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During the planning phase for Saturn Corporation, the General Motors subsidiary located in Spring Hill, Tennessee, extensive learning and study went into the design of the work schedule for this Greenfield site. Relying on knowledge about Strategic Schedule Design™ gained from Round-The-Clock Systems's Managing Round-The-Clock Organizations® Seminar, the company's union/management planning group was intent upon breaking down the barriers created by seniority systems, and they viewed the work schedule as being a potential inhibitor to this organizational goal. Thus, the work schedule selected for the start-up of this operation was a rotating shift system designed to meet the specific operational requirements of this new automobile manufacturing company. Moreover, the work schedule was designed to be easily scaleable, providing from 120 hours to 168 hours of production capacity. Systems Approach to Organizational Support Saturn's planning group utilized a systems approach to its organizational design, so they understood that their work schedule decision would have an impact on other elements of the system, including the workforce. The president of the UAW local at Saturn was particularly clear about the need to install an organizational support structure for employees who would be working on this scaleable, rotating shift system. So, along with their critical decision about the type of work schedule needed, the planning group also made a commitment to assist Saturn employees in adjusting to their new shift schedule. Keep in mind that all shift employees hired by Saturn were UAW workers employed at other General Motors plants, and these facilities did not use rotating shift schedules. In fact, across three major operational groups at Saturn—Power Train/Die Cast, Vehicle Systems/VIS and Body Systems/Polymers—the average years of total shiftwork experience of initial hires was 14 years, while the average number of years on rotating shifts was 2.5 years. Some of these Saturn production employees had never worked night or rotating shifts. Capacity-Building Model of Shiftwork Education The key strategy that Saturn Corporation employed to fulfill its commitment to provide organizational support for shift employees was a capacity-building model of shiftwork education. First, in 1990-91, Saturn hired Round-The-Clock Systems to develop a shiftwork education program customized to its specific work schedule and work force. Senior staff at Round-The-Clock Systems collected extensive background information on the operation, including job designs, break structures, work practices, environmental conditions and specific work schedule features. In addition, survey data were collected from the first-phase employees to document the demographics as well as the current knowledge levels, lifestyle practices, health status and initial adjustment concerns of these Saturn shiftworkers. Both operational and employee data, then, were used by Round-The-Clock Systems to develop a customized version of its Shiftwork: How To Cope® Advanced Program. The author of this Program, Dr. Susan Koen, tested the customized program on a pilot population drawn from the three major operational groups at Saturn. The evaluation results indicated that these pilot project participants viewed the shiftwork education they received as extremely valuable. Specifically, 95% of the participants in the Shiftwork: How To Cope® Program reported that they learned new information. Ninety percent (90%) viewed the Shiftwork: How To Cope® Sourcebook as a valuable resource for their change efforts, and 87% reported that they intended to use the information contained in this Program to achieve successful lifestyle adjustment. Most importantly, three-quarters of Saturn shift employees completed this shiftwork education program with the attitude that they could adjust successfully to their rotating shift system. Motivation and commitment are critical factors in successful shiftwork lifestyle adjustment, and the Shiftwork: How To Cope® Advanced Program built both of these factors among Saturn shift employees. After the customized design was completed, the second step in this comprehensive Shiftwork Education Initiative was the design and delivery of an accompanying Train-The-Trainer Program. Saturn knew that its two-year hiring plan necessitated the delivery of shiftwork education across time. Additionally, the People Systems (Human Resources) team responsible for the execution of this comprehensive program recognized that they needed to have this content expertise internally, in order to deliver future new-hire training and also provide ongoing support and coaching for continuous shiftwork adjustment. Saturn Corporation identified two groups to become certified trainers through the customized Shiftwork: How To Cope® Train-The-Trainer Program; they were the 10 Wellness and Employee Assistance Specialists working at this site. A two-day Shiftwork: How To Cope® Train-The-Trainer Program was conducted to transfer the content and delivery expertise for this shiftwork education program from Round-The-Clock Systems staff to the designated People Systems specialists at Saturn. Over its initial two years of operation, Saturn Corporation solidified its commitment to shiftwork lifestyle education. All 6,000+ shift employees at Saturn received a minimum of four hours of customized lifestyle adjustment education. Moreover, in-plant classes and take-home materials were provided to shiftworkers' spouses to assist them in understanding and adjusting to their new work schedule. Finally, comprehensive Shiftworker's Sourcebooks were distributed to all Saturn shift employees to serve as ongoing resources for their lifestyle adjustment process. After the initial educational phase was completed, Saturn concentrated on follow-up education and support. The integration of shiftwork lifestyle information into the fabric of its safety, health/wellness, fitness and employee assistance program continued unabated, contributing significantly to the Company's success in meeting its initial five-year quality and productivity goals and achieving desired cost efficiencies. ← back to case studies |