Employees – The Only Appreciating Asset – Suresh Lulla

<p><strong>Employees &ndash; Our Biggest Asset</strong></p>

<p>We all acknowledge that our employees are our biggest asset.</p>

<p>I would like to add that employees are the only asset of an organization that appreciate in value. Particularly, in a learning organization.</p>

<p>So in a turbulent business environment, why is it that we first think of job cuts? Currently, in the auto industry? Retail? Food and beverage? Etc, etc, etc.</p>

<p>The problem is that we account for employees as a cost and not an asset!</p>

<p>Strangely, our equipment depreciate in value&hellip;.and we account for them as an asset!</p>

<p><strong>Education &amp; Training</strong></p>

<p>Education prepares you for tomorrow&rsquo;s responsibilities. This is how/why people appreciate in value. The reason people stay in an organization.</p>

<p>Education with action leads to Learning.</p>

<p>Education without action is easily forgotten. A clear Cost Of Poor Quality (COPQ).</p>

<p>Training improves your skills for today&rsquo;s responsibilities.</p>

<p>The problem is that we measure Number of Man-hours of Training per Employee! This measure includes Education. We are driven by this measure.</p>

<p>The by-product of this approach is that we train and educate the idle people in our departments. Is that a COPQ?</p>

<p><strong>Strategic Goal</strong></p>

<p>Is Training the subject of your Strategic Goal? If yes, that is a problem. A key COPQ.</p>

<p>Training should be the means to achieve a Strategic Goal. Training just-in-time for action.</p>

<p>With a just-in-time approach to Training the ROI (Return on Individuals) is guaranteed to be significant.</p>

<p><strong>Random Thoughts:</strong></p>

<ul>
<li>We don&rsquo;t train municipal workers in order to create jobs. How else can we seed a pot holes epidemic in Mumbai?</li>
<li>Military campuses have great roads.</li>
<li>We don&rsquo;t train municipal supervisors in order to create jobs. How else can we engage a committee to collect Mumbai garbage?</li>
<li>Military campuses have great housekeeping.</li>
</ul>