Contract Safety Improvement for Exelis Incorporated - Case Study Example

?Contract Safety Improvements Contract Safety Improvements Exelis Incorporated Given the complexities encountered while operating any kind of business, so was the case with starting Exelis Incorporated. . I am the Managing Director of Exelis Inc and would like to introduce to you the key challenges facing this company and the solutions that can be put in place to ensure the company runs smoothly in its operations. Challenges facing Exelis Company Capital It has been and is still capital demanding when come to operational expenses of Exelis Incorporated. Apart from the capital needed in the purchase of the equipment spare parts, there is also need to pay the staff and settle some form government fees in form of tax. At some point we have been forced to take loans so as not just to maximize on the level of income earned but also, to ensure we do not disappoint our consumers (who are found all over the world) by proving sub-standard services contrary to the high expectations they having. Additional paperwork Unlike in the case of other businesses, it is quite tasking at Exelis due to extra paperwork which is actually brought forth by; proper handling of tax return files, bank account records, auditor’s reports, report creation, detailed books and finally, taking minutes during the frequent meetings. It is important to note that these two challenges are not as severe as the safety challenge facing the company at present. Accidents are becoming a threat to the contracts signed by Exilis. ITT Exelis reported that it had been given a U.S Army contract to go on with maintenance support and providing IT technology operations in the U.S Army in the Middle Eastern countries, specifically SouthWest and Central Asia. The Company signed this contract which had a potential value of $790 million including all options exercised. However, an accident happened while the company equipments were being shipped to the destination. An increase in accidents could possibly cost the company one of its Middle Eastern government contracts One of the latest and most hectic or rather breath-taking challenges I have never encountered since I started working at Exelis is the one pertaining the latest ship accident in the Indian Ocean while transporting electronic warfare. It has been the newspaper cover story for a whole week now. Exelis Incorporated successfully finished producing release systems as well as launchers and was now doing the delivery when the ship sunk. The sinking of the ship has remained a mystery, since for 7 days since the incidence occurred; the cause of the same has not yet been ascertained. The intensity of the worry of Exelis is increasing each passing minute, since the remaining period of time is too short to make the transportation of the equipments a success, even if the ship was found this minute. This therefore means the contract may be terminated and also, the partnering of Kuwait in the military weaponry production and the electronic attack and supply systems sector, which will perhaps just remain a dream. Kuwait had started showing interest of partnering with Exelis in the industry by serving as vehicle fuel suppliers for Exelis for a very subsidized cost. Alternative solutions to increased accidents in Exelis Inc Increase safety awareness with weekly safety stand downs This is a selected time for the CEO, senior managers, and other executive managers to discuss about safety issues in a direct way with frontline workers. The move can be achieved by setting up goals to be achieved every week to combat the increasing accident reports in the company (LeBoeuf, 1985). For instance, in every first week, the goal may be for managers, supervisors, and crews to spot out hazards associated with the tasks of employees, establish their risks, in this context the risk of losing contracts in the Middle East, and come up with possible solutions. Procedures and methods to complete the work of employees should be identified, and determine the obstacles that may hinder the crews from solution implementation. The potential solutions may not compulsorily call for additional resources; rather undoubtedly a number of trade-off productivity may be there. All potential options must be considered in this stand down. According to Maschek, Rineiski & Fladt, 2003, the concept statement in the stand downs should be beyond the “we don’t have a problem” thought because all crews are exposed to hazards and this procedure is aimed at identifying the accidents and access the risk levels. During this awareness, meeting members should include the employees who are exposed to the accidents while on their job tasks. They should also be given chances to discuss the risks relevant to the tasks in Exelis Inc. and propose solutions that are achievable by everyone. Care should be taken to adjust the meeting to achieve good discussion, maximum participation by all members present, and implementation of lasting solutions to avoid losing the contracts in the Middle East. Offer incentives such as money or time off for good safety records As a managing director, I am faced with the problem of determining which incentives best fits which employee and what I should consider when giving these incentives to avoid future accidents. It is also important to ask myself on which behaviors to be rewarded. Though money may be an obvious incentive to employees who are