Custodial News

Team Visits Johnson Wax

from Jane Abell and Connie Young

On May 28, the custodial implementation team visited the Johnson Wax World Headquarters in Racine, Wisconsin. Our tours included the Johnson plant, called Waxville, where the actual products are made. We saw the filling, labeling, and boxing of cleaning products. This tour was by trolley car since the plant is the size of 38 football fields. We also toured the old original office building. At the Johnson Wax Laboratory we saw how the company tests floor finishes. The company tests for resistancy to black marks, finish hardness, and the slickness of the various floor products.

Pictured are the team members and facilitators who attended.

Front row: Dean Khan, Jane Abell, Scott Wallerich, Brenda Mittlestadt, Beulah Stone, Terrie McKinney, and John McKinney. Back row: Johnson Wax representative, Jim Joyner, John Wolf, Connie Young, Flight Service pilots Larry Dooley and Connie Younger, and another Johnson Wax representative.

Custodial Teams Pull Together

from all Custodial Teams

On March 18, FP&M's Custodial Services began operating as twelve self-directed work teams. Each team has gone through some adjustments but they are starting to pull together. The teams started their second assignment rotation on May 20 and the third rotation on July 22. Below are quotations from various team members concerning the team concept.

• After shaking around, the ground is beginning to become solid. We are developing more patience with each other. (Adrian Crooks)
• A real learning experience. Discovered the working relationships between labor and management. Learning team dynamics. (Rick Daniels)
• I feel like I am riding a bike with training wheels. They (the team) hold me up so that I can't fall over. A little teetering at times though. (Keith Bass)
• Our communication skills are growing. We can communicate positive thoughts to each other as well as the negative. The positive communication is growing. One by one the team is finding out what power that little black box strapped to their side has. "For oneself" is not in the vocabulary any more. (Marcy Roberts)
• Making team decisions
• Closer parking
• Less monotonous as far as check-in/check-out
• Team huddles to see if everyone in team is here
• Team name instead of number
• Jane is being a good facilitator
• Better communications
• Having a computer, phone, and beeper
• Our team had a rough beginning but is starting to come together.
• We are starting to work areas together instead of working them individually.
• The team is coming up with good suggestions to help improve service and communications.
• The team is working more toward team goals.
• Learning to work together and give and take in the team is good.
• We enjoy team work.
• We can do more things because we are more flexible.
• More projects get done because we can make our own decisions.
• We are experiencing a few problems including communication, personality conflict, poor attitudes, and facilitator conflict.

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