Shut Down, Slow Down or Speed Up?

Mike Donoghue is a member of a multinational information technology corporation where he collaborates on the communications guidelines and customer relationship strategies affecting the interactions with internal and external clients. He has analyzed, defined, designed and overseen processes for various engagements including product usability and customer satisfaction, best practice enterprise standardization, relationship/branding structures, and distribution effectiveness and direction. He has also established corporate library solutions to provide frameworks for sales, marketing, training, and support divisions.

  Cost Management   Schedule Management   Scheduling  

Winter, summer, overstock, slow economy…name the season and name the reason, but many firms schedule shutdowns of their facilities and staff during these periods as a means to put a temporary stop in operations so as to control costs. While many of us will acknowledge that certain cultural holidays or climate-based conditions may necessitate reasons for imposing closure of facilities and the reduction/cessation of many staff activities, there are many in the workforce who prefer to exercise their own individual control over these down times so as to keep their industry active, carry on their work and remain effective contributors.

Reflection and Celebration
For those firms that have defined shutdown periods in their operational schedule, there can be a number of reasons they elect to put their organizations into a “hold pattern”. National and religious holidays are important considerations in our global economy and require a sensitivity to the needs of the individuals they represent. While there are considerations that need to be accommodated for in these celebrations and remembrances, larger firms--in particular those with a more widespread or even international presence--have the potential advantage over smaller and more localized companies in that they have some ability to mobilize workforce and resources from other locations to help support other…

Please log in or sign up below to read the rest of the article.