keener while handling any of the products of the company as well as while transporting them to foreign countries, time-off is another reward that I will desire to use in the process. However, they must be in line with the safety goals set up during the weekly stand downs. In my own opinion, I would reward cash to the employees whose safety records show a growing trend in achieving behavioral safety techniques. In this context, employees who follow the rules of handling computers and electronic warfare, have a substantiation of days without recorded accidents, several months without lost-time injuries, and reduced workers compensation claims will be given time off to go for a retreat with no extra expenses to build teamwork and motivation towards achieving safety in the company (Klubnick, 1995). Enforce stricter policies for safety violations As a managing director, I will ensure that stricter policies than the ones at present for safety violations are put in place. For instance, the executives will be responsible for assigning major leadership levels at all levels of employee tasks to be accountable for maintaining, overseeing, and constantly enhancing safety programs. Such leadership posts can include that of the Chief Ethics and Compliance Officer who will make certain that investigations into key violations and misconduct are addressed effectively and impartially. There will also be appropriate remediation actions and consequences that can even go as far as being taken to court for violating safety measures (LeBoeuf, 1985). Policies such as employees wearing the right attire when performing their chores at specific times should be followed strictly. It is not enough that Exelis has enforced safety policies. I and the other executives of this company will ensure that the enforcement of these policies is consistent and see to it that employees put the policy into practice through strictly necessitating compliance and inflicting discipline on those who are noted violating the policy. As a managing director, I will also make sure that there are repeated training of workers on the disciplinary policies and related safety measures and review them more often in safety discussions and meetings. The stricter policies, training, and disciplinary measures ought to be well documented to prevent heavier consequences of accidents and employee safety through reducing unnecessary risks. Enforcing stricter policies for safety violations can be preferred in some circumstances because of the impact it has on safety behavior change among employees. Currently, Exelis employees situated at Camp Phoenix in Afghanistan have developed a creative method to promote safety. Founded on the well-developed “Prevent Accidents With Safety, (PAWS) project, the employees have initiated a safety Panda, which interacts with all base individual, promoting accident prevention. In this program, employees and all other people that follow the safety best practices in Exelis Inc are photographed with the Panda. It is from these photographs that employees are rewarded by use of incentives such as gift cards, pins, certificates and t-shirts. Offering incentives for excellent safety records as the best solution to be adopted The above solutions are only but alternative measures that my company can adopt to minimize accidents and avoid loss of contracts in the Middle Eastern governments. Even though the three of them are all vital and applicable, the one based on Offering incentives for excellent safety records in this case will not only involve giving rewards inform of money and time off but also recognition. This is the best way because incentives work best when we consider those that the employees favor most, that is an instant spot recognition of a well done job by any executive member, especially the managers. I think there are two things that most people desire in their lives than money, which are praise and recognition of employee training, It is not the first time that I am advocating for this technique; I have used it before in my company and the results were so motivating. In deed this programs are “icing on the cake” and play a significant role in emphasizing safety in each step from hiring and to daily supervision. When executives ask themselves on how to reward the employees, they can restore the required perspective and broaden their minds on this larger horizon (Maschek, Rineiski & Fladt, 2003). Safety incentives reward employees with attractive safety records that are frequently measured in terms of accidents reported or for suggestions on safety that the management regard as worth implementing. Such suggestions are important to the company because they can be positive in the area f product manufacturing or distribution. Even though monetary rewards are off course the catalysts for employees to maintain high standards of safety, they emphasize on the way the program serves to build self-cultivated attitudes towards safe environments and challenging those with poor records to follow suit and step up in their operations. References Klubnick, J. (1995). Rewarding and Recognizing Employees: Ideas for Individuals, Teams, and Managers Chicago: Irwin. LeBoeuf, M. (1985). The Greatest Management Principle in the World New York: Putnam's. Maschek, W., Rineiski, A., & Fladt, M. (2003). Analysis of Severe Accident Scenarios And Proposals For Safety Improvements For Ads. 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