Lean as an HR initiative

This is an article I wrote for Constable HR, my HR consulting practice and parent company. The main idea is that Lean can open up other opportunities by eliminating unneeded steps and making more time for the activities that will move people and the organization forward.

Don't get me wrong. I know that Lean wasn't started as an HR initiative and most organizations don't find their way to it through their HR departments. When we think of Lean, we think of reducing waste in a process, organizing a workspace, and documenting key information. Lean reduces costs and makes it easier for people to do their jobs.

That is all certainly true. Here's how I look at it, though.

Earlier this year, I attended Virginia Tech’s first annual “Implementing Lean” workshop in Roanoke, VA. (The 2017 version is already on my calendar for March 1st and 2nd.) As I listened to presenters, talked with Lean professionals and reflected on what I learned in Villanova University’s “Lean Sensei” course, my mind kept coming back to one idea – Lean reduces waste and creates flow, but it could also be said that it eliminates many of those time-consuming tasks that people don’t like to do. As a result of that, Lean may also reduce burnout and increase Employee Engagement.

I’ll tell you a quick story about a somewhat impatient 22-year-old HR professional. In her first real HR job, she was lucky enough to work for a well-loved brand. It was absolutely a fun place to work, but she wasn’t totally satisfied with her work. I don't know if it was her shiny, new bachelor's degree, her natural desire to make her mark ("Leave things in better shape than you found them," someone had once said) or an absolute disdain for paperwork and loose ends. I'm inclined to think it was a combination of all three.

Something gave her the interest and drive to tackle the paper-based processes. She knew there were better things she could be doing with her time, her mind, and the company's resources than printing reports and typing their information into other programs.

First, she learned all the processes in their current state. Second, she learned how to use the HRIS (Human Resources Information System) to automate those processes and remove unnecessary steps. By the time she was done, she had reduced her weekly tasks from 35 hours to 10 hours, eliminated the need for printing data reports, and was able to take on new responsibilities. She had the time to represent the company at career fairs, write event announcements, and help to develop an internship program. Her mind was engaged. The company benefited and so did she.

I know I’m not the only one who dreads paperwork and all the little steps it can sometimes take to get things done. Even when someone comes up with a way to improve and simplify a process, too often someone else points out all the reasons it can’t be done. What if we instead took the suggestion seriously, sought to understand the purpose behind it and figured out a way to make it work? Then, we’d be taking a Lean approach.

This gets me to my current fascination with Lean as a way to reduce or eliminate burnout for your Employees, your Suppliers and your Customers. If your processes don't require more time than absolutely necessary and people can focus more time on the work that engages their talents, they will be more likely to keep working with your organization and do better work. That could reduce turnover, which would reduce time and money spent on recruiting and training.

Every organization can benefit from freeing up people to do the work they want to do and are good at. That is one of my favorite results to deliver – getting people back to the core work of the business where they can excel and achieve the results that take the organization to the next step in its strategic plan.