2020 RETA Breeze Sept-Oct

” QA &

overtime for your people? Sometimes the labor costs alone justify changing priorities or shifting your crewing requirements to add additional people. Some Food for Thought We need to recognize several rules of business that can make our jobs a little easier. First, employers are in business to make money, not to give us a place to go five to six days a week. We should understand there is nothing wrong with making money. The more money our companies make, the better our jobs will be. However, not to spend money when required to do so to make money is wrong. Unfortunately, some man­ agers fall into this trap. I truly believe there is no concrete answer to this type of response. The type of change needed must come from within the individual. The second rule of business is maintenance/engineering departments are recognized in general accounting practices as an expense, not an income item. We sometimes need to remind upper management maintenance does not cost, it pays. The third rule of business is for any business to flourish in good as well as troubled times, they must limit their expenses and maximize income. The fourth rule is to spend money wisely. One more point should be noted. We need to take a step back and evaluate our approach to our general managers. Do we give them all the information they need to make a wise decision? How well do we build a case? Do we share our triumphs and not just our defeats? Do we expect to get everything we ask for and fight too hard if we don’t get it? Include your manager in the decision process by starting off with the statement, “I need your help.” Most importantly, have you hugged your manager today?

by JimMarrella J.C.MARRELLA & ASSOCIATES “ Q . We just corrected a condition in our engine room which, if we had discovered earlier, would have saved us a lot of work. How can I get my general manager to recognize the importance of engine room managing?

A. Any good manager will spend money to save money. A manager must believe, however, that money he puts out is well spent. Maybe your manager does not really understand all that is happening in your department. Maybe he does not understand the tangible and intangible events occuring with proper engine roommaintenance. This may be a good time to let your manager know all the costs of the repairs made to this piece of equipment. Then tell himwhat it would have cost if the problemwas discovered earlier, not that it would have saved your department a lot of work... Remember, it is not what you say, but how you say it. Build Your Case When this piece of equipment went down, did you have to start additional equipment that was more expensive to run? Include all cost involved in the “event.” Everything we do in the maintenance department is and can be translated into dollars. Was there any

Originally published in the September 1992 RETA Breeze.

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