Plugging the Boomer Brain Drain with Simple Processes and Tools

1. Plugging the Boomer Brain Drain with Simple Processes and Tools Sue Brown, IS&T Project Lead for Communications and Collaboration Technologies

2. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics estimates that about 76 million Baby Boomers -- which is 43 percent of the current workforce! -- will be eligible to retire within the next 10 to 15 years.At Arkema, we launched the Workforce 2012 Project to tackle this issue. Silent Generation 64 to 72 Older Boomers 55 to 63 Younger Boomers 45-54 Gen X 33 to 44 Gen Y 18 to 32

3. Background: Arkema Inc. • Arkema is a world-class producer of industrial chemicals, including acrylics, PMMA, thiochemicals, fluorochemicals, and hydrogen peroxide and of performance products like technical polymers, specialty chemical organic peroxides and additives. • Arkema is a leading producer in most of its product lines. • Arkema's 20 plants in North America account for 25% of the company's sales. Worldwide, Arkema has annual sales of EUR 5.6 billion ($7 billion) and 14,983 employees, 80 industrial sites in more than 40 countries and six research and development centers. Workforce 2012 Objective: To identify, capture and organize critical explicit and tacit knowledge, focused on our manufacturing facilities

4. Workforce 2012 Project Deliverables • Annual Workforce Planning Process and Guide • To identify critical positions • Process for Knowledge Capture • Three-step process to elicit critical knowledge from employees and store it where others can access it. • Knowledge Elicitation Guide • 25 questions to ask as a starting point for eliciting information, plus tips on conducting video elicitation interviews. • Tools for Knowledge Capture Matrix • Review of new-media knowledge capture tools

5. 1. Annual Workforce Planning Process and Template

6. 2. Process for Knowledge Capture • Identify and prioritize critical knowledge to be captured • Capture all information electronically • Organize information where it can be shared

7. Identify and prioritize critical knowledge to be captured • Supervising Manager and HR Manager identify processes and knowledge that need to be captured. • Interview the employee using the Knowledge Elicitation Guide. • Identify and gather all existing documentation regarding job (hard copies, electronic copies and/or links to on-line documents). • Job Description • SAP Roles • List of Transaction Codes • Reports used • ISO Procedures • Manuals • Binders • Past audit findings • New Employee training/checklists/orientation • Have employee keep running log of non-routine tasks that need to be documented but currently aren’t.

8. Capture all information electronically This work is done by a resident expert for each site (corporate headquarters, R&D facility, manufacturing site)

9. What would make this process easier to understand? What would make this process easier to accomplish? Describe a time when … What’s the first thing you do? How do you know to do that? How do you know when to do that? How do you accomplish this work? What does that mean? What do you do next? Why? What usually happens? Can you describe a time, a specific situation, when you performed this action? What happens if something else is done? What would happen if? Tell me more … Who is responsible/involved? What are the interrelationships among decisions? Where are the hand-off points? Is there a specific order of steps or elements? What are some common mistakes or misconceptions? What are the affective dimensions of this process? What is the most important thing to remember when doing this? What are examples of printed resources, support materials, documentation, procedures, manuals, instruction sheets, checklists … that are relevant? What rules are involved? Describe how you currently help others learn how to accomplish this work. What are the main obstacles that hinder learners’ abilities to meet their goals and objectives? Knowledge Elicitation Guide: Use these Questions to Gain Clarification/Stimulate Discussion

10. Some Notes About Video Elicitation • When in doubt, video-record everything. • Have the expert use the tools and references they use every day in their job. • Work with the expert to follow a loose outline, but don’t try to control what they say. • If possible, use an interviewer (other than person operating video camera) who can ask sincere, interested questions to draw out tacit assumptions and hidden details. • Give the expert plenty of time to develop their thoughts. It is easy to edit the video later. • Allow the expert to digress when he/she thinks it is important.

11. Tools for Knowledge Capture Synchronous … Informal Formal Asynchronous …

12. Spectrum of Available Tools Synchronous … Conference Calls/ Video Conferencing Mentoring/ Power Users Virtual Classroom Tool (WebEx) NetMeeting OJT Chat/ IM ILT Formal Informal Reference Materials on intranet Job Aids In-House CBTs Search Intranet/ Internet Video External eLearning Library Recorded Synchronous WebEx Classes (aka Webinars) TeamRooms (Lotus Notes or Web-Based) Wikis/ Blogs Nano lessons (Captivate Screen Movies; Articulate PPT-to-Flash Conversions) Asynchronous …

13. Organize information where it can be shared • Shared Drives • Lotus Notes Team Rooms • Intranet • SharePoint

14. Issues to consider • Searchability of content within documents • Ease of document “deposit” • Ease of document retrieval • Ease of administration, application of security/users rights

15. Appendix

16. Workforce Planning Guide (Page 1) • What is the average age of hourly employees? • What is the average age of the salaried employees? • What is the average amount of years of service of the hourly employees? • What is the average amount of years of service of the salaried employees? • What are your five most critical positions? • Should be positions that are hard to fill because of specialized training. • Should be positions that we are unable to maintain bench strength. • Could be a position that, based on the skill set/personality of the incumbent currently in the position, it will be hard to find a replacement for if they left. • What is the average age of the five most critical positions you have identified? • For each of your five most critical positions, what skill sets, qualifications or traits have led to the success of your incumbent employees?

17. Workforce Planning Guide (Page 2) • What are the three biggest challenges the incumbents in each of your 5 most critical positions face in their positions? • What can be done to eliminate or mitigate these obstacles? • What 3 recruiting companies do you have the best relationships with that could respond to your needs quickly? • What Arkema facilities near you have bench strength in your 5 most critical positions? • What corporate initiatives are taking place which could address any shortages with your most critical positions? • Based on age 55 and time of service of 20 years, what are the five most vulnerable positions you have for multiple employees retiring/departing the workplace?

18. Workforce Planning Guide (Page 3) • Are there common positions between your most critical positions and your most vulnerable positions? • Of the five most vulnerable positions you identified, would there be any opportunity to fold the work of these positions into another position should there be a multiple openings? • Could you do away with any position and not replace it? • Could you shift responsibility to another position? • Are there any competitors or similar companies in your area with similar talent which could be recruited to staff your most critical positions? • Are there any trade centers or schools in your area which could assist in staffing your most critical positions?

19. Knowledge Capture Tools