Rising attrition is an issue that affects many industries. When it comes to making the necessary manpower available on a daily basis, tight weekly, quarterly, and annual targets leave no room for error. Human resources (HR) departments face two major obstacles as a result of unwelcomed attrition.
Continuous work should be done to:
- Reduce the time it takes to fill a work vacancy.
- Reduce the time and effort taken to complete a successful recruiting.
Total quality management (TQM) is used in this case to resolve these issues in a big, fast-moving consumer goods business in India.
TQM was introduced to the cross-functional project team members during a two-day quality awareness programme (including just-in-time [JIT], total quality control [TQC] and total employee involvement [TEI]). The issue was then addressed in fortnightly meetings using the seven steps of problem solving:
Step 1:
Define the Problem: The project team started by identifying the beginning and end of the process – in this case, the beginning and end of the recruitment process – as recommended by TQM. After some debate, the group decided to take over the process between HR receiving an email to start the recruitment process and an applicant receiving an offer in the mail.
Step 2 and Step 3:
Research the Causes/Generate Countermeasure Ideas: The process of improvement in JIT problems usually includes the following three steps;
- Make a diagram of the current state of the operation.
- To come up with countermeasure ideas, use JIT concepts.
- Draw a process map that includes both value-added and non-value-added operations.
The following are some of the most important JIT countermeasure ideas for reducing cycle time:
- Reduce the time between the completion of one task and the start of the next (typically 50% to 70% of cycle time), and
- NVA activities – activities that add time to the process but add little benefit – should be eliminated.
Step 4:
Test and Modify the Ideas: The first priority for the team was to reduce the amount of time people had to wait. A test was suggested to measure the potential for minimising waiting time: process one job opening with all team members briefed to not let the operation wait at their desks and to document how long it took to complete the necessary tasks. The team then focused on lowering NVA activities and rework. To prevent rework, the feasibility and scope of the initial candidate quest were improved. This concept was tested by considering one recruitment as a unique case and ensuring the shortest possible wait time in the process. Each team member kept track of how long it took them to complete each move.
Step 5:
Implement Ideas: The procedure was put in place for all potential hires. A graph was plotted to visually interpret the cycle time for each recruitment.
Step 6:
Standardize Procedures: The staff was instructed on how to follow the latest recruitment procedure. To prevent slack from creeping back into the process, regular monitoring of each recruitment was implemented. In addition, the cycle time of each recruitment was registered, and graphs were created to track the results. Any delays were investigated for root causes and remedied as needed.
Step 7:
Compile Quality Improvement Story: The company’s management team was given the quality enhancement tale to plan and present.
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