During 2007 the Treadway Tire Company had produced approximately 25,000 passenger and light truck tires per day. About 1,120 people were employed at the Lima, Ohio location; 970 hourly and 150 were salary. The Lima Plant undergone $100 million dollar expansion and modernization which enabled the plant to increase capacity and utilize new manufacturing technology. Due to the modernization Lima had become one of the company top plants for productivity and quality ratings. In 2006 Treadway closed its Greensville, South Carolina plant, which were plagued by outdated equipment, and move all its volume to the Lima location. As a result Lima shifted to 24 hours a day, seven days a week, with four rotating shifts. Most employees work 12 hour shifts. The hourly production employees were supervised by 50 salaried line foreman. The foreman role was the largest at Lima; they were involved in the three phases of rubber component preparation, tire assembly, and curing/final finish. Line foreman also had to manage union and administration procedures. They documented employee disciplinary action and negotiated work standards with union reps. At the end of their shifts foreman spent time scheduling hourly employees, approving vacation requests, checking time sheets and solving payroll issues. Morale was a problem at the Lima Plant. Out of 50 line foreman 23 had turnover in 2007 at the Lima Plant. An employee satisfaction survey was conducted in 2007 and exit interviews of departing foreman. The survey found dissatisfaction in the plant and concerns about the line foreman position. The line foreman felt they were powerless, they complained of not having enough tools to the complete the job, not enough workers: employees would call out sick, powerless when they discipline an employee because the union representative sends them back to work with no explanation to the foreman. The line foreman was paid well according to industry standards. The selection process began when jobs were posted on bulletin boards in the plant and on the company intranet site. There was no formal training for the new line foreman. They were evaluated annually in a performance review. They were judged on their ability to meet forecasts and management of their hourly employees. There were many problems at the Treadway Tire Company. Most of the problems were because they had little to no system in place. The company needs to address a couple of issues: high foreman turnover, long shifts, too many roles of the foreman, too many targets to meet, equipment not working, lack of communication between foreman and union representative, foreman feelings of no authority, and the informal training system. According to Diener, Oishi & Lucas (2003) subjective well being is the way individuals form judgments about their life satisfaction, fulfillment and satisfaction with domains such as marriage and work. In my opinion if the individuals at the Treadway Tire Company were given a job satisfaction survey based on their subjective well being the results would be low. In the case of the Treadway Tire outcome long shifts will affect workers productivity, high foreman turnover will bring employee morale down which too will affect workers productivity.
In Harter, Schmidt & Keyes (2002) review of well being in the workplace and its relationship to business outcomes they noted basic needs in the workplace starts with clarity of expectations and basic materials and equipment. They noted it is also important employees feel that they are contributing to the company. Lastly, they noted a sense of belonging to the company is an important element of employee engagement and a basic human need. The employees at Treadway Tire Company felt none of the above, the individuals did not get formal training of their jobs, and they had no idea of what was expected of them. The only thing they knew was they had to meet the target numbers. How they arrived at the benchmark number was no concern to the company. Sometimes the equipment would not work at the start of the shifts and it was up to the line foreman to get it repaired, although some equipment would be down they were still expected to produce. The employees at Treadway didn’t feel as if they were contributing to the company, they didn’t get recognition, they only received a performance appraisal yearly which wasn’t a detailed review of their job, how they were doing and how they can perform better to get to the next level in the company. They didn’t have a sense of belonging to the company, when decisions were made the employee’s opinions were not heard. In previous research it is noted organizations whose employees have higher levels of commitment show higher performance and productivity and lower levels of absenteeism and tardiness (Cohen, 2003). It can definitely be said the employees of Treadway Tire Company did not have commitment to the organizations, this why we see a high employee turnover. We see high levels of absenteeism and tardiness based on the employees 12 hour shifts.

Action Plan The first step is for the Treadway Tire Company to implement a formal training of all employees. As a result the supervisors and line foreman wouldn’t have to make decisions as they arise. There would be procedures already in place. We would see a more uniform supervisory role. The hourly employees would also know what is expected of them. The training for the supervisors and line foreman should consist of plant operations, phases of production and quality assurance. Secondly, the line foreman should be trained on the correct way to interact with the union representatives. Lastly, all employees should be trained on the machinery. If all the employees knows what is expected of them they would feel a sense of belonging to the company and their commitment to the company will be high. Instead of two 12 hour shift, the company should implement three 8 hour shifts. This will reduce burnout; it will also reduce absenteeism and tardiness. Although, I know this will require hiring more employees which will add to cost. As a result, worker productivity will be higher which will lead to better business outcomes. Lastly, the job of the foreman should be reduced; the line foreman has too many roles. In my opinion if the foreman had an assistant he or she could focus on meeting target goals. The assistant could possibly be one of the employees, he can take one or two hours out of the day to do the administrative work the line foreman handles. This will reduce burnout of the foreman which will reduce the high foreman turnover. If the Treadway tire company implements the few changes as noted above, the company will see an increase in employee morale, a reduction in absenteeism, a reduction in line foreman turnover and higher overall production.

References

Cohen, A. (2003). Multiple commitments in the workplace. Lawrence Erlbaum and Associates. Chapter 2
Diener, E. Oishi, S. & Lucas, R.E. (2003). Personality, Culture, and subjective well-being: Emotional and Cognitive Evaluations of Life. Annual Review of Psychology, 403-425.
Harter, J.K., Schmidt, F.L., & Keyes, C.L.M. (2002). Well-being in the workplace and its relationship to business outcomes: A review of the gallup studies. In C.L. Keyes & Haidt, J. (Eds). Flourishing: Positive Psychology and the Life Well-Lived. APA Publishing.
Skinner, W. & Beckham, H. (2008). The Treadway Tire Company: Job dissatisfaction and High turnover at the Lima Tire Plant. Case 2189