Suggestion
Program Success
by Jim Collison
What does a
lunchroom napkin have to do with saving $70-million? Let Sue Parent
tell you.
Parent, the
Employee Program Specialist for the Fingerhut Corporation, St. Cloud,
MN, said the firm's IMPACT Suggestion Program involved all of the
company's 10,500 employees in four states. She worked with 52 committees
in Minnesota, Tennessee, Florida and Utah. The committees were made
up of employees, with one project manager.
"Employees
get a sense of leadership and control. That's what makes our program
a success," says Parent. "The target group for the IMPACT
program is our hourly employees."
Suggestion
Program Success
Parent particularly
liked one suggestion that two employees submitted written on a lunchroom
napkin.The idea came
from a consolidator and a sorter who had lunch together one day.
They decided that if they combined their efforts it could reduce
handling time. The suggestion was a successful one.
Another successful
suggestion program idea: How to put pay charts into the pay envelopes.
The pay charts had been folded, then inserted into the envelope.
One employee asked why the charts had to be folded when they fit
into the envelope unfolded. This suggestion alone saved the company
$14,000!
This is exactly
how Parent and Fingerhut wanted their employees thinking. “We
want the employees to continually be looking to see how they can
do their job better,” she said.
Fingerhut used some simple, but obviously effective ways to reward
employees for their suggestions…in a program that saved $70-million
over 19 years.
Suggestion
Program Awards
The company
made up its own lottery tickets. When an employee submitted a suggestion
they received a lottery ticket and could win cash or various gifts.
When an employee completed their first project, they received a
watch from the company.
Said Parent,
"Credit goes to the employees for the success of our IMPACT
suggestion program. Not everyone can be a leader, but this allows
them to play a leadership role.” |
