Is the people who makes the company, not the figure.

Today, I found out that one of my colleague Engineer decided to quit after working for around 3.5 years. He tendered his resignation letter early in the morning.

While his reason maybe to head back to KL to work since his wife is there but I believed one of the pull factor is the company management itself. Now our company I worked in has turned into a contract manufacturer from OEM business, everything is going haywire. While the top management kept hunting for new business revenues, they in return neglected the workers (cow included) that grew with the company.

Most of the people I see today at the office are mostly new intakes, employees that worked less than 1 year old. The management sacrifice workload in order to attain new businesses. They quoted lower operating price to customers by not hiring new staff. For example, one engineer or buyer can be overseeing several production line at one time.

We are pissed…

By default, if anyone’s attention is so widely distributed, surely performance will decrease, efficiency will be compromised, errors will spawn and not to mentioned worker’s quality of life will greatly be affected. These effect are rippled across the entire plant because every department is connected in someways.

If situation prolong, employees will be frustrated and will resort changing workplace like my friend did. To the corporate world, this event is measure as the turnover rate. The lower the better. But for my company, it is extremely high.

Dropping like flies…

I don’t remember how many have left since our corporate OEM company sold our tiny plant in Penang to the new company. But taking the figure by guess, it should be at least 30 exempt staff that comprises from technicians to directors. Some of them are close cow friend which the cow dearly miss their present. The company is no longer the same without them.

The management on the other hand, instead of acknowledging this fact, presses the remaining employee more. I for one case have been tightly squeezed lately, taking multiple project at one time. I clearly told the management, for the arrangement they did, they better be expected sub-par quality of work from me. The reason is simple, I can no longer focus on my work. A friend quoted my work scope similar to a GE, General Engineer.

A trip to the Borders…

Anyway, the cow and the pig visited Borders at QBM today as the pig wanted to look for Warren Buffet biography book. We got there after work and took a detour to Secret Recipe first to grab a bite since I am hungry. I just love Chocolate Banana cake they served! Yummy.

While the pig is hunting for her book, I started reading a few pages on a book titled How Toyota Became #1 (in terms of sales and profitability worldwide). I knew well how efficient Toyota manage their lean production but I never know that they (Toyota management) emphasize on quality of work for their employees. Toyota believes that a efficient, get it right approach and balanced workload will breed a quality workplace. They will compromise short term revenue issues for long term establishment.

Getting new businesses at the expense of higher employee turnover is bad decision.

From how I see it, my company is operating totally opposite from the leader in business management. Moving forward, I am heading the Toyota way and it says drives away at full speed from my current company.

To Miss Brantha (in far far away land) who is taking her CIMA exam tomorrow, the cow and pig wishes you the best of luck.