THE MANAGER'S MEMO

FROM: H. Roadruck, Vice President, Pickle Production Division
TO: T. Phinney, Production Supervisor
RE: High Turnover

It has become increasingly apparent to me that turnover among the workers in our pickle production division is at an all-time high. Some figures I obtained from the human resources department show that my concerns are justified. Our workforce currently stands at 135; however, that number is dropping steadily, and the number of recent hires is low. The following losses for the past 12 months make this patently clear:

Within 5 years of hiring : 6
Within 1 year of hiring : 23
Within 6 months of hiring : 31
Within 1 month of hiring : 97

As these figures show, we are constantly replacing our production workforce. No company can afford to do this. Our wages are already above the industry average, so we cannot even consider paying higher wages. The numbers suggest that a lot of the people you are hiring are either unqualified or quickly become disillusioned with their jobs. According to the human resources department, some of the workers who have quit have commented that working in our plant is a lot more boring than they were led to believe it would be. One worker commented that he was on the job for a full week before he was even allowed to touch the packaging machine. Another said he was embarrassed to tell his friends that he makes pickles all day. Please provide some ideas on how you plan to rectify this situation.

CASE DISCUSSION QUESTIONS
Assume that you are the production supervisor, and respond to the vice president's memorandum. Review the concepts in the chapter, and apply the ones you think would be most effective in selecting and assimilating production workers. Be sure to support your recommendations.