(March 17, 2022) Movable wooden utility poles that support electric cables over the haul road in Bagdad become almost invisible at night when two trucks approach at the same time. They just disappear in the bright headlights of the oncoming truck.
The simple solution was to add reflective tape, but it just never got done.
Not until Luther “Dave” Mace, Truck Driver 1, raised the idea with his supervisor, who put the suggestion into the company’s new VIBE application. The idea was so simple that it was quickly approved. Reflective tape is being added, along with beacon lights to enhance visibility even more, which will help make the job safer and less stressful for drivers on the night crew.
Like many lingering challenges, all it took to solve this one was getting a simple idea from a front-line worker who dealt with it every day to the right people. VIBE is a way to make that happen.
“You see a problem, and you try to come up with a solution,” Mace said. “You can’t just throw a problem out there without offering a solution. What made the most sense is to put some reflective tape on it.”
A new take on an old concept
VIBE is an electronic version of the old-style employee suggestion box that began as a worksite bulletin board, said Lisa Schlink, Lead-Transformation / Agile. A 2019 companywide survey showed a common theme across all sites was that workers did not feel they had an outlet for good ideas.
The response at multiple sites was to mark off a corner of a white board where any employee could write a suggestion on Post-it notes or with erasable markers.
While creating a forum for front-line workers to share their ideas was important, the success came in large part because managers followed up by providing feedback and, where it made sense, implementing the employee-generated innovations. The white boards were so successful that eventually managers started asking what ideas were coming from other departments and mine sites. This led the company to create an electronic version that became VIBE.
The app was launched through a pilot program at Bagdad and a small group in Sierrita in June 2021. After some tweaks, VIBE was rolled out companywide a few months later and can now be used at all sites worldwide through the Digital Workforce link on FM Web.
Simplicity always has been the goal, Schlink said. A front-line worker with an innovative suggestion can access the VIBE form on a phone, tablet or computer. To make a suggestion, an employee creates a new file, types in a few lines describing their idea and potential benefits, and attaches any relevant tags such as safety, sustainability, people or technology. A tutorial video walks users through the process.
Once the idea is posted, everyone in the company can see it in the VIBE database, where they can add their own likes and comments. Searches can be filtered by subject, operational site, department, originator and any of the tags that are applied.
The benefit of a central, searchable database is that good ideas can circulate across the company, since a smart solution at one site will often work at others, Schlink said.
“People love it. They love the simplicity, the ability to add ideas wherever and whenever,” Schlink said. “This provides a way for that idea not to be forgotten.”
As with the white boards, a critical factor in the success of VIBE is participation from decision makers, whether it be front-line supervisors, department managers, site administrators or review committees that might be established. It’s up to the people at the sites to determine how to review the ideas.
More than 600 ideas submitted
Since the companywide rollout in August, more than 600 ideas have been submitted through VIBE. Of those, more than 200 have been “completed,” which means they have been assessed to determine their feasibility and value.
At Bagdad, a multi-layered review system was established to help ensure every idea gets a thorough vetting, said Chase Hamer, Senior Geologist, who has been VIBE’s champion at the site.
Teams of front-line workers, supervisors and higher-level managers were established for the operations and maintenance departments in both the mine and mill – four teams in all – to review the VIBE ideas. Every suggestion gets an owner, who is responsible for making sure it gets forwarded to the right people and does not fall through the cracks.
Some ideas can be implemented at the department level. If they are more complex or costly, they can be sent to higher management levels. Bagdad also has an upper management team modeled after the television show Shark Tank, where proposals that involve significant cost or operational changes go.
Some of the best ideas are the simple ones, Hamer said.
“It’s just setting people up for success,” Hamer said. “Some of the ideas will get more pounds out the door. Some of the ideas will just make things safer and easier for our people. VIBE taps what is arguably our most untapped potential group, which is our front-line workers who are out there every day.”