42 replies to this topic

[Najib TAHIRI]

Hi, dude, I got a question what is the biggest problem for your company?

[Hank Major]

Keeping track of paperwork.

[bakeryscience]

Sanitation department, mostly due to old habits/company culture. We've made some major improvements, but still have a long way to go.

[Najib TAHIRI]

Sanitation department, mostly due to old habits/company culture. We've made some major improvements, but still have a long way to go.

 

can you be more specific what you mean by the old habits/company culture, can you give me some examples

[bakeryscience]

Sure thing. Before I started, there we not many systems in place, so all of the changes I've made really took most employees by surprise (although in general, everyone has adjusted and understood the reasoning behind the changes). They were used to doing things a certain way for 25+ years before I made changes.

For example: hats used to be used instead of hairnets, employees could wear their uniform or any t-shirt from home, there was no food safety plan or HACCP plan, food and personal items were allowed on the production floor, no internal audits, no checklists for the sanitation department to follow and therefore no accountability. The production floor also used to have a back door that was used by all employees and contractors that leads in directly from the parking lot. Now that door is locked and all employees use the front door (which leads into a lobby) and open it with a key fob. All visitors and contractors must ring the front doorbell and check in before coming into the facility.

[Plastic Ducky]

The daily battle between the forces of darkness and light for the culture of cGMPs on (my) production floor so blatantly partisan that they appear systemically recognized and simultaneously ignored and overlooked. 

 

Do you have two  or more tribes on your production floor? Clicks? Personal hierarchy not sanctioned by the "ORG-CHART"?

 

  

 

Ok,

I am gonna apologize and meditate.

[Najib TAHIRI]

Keeping track of paperwork.

 

Can you be a little more specific ? and how long has this been a challenge for you ? have you tried anything to fix this ? if you do nothing, what happens ?

[Ryan M.]

Employee engagement in their position and lack of accountability.  Leadership is very lax on accountability.

 

We've had a large number of quality issues with our products just because employees are too lax which stems from leadership not holding them accountable.  Example, last night 42 pallets of product have to be disposed of because an employee wasn't engaged.  They were sitting in their chair in their area on their phone even though we have a no phone policy.

Leadership tends to look the other way and not engage the employee and hold them accountable.

[Najib TAHIRI]

Employee engagement in their position and lack of accountability.  Leadership is very lax on accountability.

 

We've had a large number of quality issues with our products just because employees are too lax which stems from leadership not holding them accountable.  Example, last night 42 pallets of product have to be disposed of because an employee wasn't engaged.  They were sitting in their chair in their area on their phone even though we have a no phone policy.

Leadership tends to look the other way and not engage the employee and hold them accountable.

 

Why hasn't anyone taken care of this ? how long has this been a challenge ? How does this directly effect you ?

[zanorias]

Hi Najib, 

 

I hope you don't mind me asking the aim this question? It's only that I notice you are asking responses to be more specific, give examples etc. Is there a specific type of information you are looking for? If some context is provided perhaps the responses can be more tailored to your intent.

 

Anyway, for me (assuming you want a food safety related problem) it would be senior commitment and resource allocation.

[mahantesh.micro]

The biggest problem i have seen in my career is "We are doing it from so many years, why you want to change (Improve)". People do not want improvement/positive changes, they just stick on to the old practice; e.g. senior staff or supervisor says "we are not wearing shoe covers from so many years, now why are you asking me to wear shoe cover??  it does not make any difference??

 

regards

Mahantesh

[zanorias]

The biggest problem i have seen in my career is "We are doing it from so many years, why you want to change (Improve)". People do not want improvement/positive changes, they just stick on to the old practice; e.g. senior staff or supervisor says "we are not wearing shoe covers from so many years, now why are you asking me to wear shoe cover??  it does not make any difference??

 

regards

Mahantesh

 

This approach irritates me to no end. Firstly, something not happening previously does not mean it will not. Secondly, new information emerges, standards and requirements change. I sometimes have this difficultly with staff in my company who have been there decades, and have trouble recognising that what they did 20 years ago is not acceptable today. "Well I've taken my own pen into the factory for  the past 20 years..."   

[Najib TAHIRI]

Hi Najib, 

 

I hope you don't mind me asking the aim this question? It's only that I notice you are asking responses to be more specific, give examples etc. Is there a specific type of information you are looking for? If some context is provided perhaps the responses can be more tailored to your intent.

 

Anyway, for me (assuming you want a food safety related problem) it would be senior commitment and resource allocation.

 

I ask for more specific answers, to understand the main cause of the problem and to solve it or if someone of the experts who are with us can recommend effective solutions. You will notice that the answers will be clearly and effectively. I hope to be an active member and share your experience with us and if for example already solve one of these problems to share it. Thanks 

[Najib TAHIRI]

This approach irritates me to no end. Firstly, something not happening previously does not mean it will not. Secondly, new information emerges, standards and requirements change. I sometimes have this difficultly with staff in my company who have been there decades, and have trouble recognising that what they did 20 years ago is not acceptable today. "Well I've taken my own pen into the factory for  the past 20 years..."   

