Trust Built at Truss Plant

Ninety-one percent of the 109 employees of Timber Roots Wadena, voted to adopt the first Scanlon Plan in their industry. Scanlon Plans while creating higher quality and increased productivity create better places to work.

Wadena, MN (PRWEB)January 21, 2006 -- Ninety-one percent of the 109 employees of Timber Roots, Wadena recently voted to adopt the first Scanlon Plan in their industry. Created by the employees of Timber Roots their “COOL” (Customers, Operators, Owners on a Level playing field) Plan explains how information is shared, how employees are involved in decision making, how the needs of the stakeholders will be met and how employees can increase their competency.

Scanlon Plans are named after Joe Scanlon, a steelworker and MIT lecturer who pioneered employee involvement practices in the 1940-50’s. Scanlon realized that trust is best built by sharing information, listening to employee ideas and providing a bonus when customer and investor needs are met. Many of the “most admired” and “best places to work” have followed Scanlon’s ideas. Workplaces where employees trust their leaders and co-workers have higher employee retention, productivity, customer satisfaction, and quality.

Plant Manager Paul Eidenschink said it is important to provide financial and productivity information because “Without providing feed-back to employees, it’s like playing a basketball game without keeping score. It just becomes a drill and they don’t know what it takes to succeed… They need to see the results of their efforts.”

Since adopting Scanlon ideas Timber Roots Employees have generated over 200 plant improvement suggestions, designed new training programs for plant operators and increased productivity by over 10%.

According to Paul Eidenschink “The front line employees clearly know their job better than anyone else, and can do many things if they understand what’s required of them.”

Timber Roots-Wadena and sister plants in Mitchell, South Dakota and Haywarden, Iowa are members of the nonprofit Scanlon Leadership Network, a group of companies that share Scanlon related best practices. Members of the Network assisted in helping Wadena develop their Scanlon Plan.

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