Table 2 Perceived changes of the dialogues [ MCD = Moral Case Deliberation]

Case

Awareness of work pressure

High workload was an issue of concern in the organization, that was reported from the start of the evaluation. However, during the course of the evaluation there were moments that the workload increased even more, among other things because a competitor started to hire experienced employees from the organization under study

When this workload was discussed in one of the dialogues, it remained an issue of concern for a while afterwards. Attention was paid to work pressure in the form of toolbox sessions. Toolboxes did already take place every month but some were now especially organized to help employees to cope with the high workload. Some interviewees were, however, critical on the content of the toolboxes

“We see that people just resign due to work pressure.”

Operational employee – MCD-session 4

“We did pay some attention to it in one of the toolboxes, work pressure and how you deal with it and what the symptoms are, etcetera. The message was: tell it to your manager, talk about it and don’t surpress it.”

Safety manager – First year evaluation interview

“They say: ‘you shouldn’t feel pressure’. But look, if two men are missing, you have to walk a little faster. If you start working at a normal pace, you leave the work for the next shift, next shift, and it just keeps piling up.”

Operational employee – First year evaluation interview

Individual

Give voice

Various dialogues showed examples of misunderstandings between management and the operational employees. Overall, the management wanted the operational employees to be more proactive, whereas the employees said that the management was unreachable for them when they wanted to raise their concerns about something

The dialogues were a way for operational employees to raise their concerns with regard to certain health issues to the management, under the condition that a summary of the main points discussed was given to the management team

‘Well, I finally managed to get raincoats after I’ve been asking for them for one year.”

Operational employee—MCD-session 1

“You hardly see the management. I don’t think they really know what it’s like out here in our world.”

Operational employees—MCD-session 5

“I think it’s good that they (the management) eventually hear what is discussed in this dialogues. If it doesn’t reach them, then why did we do it?”

Operational employee—MCD-session 6

Recognition and learnings

Employees from various departments reported that they their workloads were too high. In some case this had already led to burn-out. The—mostly male—employees were reluctant in asking for help when they felt they could not handle the workload anymore, partly to keep up their reputation in the masculine environment

At the end of the dialogues, participants said that they had realized that everyone, not only them, was sometimes struggling with high workloads. Through this recognition, some participants realized that asking help, for example in prioritizing work, is a valid thing to do in times of high workload

‘Well, it’s all go, go, go, run. You’re a man and go.”

Supervisor—MCD-session 7

There are plenty of people here that are afraid to cross that threshold (to speak up/ask help). And if you (as a supervisor) just say: ‘you know, it’s no problem’, it will be easier for them.”

Supervisor – MCD-session 7

“I think perhaps after this, after such conversation, one can think ‘Oh, I cán discuss things. If something bothers me I can say to my colleague or my immediate supervisor: well, I am with”…”I need help with something.”

Support staff employee—MCD-session 2

Team

Enhanced mutual understanding

The different departments in the organization were highly interdependent to perform their core tasks. However, the dialogues revealed that employees from the various departments were putting pressure on each other to work faster, which contributed to the high workload

Participants of the dialogues said that the dialogues helped to better understand the employees from other departments. They indicated to have realized that employees from other departments also experience high workloads and therefore put pressure on the others. Because of this understanding, they said to have the intention to approach each other more gently

“Being called every time, that just doesn’t work”…”If you tell the [employee from other department], dude, one request take me two hours, and you expect me to do two in three hours..”

Operational employee—MCD-session 5

“I don’t know exactly what happens in the other departments. I don’t know all that. But now you hear everything a bit and then you can also empathize a bit them, like, be considerate about these people.”

Operational employee – MCD-session 4

“You would say that some departments are less busy, but no. They all experience that high pressure. That does make you wonder.”

Supervisor – First year evaluation interview

Shared insights

The little consultation moments were brought forward as an issue of concern in several dialogues. Participants said that there were few moments of consultation with colleagues and supervisors. Especially in times of high workload this moments were scarce, while such consultation moments were considered important to give the operational employees the chance to raise their concerns

The management took initiatives to promote consultation moments (also see organizational level changes)

“I’ve already told the management, go sit down with the shifts every six weeks”…”That you all get the feeling again, guys, we are going that way.”

Support employee—MCD-session 5

“People miss information. That’s what I take from this conversation. And that it is very important that people feel heard.”

Safety manager – MCD-session 5

“You just realize that sometimes the employees could use a listening ear a little more frequently”…”And that it would be good if that takes place more often, so that people can vent a little more.”

