Clint Mitchell
Clint Mitchell
What was the situation in your work area like before your project?
Me and my team operate grinding machines, CNC machines, magnetic particle inspection stations, gantry systems and other machines. Our tasks include retooling and troubleshooting the machines, as well as quality control in the production of crankshafts.
Before my project, day-to-day work was characterized by significant productivity losses and frequent errors. There were only written explanations on how to operate the machines and systems, which were not understandable for everyone. In a nutshell: Many employees did not know how to perform their tasks correctly, which could lead to safety incidents. This uncertainty and the resulting frustration led some to leave thyssenkrupp because they saw no prospect of improvement. It was clear that urgent action needed to be taken to resolve these issues.
What did you want to change?
I wanted to banish the phrase "I don't know or I don't understand" from my workspace as much as possible and create a culture of safety, quality and productivity. That's why I focused on giving employees the right tools to do their job with confidence and success.
What idea did you have to achieve your goal?
Everyone learns differently. My goal was to help all employees understand their tasks as best as possible - regardless of their learning style. That's why, in addition to the written explanations, I created easy-to-understand instructional videos and audios that explain exactly how to perform a task. Why is this so important to me? I want to support my employees to become experts in their areas of responsibility and not accuse myself afterwards of not having done everything to achieve this.
What is the current status of your project?
The project is currently ongoing: the first educational videos are already being used by employees. This allows products to be produced more efficiently, which reduces costs and helps to lead our organization into a more sustainable future.
Alina Florinski
Alina Florinski
What was the situation in your work area like before your project?
In my area of work - at the time recruiting - we were faced with the challenge that our working methods were not measurable. We had the right tools, but we didn't use them in a way that gave us reliable measurement data.
For example, we could not reliably track how long a position was advertised before it was filled. We were also unable to track the duration of the "candidate journey" - i.e. the path an applicant takes from initial contact to being hired.
Instead of being able to fall back on concrete facts and figures, we had to rely on assumptions and rough estimates. This approach made it almost impossible to identify the actual weaknesses and problems in our recruitment process. It was also difficult to take targeted improvement measures or to measure the success of such measures.
What did you want to change?
With my project, I wanted to make recruiting in our organization measurable and efficient. The aim was to identify the actual weak points in the process by collecting specific data and through that make targeted improvements. I wanted to ensure that our measures were based on sound findings and not on assumptions.
One particular focus was on the candidate journey. My aim was not only to shorten the application process, but also to improve its quality. The candidate experience should be more positive and smoother and position our company as an attractive employer.
What idea did you have to achieve your goal?
First of all: We already have a suitable tool landscape in the team - in other words, a large number of digital platforms for our recruiting processes. The idea was to optimize these and use them in a more targeted way. To do so, I worked with the Recruiting Services Germany team to analyze where and why the existing processes within the tools were not being adhered to. We then worked together to identify weak points and develop potential improvements.
At the beginning, we placed great emphasis on sensitizing the recruiting teams to use the tools. Why was this necessary? Consistent use in all recruiting teams leads to improved data collection and therefore greater transparency. This makes it easier for us to present our successes more clearly and work specifically on our weaknesses.
In a further step, we ensured that all teams were trained in the correct use of the relevant tools, e.g. our applicant management platform. This was to ensure that everyone fully understands the functions of each tool and can use them effectively.
What is the current status of your project?
The current project status shows that we have already made significant progress with our measures. Through the consistent use of the available tools and extensive training, we have succeeded in significantly improving both the quality of our data and the measurability of our recruiting processes. As a result, we have become a pioneer within the thyssenkrupp group in terms of data quality and measurability of recruiting processes.
As I am currently no longer directly involved in recruiting, a colleague has taken over the project management. He is actively working on concrete solutions to further address the problems identified. However, I remain involved in the project in an advisory capacity and continue to support the team.