PART 02 - Reliability cycle; workforce development

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Employee Life Cycle

An employee life cycle covers the steps employees go through from the time they are hired in an organization until they leave. This life cycle consists of four steps:

• Hire
• Inspire
• Admire
• Retire

Each stage is an important step in keeping employees motivated and productive in the organization.

Understanding the Generation Gap:

There is a shortage of skilled industrial workers, the people who operate and maintain sophisticated assets / systems on the plant floor, as well as engineering and management professionals. This shortage poses a serious threat to our industrial competitiveness. The shortage lies in the demographics as most veterans have left the work place and baby boomers are getting close to their retirement. Predominately four generations of workers co‐exist in today’s workplace. The following list reflects William Strauss and Neil Howe’s organization from their book Generations:

Silent     Born between 1925–1942
Baby Boom     Born between 1943–1960
Generation X     Born between 1961–1981
Generation Y     Born between 1982 – 2001

The differences between the generations create many challenges in the workplace. These challenges, which can be negative or positive, often relate to variations in perspective and goals as a result of generational differences. This area gets further complicated because of the age differences between managers and employees. Organizations can’t assume that people of varying ages will understand each other or have the same perspective and goals. In order to be successful, there is a need to understand and value the generational differences and perspectives and turn those negatives into positives.

Skills Development / Training:

The skill level of the maintenance personnel in most organizations today is well below what industry would classify as acceptable. The literacy level of many maintenance personnel is becoming a challenge. New entry‐level employees have shown a noticeable drop in basic math and reading skills. They have also shown a lack of interest in Operations and Maintenance related work.

Today’s assets and systems are increasingly complex. They require an educated and skilled workforce to operate and maintain them effectively. It has been determined by several studies that today’s craft person requires a minimum educational level of 12 years with additional vocational training to meet the work requirements.

Numerous studies have also shown that 70–80% of equipment failures are self induced; most of those are a result of human error. All human error failures can’t be blamed on education or skills, but they do make the problem worse.

A well‐developed training program based on job task analysis and maintenance skills assessment can provide the solution to inadequate maintenance skills availability. The training must be focused to produce results as quickly as possible and must also meet an organization’s long‐term goals. Maintenance training, when developed and implemented properly, can help organizations save money, increase productivity and product quality, and improve employee morale.

The training curriculum should include the following but not limited to:

• Regulatory and safety requirements, e.g. OSHA, EPA, FDA
• Technical
  
  • Asset /system — operation and maintenance To provide basic understanding of how an asset or system operates and how it interfaces with utilities and other assets. It may include minimum maintenance needs or operator‐required maintenance.
  • Specific repair techniques and technology To provide new repair techniques or technology‐related training, e.g., hydraulic servo valves, vibration, ultrasonic, and laser alignment.
  • Professional development RCM, FMEA, 6‐Sigma tools, blueprint reading, etc.

• Organization specific, i.e. process related — how to write work orders or requests for material, company diversity policy, etc.

Certification and Qualification

Organizations want their people to have a good understanding and appropriate skills in the M&R field in order to help them to become more efficient and effective. How do we know that they, the employees, have the required knowledge? How do we assess that knowledge? Did they comprehend the proper use of M&R tools and best practices during training sessions? Certification is a means to assess required knowledge or set of skills in a specific field.

Why do organizations need to get their people certified? What value does a certification provide? These are the questions raised by many organizations. One answer is “Can we afford not to get certified?” According to the U.S. Department of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics Outlook Handbook 2008/9 edition, “Many employers regard certifications as the industry standard.” Certification measures and evaluates an employee’s understanding of a body of knowledge in a specific area with a standard knowledge that has been established by an appropriate industrial or academic body. Most of the certifying organizations are either professional societies or educational institutions. Some of them have their certifying process comply with and approved by the American National Standard Institute (ANSI) and International Standards Organizations (ISO).

Certification in the M&R area, e.g., CMRP by SMRP, or Vibration Analyst X by Vibration

Institute indicates that a successful applicant has the following attributes:

• Demonstrated knowledge in M&R field — concept and implementation
• Equipped with the skills to perform in specific area effectively

Employers of certified employees should be confident that they have individuals or new certified employees being hired who have proven themselves, possess the skill sets necessary for success, and have met a specific certification standard.

Certifications can be grouped in four major classifications:

0. Asset / System Level
0. M&R Technologies
0. Professionals / Managers

0. Plant /Facility Level