 

This approach irritates me to no end. Firstly, something not happening previously does not mean it will not. Secondly, new information emerges, standards and requirements change. I sometimes have this difficultly with staff in my company who have been there decades, and have trouble recognising that what they did 20 years ago is not acceptable today. "Well I've taken my own pen into the factory for  the past 20 years..."   

 

The biggest problem i have seen in my career is "We are doing it from so many years, why you want to change (Improve)". People do not want improvement/positive changes, they just stick on to the old practice; e.g. senior staff or supervisor says "we are not wearing shoe covers from so many years, now why are you asking me to wear shoe cover??  it does not make any difference??

 

regards

Mahantesh

 

In our changing world our brain still wired to function in a pre-historical setting constantly screening our surroundings for possible threats and avoiding bad encounters.

 

One of the most effective survival strategies is to repeat what has been successful in the past. This turns us into creatures who like repetition like habits because if we’ve been doing an activity over and over it means it’s safe. This is the normal mode. This is what our brain is programmed to do. Now when we as managers as leaders we ask our team to do things differently, our brain on a subconscious level is interpreting things as a possible threat. Change is a source of danger of discomfort. It activates our reptilian brain and generates stress.

 

One point I would like to highlight here purely from a brain perspective is that if you want your people to embrace change you will have to get them out of their reptilian brain it’s about taking the perceived danger away. We are not the enemy we’re here to help. We’re on their side. Remember one way to do that is to get people out of their limbic system by having them think for themselves give them the elements and let them draw the conclusions for themselves.

Edited by Charles.C, 06 July 2019 - 11:01 PM.
formatted

[Ryan M.]

Why hasn't anyone taken care of this ? how long has this been a challenge ? How does this directly effect you ?

 

Well two reasons in my mind....

 

1. Leadership isn't held accountable, so they don't hold their persons accountable. 
2. It hasn't really hit the company hard.  From an operations perspective we are "kicking ass on so many fronts" that even with the quality issues they aren't seen as a real big deal.  Sure everyone gripes about them, but they don't do anything effective to eliminate them.  They all point to quality to fix it, yet all the issues are driven by the operations folks.  I guess if I could put a QA person at each position to shadow operations, it might fix it, HA.  Most people just don't get that.  I was asked last night why don't we do quality checks every 15 minutes instead of every hour.  lol  I would have to triple the personnel in my department for that.

[aab93]

 

Well two reasons in my mind....

 

1. Leadership isn't held accountable, so they don't hold their persons accountable. 
2. It hasn't really hit the company hard.  From an operations perspective we are "kicking ass on so many fronts" that even with the quality issues they aren't seen as a real big deal.  Sure everyone gripes about them, but they don't do anything effective to eliminate them.  They all point to quality to fix it, yet all the issues are driven by the operations folks.  I guess if I could put a QA person at each position to shadow operations, it might fix it, HA.  Most people just don't get that.  I was asked last night why don't we do quality checks every 15 minutes instead of every hour.  lol  I would have to triple the personnel in my department for that.

 

 

I absolutely agree with this and I would also like to add that food safety (in my company) hasn't been decentralized. When I bring up the need to perform traceability exercises with the inventory department - they look at me in disbelief and say "well isn't that YOUR job?" I can't help but want to respond with "Actually - this is YOUR job." They do all the work already, they have the system in place and the resources at their fingertips - when I ask them to exercise the system to see if it is effective they look at me like I am asking them to do something completely foreign. It's frustrating and very discouraging at the moment - I am a one-woman food safety team at this point and it's all too much for one person to handle. I only have two years of experience in this QA Supervisor position and frankly I don't know if I can handle this much longer - judging from the responses on this thread so far I see that I am not alone in this battle. But still, I don't understand how some people accumulate so many years of experience in the food safety field and yet stay so committed - any advice for an up and coming food safety professional?

[Ryan M.]

I absolutely agree with this and I would also like to add that food safety (in my company) hasn't been decentralized. When I bring up the need to perform traceability exercises with the inventory department - they look at me in disbelief and say "well isn't that YOUR job?" I can't help but want to respond with "Actually - this is YOUR job." They do all the work already, they have the system in place and the resources at their fingertips - when I ask them to exercise the system to see if it is effective they look at me like I am asking them to do something completely foreign. It's frustrating and very discouraging at the moment - I am a one-woman food safety team at this point and it's all too much for one person to handle. I only have two years of experience in this QA Supervisor position and frankly I don't know if I can handle this much longer - judging from the responses on this thread so far I see that I am not alone in this battle. But still, I don't understand how some people accumulate so many years of experience in the food safety field and yet stay so committed - any advice for an up and coming food safety professional?

