Why don't people care about quality on the job?
For some, a job is part of what life is all about. Call it a career or a calling. For these folks, doing the best they are able to do is important. The inner satisfaction that comes from this is very important, in addition, of course, to recognition and other forms of compensation and rewards. ybarra-cgm.com
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For others, the job is just a means to an end. It is the way a person makes money to finance her/his life. For these folks, economic compensation is very important, moreso than job satisfaction which might not exist.
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Employers control their workforce by recruiting and keeping the types of employees they want. They also make use of economic compensation and recognition to reward behaviors they value and penalize those they do not.
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Paying employees for performance is commonplace. "Piece work" is a simple example of this. Performance bonuses are much in the news with respect to bankers these days. But, bonuses allow a company to reward employees for meritorious performance, however they choose to define that. copyright ybarra-cgm
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Some companies use overly simplistic metrics. For example, if you and I worked alongside each other making tires, and if we were paid an amount per tire produced, you might produce 100 tires in a certain period. They would all be perfectly made. I might theoretically be able to produce 125 tires in the same timeframe. But, the quality consistency of my tires might be at a 70% level. That would make me 25% more money than you; but, it would raise the risk of safety issues considerably. If the company employed a simplistic compensation formula per tire, they are encouraging quality lapses at least as much as I (in our example) am responsible for executing the quality lapses. ybarra-cgm.com
Now, picture another simplistic situation where the company employs a quality control department to inspect every tire produced. If I am penalized for producing bad tires as a byproduct of this, there would be an economic quality incentive built into the compensation system.
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Of course, my illustration is simplistic. I doubt a manufacturer will physically inspect every tire. It probably will do so randomly. Moreover, if workers impound quality into the process instead of relying only on quality control after the tires have been made, they can produce better products without as much cost from bad tires that need to be scrapped.
In reality, a company interested in quality will make it "job one" from the top on down. Executives in such a company will have quality metrics in their bonus formulas. And, employees will be managing their activities in alignment with the company’s overall quality goals, rather than depending upon the goodwill of rare employees like you. copyright ybarra-cgm
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So, practically, for workers to be made to care about quality--defined by the company and its customers--the boss/CEO needs to publicly value quality and the compensation system must reflect it. ybarra-cgm.com
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If an employee is paid by the hour or by seniority, the employer will reap the consequences. I have worked for a company which was as close to a meritocracy as I have seen in business. It is tough. In theory, everyone loves it. It rewards people who deserve to be rewarded. But, if designed and implemented right, there is no place to hide.
As for quality defects that contribute to safety issues, I’d say the company needs to get on top of this fast. Look at how Toyota, with all of its quality systems, is getting raked over the coals these days. The rest of the US auto industry and their suppliers need to look out...I think they are next...I’ll bet the shredders are on overdrive in Detroit these days... copyright ybarra-cgm
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PS--I am not an attorney. So, I don’t know anything about legal liability for known safety problems that aren’t acted on. I am not necessarily suggesting you lose your job by becoming a whistleblower. But, be careful. I am glad you don’t use your real name. Perhaps I am being paranoid. But, maybe choosing an avatar which isn’t a photo/self portrait might be prudent.
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All the best to you. I will be buying a new set of tires in the not too distant future. I sure hope I get the ones made by you. :) Kumho Solus KR21 vs. Pirelli P4...I'd be interested in the opinion of one who knows a lot about tires. The Kumho is much cheaper. I believe Kumho is deep discounting tires to buy market share and brand awareness. ybarra-cgm.com
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