O’Fishel University Sets Sights on 40 Hour Training Goal for 2007

One of Team Fishel’s Operational Excellence measurements is tracking the amount of time we spend training our Teammates. This measurement is critical to managing our Teammate Development initiative, which focuses on training and developing our Teammates.

Last year Team Fishel developed and tested both the method and benchmark that were established to measure an area’s training performance beginning in 2007.

The benchmark is an overall yearly average designed to measure the division’s performance, not individual Teammates. The benchmark is 40 hours of training per Teammate per year. It should be noted that the benchmark is an average, and therefore it is likely that some Teammates may receive more or less than 40 hours of training, depending upon where Teammates are in the stages of their career development.

As a result of the 2006 pilot, we are thrilled to report that three divisions met or exceeded the goal of 40 hours of training per Teammate: Houston, Indiana, and Kentucky. To recognize those divisions’ achievements, each Teammate will receive a special black O’Fishel University golf shirt at the March profit sharing meeting. The distribution of the black O’Fishel University golf shirt will become an annual tradition for those divisions that meet the Operational Excellence benchmark for training.

Team Fishel’s #1 Strategic Initiative: Recruit, Develop & Train Great Teammates

BEING PAYS OFF

These financial benefits are merely secondary rewards to ensuring our Teammates, business partners, and the general public are safe from injury or illness. These types of improved financial results mean fewer accidents. These types of results only come from your commitment to DOING IT RIGHT THE FIRST TIME (DIRTFT). To be Accident Free, we cannot take shortcuts, risks, or get in a hurry. And here’s more good news: we still have an Opportunity For Improvement (OFI). That’s right! We made tremendous improvement in 2006, but we want to have even a better year in 2007. Just think what a year spent working Accident Free would be like!

Improvement in 2006 was from: 1. Adherence to the Utility Locating Procedures 2. Reduction in the frequency of rear-end accidents 3. Using proper lifting techniques Here are two areas that will receive special attention this year: 1. Increased emphasis on training 2. More focus placed on safety through job site audits and Teammate Evaluations