 

I have stuck with it for 20 years because at this point it is "really all I know" or "am an expert on".  It can be a lucrative and rewarding career choice.  I can tell you based on the various experiences with different companies and under different leaders once you find a great company, with a great culture, and work under a good leader DO NOT LEAVE.  Those are very rare to find.  I'm lucky to have found it two times.  The first time I was young and dumb enough to think I could find a less stressful environment without the same challenge.  The second time I relocated to be close to family.

 

Now I work with a company that has a good culture overall, even though accountability is lacking. under a terrible leader/manager.  If you have to choose between the two, take a great leader / manager any day.  They can make your job easier even though the daily plant may frustrate the heck out of you.

 

Oh...and when you think you've dug deep enough with people, keep asking why....  I still slap myself in the face by putting "too much trust in others".  I have to continually ask why and stress basic things over and over.  It is a hard thing to do consistently because you really want to treat everyone like an adult, but sometimes you have to treat them like children.

Edited by Ryan M., 09 July 2019 - 09:32 PM.

[zanorias]

It's frustrating and very discouraging at the moment - I am a one-woman food safety team at this point and it's all too much for one person to handle. I only have two years of experience in this QA Supervisor position and frankly I don't know if I can handle this much longer - judging from the responses on this thread so far I see that I am not alone in this battle. But still, I don't understand how some people accumulate so many years of experience in the food safety field and yet stay so committed - any advice for an up and coming food safety professional?

 

I think it definitely helps to work with people who are in the same boat, are passionate about food safety & quality and equally as frustrated with the activities and attitudes of other staff that seems more common place than we'd like. Like you I've only been in my role 2 and a half years and relatively new to the field, but I've been fortunate in both jobs I've had so far to have managers that are agreeable and supportive. I remember my first week here one of the production managers said to me "You're eager aren't you. Give it a few months and you'll stop caring like the rest of us." I'm glad to say that we've put a lot of work into the culture over the past couple years and things are much improved, but it would have been very tough to do it alone, so I sympathise that you are a 1 person army. I can't really advise from a position of experience as others here will be able to, but I am glad that you have found this site at least so have some like minded company, if only virtual, and hopefully you'll soon find a working environment that supports your cause and offers some satisfaction.

[jiljilbean]

biggest problem?

 

does laziness count?

The "its just a job" attitude

oh and on of my favorites.....that's not my job...why should I help? lol  But...I want a raise! lol  

[jperri]

Sure thing. Before I started, there we not many systems in place, so all of the changes I've made really took most employees by surprise (although in general, everyone has adjusted and understood the reasoning behind the changes). They were used to doing things a certain way for 25+ years before I made changes.

For example: hats used to be used instead of hairnets, employees could wear their uniform or any t-shirt from home, there was no food safety plan or HACCP plan, food and personal items were allowed on the production floor, no internal audits, no checklists for the sanitation department to follow and therefore no accountability. The production floor also used to have a back door that was used by all employees and contractors that leads in directly from the parking lot. Now that door is locked and all employees use the front door (which leads into a lobby) and open it with a key fob. All visitors and contractors must ring the front doorbell and check in before coming into the facility.

 

Our facility has the exact same problems!

 

I have been here for a short period of time working towards an SQF Certification... I am the only food safety representative for our company. Although our company is small it can be overwhelming when creating all of the documentation and trying to implement changes. The owners do support me however, sometimes my "food safety to do list" is put on the back burner since they are always busy, delaying my plans and progress.

 

On top of starting from scratch in regards to food safety, we do have a language barrier as almost all production workers speak and understand little English. It has been difficult trying to implement changes effectively and efficiently since many have been with the company for over 10 years and have adopted poor habits. 

 

Changing company culture and instilling new habits are the biggest challenges (as of right now).

Edited by jperri, 10 July 2019 - 11:34 AM.

[larissaj]

Money, the owner doesnt want to spend money so I always have to go the cheap route. 

[Sharon (Dewsbury)]

WOW!

you got a lot of responses.

Getting people to complete paperwork, and doing it correctly and consistently once your back is turned. If you don't revisit this time after time they stop doing it again. 

[classic]

Department Managers releasing employees for training and Internal Auditors returning completed audits as per the schedule

[Najib TAHIRI]

WOW!

you got a lot of responses.

Getting people to complete paperwork, and doing it correctly and consistently once your back is turned. If you don't revisit this time after time they stop doing it again. 

 

 

Hi dude how are you doing today? they don't complete the paperwork cause they don't know the why? is not it, 

Edited by Najib TAHIRI, 11 July 2019 - 01:32 PM.

[AHJ]

All our projects die. Everyone (management) is so enthusiastic for the first month or so and then it's like it never happened and we back pedal on everything. Doesn't matter what kind of program/project it is. There is no goal oriented culture and everything seems to end up half done and 'in working progress' for years.