At MAU, our first core value is “We Live Safety”! In order to get the most out of your contract workforce, we feel that safety must be a top priority for all employees.
Workforce Insights
Not Forgotten Tried and True Methods for Cultivating Workplace Safety
by Erin Tovo | February 5, 2014 2:43:00 PM | Workforce Insights
In today’s modern world where creativity, ingenuity and pursuit of the “new” and “different” rule our psyche, do we hastily devalue classics? Are the Proven, Tried and True too often passed over for the unique “new thing” that nobody has thought of yet?
Is There a Fundamental Misunderstanding of Kaizen?
by Erin Tovo | January 22, 2014 2:37:00 PM | Workforce Insights
The risk that we need to avoid here is looking for the ‘’breakthrough’ in one big step. Not only is this almost always impossible, but it is dangerous. A new term has recently been added to the lean vocabulary: Kaikaku. While kaizen is a focused incremental change for the best, Kaikaku means making fundamental and radical changes to a production system.
Focusing on “Why” as Opposed to “What”
by Erin Tovo | November 5, 2013 2:16:00 PM | Workforce Insights
I want to take a moment and challenge you to look at the why first as opposed to the what. Often when driving a lean continuous improvement project you can hit some negativity or proverbial wall which is hard to pass thru. When this happens, shift your focus from looking at what went wrong and what changes we can make to prevent it from happening again but rather to the why value proposition. Starting with the why process is important to further the relationship and impact to the real value added. By focusing on the why before looking at the 8 wastes you are in a better position to define real value and lead the team to find the what.
Lean Defense
by Erin Tovo | October 8, 2013 1:03:00 PM | Workforce Insights
I love to take analogies from sports and apply the successful concepts to lean and continuous improvement. This one may require you to stretch your mind a little, but I believe you will agree consistency of commitment over time is critical in all that we do to be successful. It’s an old cliché you hear repeated over and over, “Defense Win Championships”. The thing about defense is that it doesn’t take superstars, but a group of teammates with well-choreographed movements who end up eventually stifling the offense. Everyone loves the flashiness of offense, high scoring is more exciting, but in the end it comes down to defense.
“Can I Give You a Hand With That?”
by Erin Tovo | September 30, 2013 12:34:00 PM | Workforce Insights
Can I give you a hand with that? When I hear this always-welcome offer to lend assistance, I breathe a sigh of relief knowing that help has arrived. Hands are truly helpful, and it’s no surprise to me that the hands were the part of the human anatomy selected over all other parts to mean the same thing as “help” in this often-recited question. Here’s another popular acclamatory phrase that uses hands to symbolize praise: “Congratulations, let’s give him/her a hand!”
The Journey of Safety Continuous Improvement through Analytics
by Erin Tovo | August 20, 2013 12:12:00 PM | Workforce Insights
A good friend of mine, a safety professional, often tells me that his effectiveness as an ESH professional at his organization is coming to an end. You see, the company he serves has seen a fantastic improvement and they are nearing a zero-injury state. In my friend’s mind, his usefulness to the business for which he works is extinguishing as they approach achieving sustaining zero injuries.
Developing a Sustainable Lean Journey
by Erin Tovo | August 15, 2013 6:41:00 PM | Workforce Insights
Many leaders worry that their lean implementation efforts will not be sustainable. Therefore, let’s review efforts that will likely lead to sustainability of lean initiatives over time. Our first goal out of the box is to be willing to take pleasure in watching the development of the lean enterprise as it unfolds.
5S- Identifying Where to Begin
by Erin Tovo | June 25, 2013 11:15:00 AM | Workforce Insights
Your task is to make an impact on the company’s office processes using lean tools and developing a lean culture, but where do you begin?
Return of the Blame Zone
by Erin Tovo | May 18, 2013 3:59:00 AM | Workforce Insights
Shouting and arguing is no fun at all. One question that often leads to arguments between little kids is: “Who’s responsible for this mess?” This question is typically followed by little fingers accusingly pointing in different directions joined by shouting and arguing. I call this the “Blame Zone.”
Lean Is Not A One Size Fits All Journey
by Erin Tovo | May 2, 2013 3:50:00 AM | Workforce Insights
The interesting thing about continuous improvement is it will work for anyone, anywhere, all the time. (Caution where and how you apply it, as I will allude to often, use extreme caution is you try to apply lean tools at home.) One of the lessons I have learned over the past decade is to be open to outside input and always keep filling up your lean tool chest.
Every Resume Has “Lean”- What is “Lean”?
by Erin Tovo | March 21, 2013 3:13:00 AM | Workforce Insights
Lean is a spirit of transformation done by people for people. Its foundation is built upon fixing the problem, not affixing the blame.