Safety manager – First year evaluation interview

Organizational

Organizational learning process

The management indicated to have gotten a better view of the daily experiences of operational employees. For example when it comes to the doubts of employees with little experience when judging the safety of a situation. Understanding this, encouraged the management for example to emphasize to the employees that can use a symbolic card to stop working temporarily when in doubt of the safety of the situation

Also, signals from employees seemed to be taken more seriously. For example with regard to the high workload employees brought forward as an issue. At first, the management could not match this with the number of orders from clients. But by listening more to the stories of employees, they found out what factors did actually contribute to this workload, apart from the number of client requests

[“Researcher: what were insights you gained during this study?”]…”Well, discussing things like, even though we emphasize constantly on things like [the symbolic card to stop working temporarily when doubting about the safety of a situation], that in practice we understand that this is different than when you just write it down formally.”

Member of management team – Second year evaluation interview

“You see in request from clients that compared to last year that it is a lot less busy, while that is not the feeling with people, they experience pressure. And then during the toolbox sessions we’ve discussed this a few times and I realized it is not in the number of requests, but more due to people being ill or on leave.”

Safety manager – First year evaluation interview

Implementation of a program to enhance mutual understanding

Based on the feedback that the management received from the dialogues about the tensions between departments, it decided that all employees (including management) were required to spend one day with an employee from another department. The aim was to get a better understanding of each other’s work processes, which should contribute to better collaboration between departments and to soothe tensions between management and operational employees

“It starts at the customers. They are business-minded and they only think about the money, and that mentality is transfered to the management here”…”Which makes account managers think like that, who pass it on to the shop floor. That’s kind of the problem. We are always, the shopfloor, at the bottom of the chain.”

Operational employee—MCD-session 1

“The program Visible Leadership will be reintroduced and an become an objective for all employees. This gives each employee the opportunity to gain more insight in the work of the other, with the intended effect that mutual understanding is created and collaboration improves.”

E-mail from management team to all employees – one year after the start of the project

Improving internal communication

The dialogues revealed that the internal communication was contributing to the high workload in various ways. The participants indicated that the management could for example, better inform the employees about the acquisition of new clients, so that they could prepare themselves better for the upcoming extra work

Also, within departments the communication could be improved for the purpose of the safety of employees: topic of several dialogues were situations in which the safety of that situation was hard to judge. Often because of extreme heat, or very cold weather. Although extensive safety guidelines were used to judge the safety of a situation, peculiar situations in the case of extreme heat or cold, required experience to accurately judge the situation. A solution that was brought up in the dialogues was short consultation moment with the supervisor or a colleague in such situation and in case of doubt

“In recent years it has surprised me sometimes: suddenly a new customer, that I didn’t know about. And then you hear, yes, we brought those in, and I have not seen an email at all. Then we had more work again. It’s just there, all of a sudden.”

Operational employee—MCD-session 4

“Yes, that one person thinks, oh, it’s safe, I’m going to do it. And the other says, no, it’s unsafe after all. But then they are talking about the same situation.”

Operational employee – MCD-session 3

Implementation of a program to enhance engagement and appreciation

Employees experienced a lack of appreciation from the management. Both interpersonally and financially. Both were related to the fact that the organization is part of an American company, that for a large part out sets out the policies for the organization under study

…”That it becomes more American”…”the whole company, you see it in everthing”…”More distant, it becomes more distant”

Supervisor – MCD-session 7

“But you don’t hear about it from the management. That I find regrettable: let those guys know, thanks guys, I couldn’t have done it without you.”

Supervisor – First year evaluation interview

More preventative approach on burn-out

Burn-out was on the rise in the organization. Supervisors and colleagues said that it was hard to notice symptoms at an early stage. One contributing factor was the masculine culture, in which it was not considered ‘man enough’ to tell your colleagues when you are not well

One of the conclusions from the dialogues was that supervisors can pay more attention to the mental well-being of employees. HR urged supervisors to pay attention to signals and to send employees on temporarily leave when they consider that necessary to prevent complete fall out

“You say, I’m a guy, I work hard, I can handle stress. And after three weeks you leave because you can’t handle the stress while you wanted to grow in the company. Then, of course, people will look at you differently. So you get over it and say, I can do this.”

Supervisor – MCD-session 8

“Well, I try to urge the supervisors like, you are the first to see or notice something about people. And with quite a few people, before getting absent I’ve had a chat, saying ‘just take a step back’. Do just something different. And all of that has actually resulted in people that were absent for one or two weeks, but after that came back to work.”

HR-manager – Second evaluation interview