.

Hiring for Maximum Productivity
Hiring the right candidate is critical. The need to rehire is crippling in terms of budget, time and morale. For maximum effectiveness, efficiency and productivity, get it right the first time.

  • Great people make great companies. Create and follow hiring standards, processes and procedures. Don’t leave hiring decisions up to instinct, chance or luck. Studies have shown that only half of employees hired based on resumes, interviews and “gut feelings” are still with their companies a year later, performing as expected.
  • About those performance standards: Set – and stick to – minimum productivity standards for every position. Put them in writing. This means creating more than just job descriptions. Your blueprint for the productivity of every person you hire should include at least five S.M.A.R.T. goals and objectives and five to 10 “success strategies” that they initiate on their own – with your support and feedback – to enhance performance.
  • Utilize your current employees. Encourage them to refer candidates to your company. Reward them when they succeed. New hires referred by current employees are more likely to be successful – and top-performing members of your existing workforce typically have high standards about those they want as colleagues.
  • Continually develop your high performers. It’s easier to take an employee achieving 100 percent of quota to 120 percent than it is to advance someone from 50 to 60 percent. Make sure you provide the resources, coaching and recognition they need and deserve, in order to keep your superstars at the top of their game as the calendar year winds down.

Finish 2014 strong when it comes to fine tuning your hiring and staff development objectives. For more tips on how to develop your greatest assets – your people – contact the expert team at Premium Staffing today.

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