Making
the Transition to Hoteling
Introduction
The job aid was
designed to help a growing company transition their field employees
to a hoteling system. This change became necessary because State Fund's
business has been growing rapidly in recent times, but they are not
certain that their growth will be stable. They also face an obstacle,
which is that their L.A. Basin office began hoteling already, but did
so in a manner which left the employees feeling unvalued, and the impending
transition is therefore unwelcome in the San Diego office. Two of the
Audit Supervisors, who would be overseeing the transition, asked for
help in finding a way to make it acceptable.
Sources and Analysis
Two of the Audit
Supervisors who will be implementing the transition to hoteling in San
Diego were the primary sources for the initial information and review
of the final product. Audit Managers in other cities whose offices are
already using hoteling provided additional information. Articles about
companies that are using hoteling were used as well.
In analysis, it
was first important to discover why hoteling became so unwelcome in
the L.A. Basin. It was found that when the L.A. office transitioned
to hoteling, they did so with little consideration for the employees.
Research was also done to discover what happened when other companies
began hoteling. This analysis showed that comfort, equipment, security,
and communication were all vital to successful hoteling.
The goal of the
job aid is to assist the Audit Supervisors in planning a successful
transition to hoteling of their field employees. In this case, success
would be defined in terms of employee satisfaction and money saved.
A satisfied employee tends to be more productive. A successful transition
will also meet the legal issues facing the company, which includes areas
such as health, safety, and union issues.
The objectives of
the job aid are:
- For the Audit Supervisors to be able to communicate the need the
company has for hoteling and the advantages to the employees.
- The company will provide the necessary equipment to make hoteling
comfortable for the employees. This includes office equipment and
layout.
- The Audit Supervisors will involve the employees in the process.
- The Audit Supervisors will research the legal issues facing their
office and communicate the necessary information to employees and
supervisors.
- They will avoid the more common pitfalls companies have encountered
when hoteling their employees. These pitfalls include areas such as
poor communication, lack of support, and poor setup.
- The Audit Supervisors will be reminded to plan an evaluation of
hoteling, considering the costs and benefits of hoteling, both in
terms of money and employee morale.
Pilot Testing
and Revisions
The job aid was
developed in a printed checklist format. This was chosen as the simplest
and most accessible form for the Audit Supervisors. Pilot testing was
somewhat difficult, as the company decided for a time to not go to employee
hoteling, then recently decided once again that they would be transitioning
to hoteling. This made it difficult to determine with certainty how
well the job aid would be supporting their performance. Fortunately,
throughout the uncertainty, the Audit Supervisors were willing to continue
advising me on the project. The process of hoteling would take too long
for a full pilot test, so much of it was simply a review of the job
aid presented. The Audit Supervisors were given several questions and
areas to consider while reviewing the job aid.
The result of the
pilot test was a list of suggestions for improvement. The area that
generated the most concern was that of Communication. That section was
much expanded after their review, so that it included not only the reasons
for the change, but the advantages and need for staff commitment as
well. The amount of detail in this area was increased.
Another suggestion
was to change the order of the sections. This was one of the more difficult
areas, as the Audit Supervisors were uncertain as to whether presenting
the Train section first then the Provide section, which was the original
order, was better or if they should be the other way around. It was
finally decided that it is difficult to Train someone unless you have
already Provided them with the equipment and the work area, so the order
was reversed.
Most of the remained
suggested changes were simple changes in phrasing or additions to given
areas, such as the tax implications under legal standards. In general,
the format was acceptable.
Job Aid and Solution
System
It is important
that the company make the transition to hoteling very carefully. The
effects of poor planning has already been demonstrated to them in L.A.,
so they are likely to be somewhat cautious during the process. Fortunately,
the poor example already set is being heeded. In fact, the example by
itself almost caused hoteling to be cancelled in the San Diego office,
rather than place morale at such risk. However, it proved to be impossible
to find a better solution for their problem. The manager whose decision
it would be to go to hoteling has since seen an example of good hoteling,
and is willing to work at it.
Motivating the Audit
Supervisors who will be overseeing the transition is not a problem,
as they have long since concluded that hoteling is the only viable option
for their office at this time. They have done much of their own research
on the options they have, and did not find any more promising solutions
to their problem.
Employee motivation,
mentioned in the job aid under Communication and Motivation, will be
vital. Resentment on the part of employees could ruin even the most
carefully planned setup. Given the past history of hoteling in this
company, which is known to the employees, careful consideration must
be taken to ensure that they know that they will still be treated as
valued employees.
Setting up hoteling
is only the first step, and there are several parts to be considered
at this time. Planning an efficient setup will take time. Employees
will need to be trained, which may require a job aid as well. The job
aid presented here included the need for evaluation of hoteling, but
a plan for that must be developed, including an acceptable time frame
for evaluation, and a method of tracking.
To
Job Aid
Back to Portfolio
|
