LAFARGE GETS MORE DONE WITH LESS THROUGH TRAINING

A world leader in building materials takes the next step in Work and Life Training.

Situation

Lafarge’s operations have the urgent demands and stresses of the deadline driven construction business.  When Pete Turco took over as head of HR in the Midwest he became aware of the work-life balance concerns of its managers and employees. There were two key needs.  One was to address the constant demand on every individual to do more with less on the job.  The second, the desire of Lafarge to grow as an employer of choice everywhere it operates, required more recognition of people’s family and personal lives.  After Pete made the rest of the executive team aware of the bottom line value of better managing these challenges, the Business Unit (BU) president came to Pete, and said, “We’ve recognized the importance.  Now give us some tools to do something about it.”

Progress

Given these objectives, a member of his staff did the research and presented Pete with several options. “It became very clear that WorkLifeBalance.com had the best tools…and that’s what we were looking for”, Pete states. “Specific skills people could and would use in their everyday lives.” The availability of not only live training, but also web-based and the monthly newsletter proved to be a big plus. “We were able to introduce the program in a relatively low key manner on the web, while still getting immediate and ongoing impact in multiple ways.”

Results

As word of the program spread, other regions expressed interest.  When Pete took over responsibilities for the US East Business Unit (BU), he expanded the impact of the training.  There was interest from sales management in improving everyone’s time management skills for their job and for their life.  WLB’s 5 Steps to Better Time Management program fit that dual purpose, work and life-learning objective.

Lafarge delivered these time management skills with a blended learning approach: live sessions followed by web-based training.  All of the senior BU team attended the training. The results were impressive. 100% recommended expanding the program within Lafarge. All written feedback rated the results as either Excellent or Outstanding. “And the individual feedback was even more impressive than the written”, says Mike Kanlic, Lafarge sales manager. “The results are so worthwhile, it is very easy to support.”

Pete recommended internal trainer certification as a way to expand the program for the rest of sales, distribution, BU staff and manufacturing. Despite beginning a cost cutting campaign, Joe Goss, president of the BU, had a four letter response: “ASAP”. Lafarge now has five WLB certified internal trainers delivering 5 Steps to Better Time Management to all managers and employees in the US East BU.

“The ongoing blended learning makes the skill set stick. It has become a common language we continue to use to get things done. You hear and see the tools applied in every meeting”, Turco says. “They have become part of the fabric of how we do business.”

Advice

Pete points out that organizations hire people not employees. People come with baggage, meaning family-friends-self desires and demands.”WLB’s time management training gives managers and employees the skills they need to manage and balance it all. More efficiency in handling work issues individually; A common language for the team to get things done faster; Better abilities to handle and make the most of the personal sides of life, which means more focus at work. The result”, Pete says, “is more achievement and enjoyment in all the areas of life. Everybody wins.”

ABOUT WorkLifeBalance.com

We help you deliver the training results you’ve always wanted…then make those results last over a lifetime. To learn how WorkLifeBalance.com can help your company, call us at 877-644-0064 or visit www.WorkLifeBalance.com.