And the survey says …

Matt Sink: “We?re trying to walk a mile in their shoes.?

Last year the senior leadership of Mickey Truck Bodies conducted 2 employee surveys designed to ?help us become better manufacturers,? says Matt Sink, Manufacturing Manager. ?What better way to become better manufacturers than by talking to the people doing the manufacturing. We?re trying to walk a mile in their shoes.?

The surveys covered a range of topics, including the work environment and conditions, employee opportunities, job expectations, training and Mickey Truck Body?s manufacturing philosophy. ?As a company, we?re always looking for ways to improve our safety, quality and productivity,? explains Sink. ?If we do all three things, we will become better manufacturers.?

According to Sink, the survey results ?were not surprising, but eye opening. We need to focus on certain areas that were common threads across all the Mickey teams.?

Mickey has already begun implementing several of the survey suggestions, from developing a better system for managing tools to improved lighting and air flow systems in the plants. The company also extended break times and made access to snack and drink machines more convenient.

?Employees came in with some very positive and realistic feedback that we could act on quickly,? says Sink. ?Not only are they happy with the changes we?re making so far, they?re also happy to know that we?re listening. Happy employees make great employees.?

The key now is to ?keep working on the ?to do? list and report on our progress. We?re also going to be very transparent with the employees ? tell them what we can and cannot do,? Sink explains. ?Once we make a big enough dent in our current list, we?ll take another survey. We?re not going to keep adding to the list without taking things off the list.?