Doing more with less
10/01/2001
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I can't think of a single cleanroom end-user market that hasn't been effected by some sort of personnel downsizing over the past six to eight months. My first reaction is to avert my eyes from the chilling job-cut headlines when skimming the newswires as I prepare the news for our issues; but I realize it's in my best interest to give the text that follows full attention—for what follows tells the tale of many markets.
These headlines are just the beginning of great personal hardship and only add to the Herculean management struggle that exists in downturns. No matter how you slice it, loosing people who have served in a "mission critical" capacity forces managers to rethink the job at hand and almost always puts additional stress on an already overloaded work force.
There are as many ways to overcome these situations as there are actual situations. Many cleanroom managers are beginning to examine the myriad possibilities including putting employees on short schedules, spreading tasks over existing staff or turning to cleanroom outsourcing companies for cleaning and maintenance — several issues that have recently popped up on our editorial radar.
As the voice of the cleanroom end user community, CleanRooms magazine wants to know how our end users have dealt with staff cut backs in the fab, laboratory, paint booth or any space where cleanroom technology is put to use. Our readers come from diverse backgrounds, but in the case of managing through layoffs, we share a common goal: getting the job done with limited resources. E-mail your situation to me at [email protected] and we'll work to help alleviate some of these hardships through peer example in our pages. It might not solve all your current staffing problems, but it may give you the push you need to find a proper solution.
Sound off
While I'm using this precious space to solicit reader examples—which I do every few months with some success—I'm going to throw another request your way. Readers tell me that one of their favorite features in CleanRooms is the newly formatted back page, a section we call "Unfiltered." Only 10 months old, this pages acts as our "soapbox," a place where known industry gurus can sound off in a forum that allows strong opinion backed by facts, research and a heaping helping of market passion.
In an effort to give our readers more voice, I'd like to put the direction of that column in your hands for 2002. What issues would you like to see explained, argued or demystified? Also, drop me a few names that you'd like to see taking part in this feature. You know how to reach me.
Michael Levans
Chief Editor