Running Head: CASE SYSTEMS INC: PRELIMINARY REPORT

Case Systems Inc.: Preliminary Report

Janae Bajorek
Kyle Joseph
Ariel Oakley
Abby Olson
Central Michigan University

CASE SYSTEMS INC: PRELIMINARY REPORT

2
Introduction
Case Systems, Inc., is a small and successful manufacturer of doors within the Midland
area. Throughout the recent years, it has come to the organization attention that there are a
variety of Human Resource issues that have an impact on the overall organization. I was hired as
a Human Resource Manager to help examine the current Human Resource issues and develop a
strategy for solving those problems. On my first day working at Case Systems, Inc., as a Human
Resource Manager, I was able to interview and talk with several people from the company from
all different types of backgrounds including the President, Chief Financial Officer,
Manufacturing Manager, Warehouse Manager, Crater, and various employees in different areas.
Through these interviews, this has allowed me to see the opportunity of what each level
of employee felt the major issues of the company were. After reading through the notes that I had
taken down for each interview, I was able to see recurring themes such as: high levels of
overtime, high turnover rates, job inefficiency, hostile work environment, miscommunication,
lack of training, and conflicting management styles. In any effective organization, it is critical
that all elements of a business operate together as one. In the case of Case Systems, Inc., there
are a lot of concerned areas that will be presented throughout the report and my solutions of
developing a strategy for Case Systems, Inc., so that we can set a gold standard for the door
industry within the Midland area.
Recruiting
At the core of all successful organizations is the people who make everything run. From
the C-level employees, to the men and women unafraid to get their hands dirty in a
manufacturing setting, all the way to the janitors sweeping up at the end of a hectic shift, each
individual has an impact on the success or failure of a company. In the evaluation of Case

CASE SYSTEMS INC: PRELIMINARY REPORT

3
Systems, Inc. I have named the recruiting process as the most heavily weighted and first step in
transforming Case Systems, Inc. into the best company it can be. Through the right people, all is
possible!
Recruiting Process
The recruiting process itself is also very important when evaluating turnover. In my
discussion with Jennifer Reen, receptionist, it was mentioned that Cary Dobbins, the current
warehouse manager, wanted three new hires for next Monday morning (personal
communication, October 13, 2014). A short and informal recruiting process leads to high
turnover due to the hiring of either incapable or unwilling employees, poor skills on the floor,
and lack of communication regarding the applicant him or herself, as well as, the expectations of
the position. This analysis is supported by historical data pulled from the companys HRIS
system. Several statistical indications along with Ms. Reens testimonial solidify that the
recruiting process is a critical first step to changing the turnover issue within Case Systems, Inc.,
(personal communication, October 13, 2014).
Turnover is arguably the most costly expense an employer can endure- especially when in
excess. Upon review of the terminated employees spreadsheet within the HRIS database, it is
apparent that many past employees held tenure under two years (Case Systems, Inc., 2014).
Many, in fact, had left the job within one to four months of service for reasons such as poor
performance or job abandonment. Furthermore, the hire dates for group of seven machine
operators are all within five months of each other, ranging from November of 2005 to early
March of 2006 (Case Systems, Inc., 2014). These seven employees all had been dismissed from
the company for poor performance, job dissatisfaction, or attendance issues within five months
of hire. The HRIS database shows an abundance of terminations in the warehouses and

CASE SYSTEMS INC: PRELIMINARY REPORT

4
manufacturing plants in particular (Case Systems, Inc., 2014). These statistics draw to
conclusions of a poor recruiting process focused on bodies on the floor rather than skill to add to
the team.
Employee Retention
When discussing turnover in an organization, it is important to evaluate recent
terminations. Some questions I seek to answer are not only who left the organization and from
what position, but why did they decide to leave. We must remember we are not operating in a
vacuum. Meaning, we must also reach outside our company to evaluate similar companies in
terms such as the market and how fair market values compare to our current wages. In the raw
materials warehouse in particular, there has been a significant amount of employees accepting
new jobs and leaving Case Systems, Inc. Upon review of the forklift salaries in comparison with
market data for this position, it is clear that Case Systems, Inc. is simply not paying enough to
keep this skilled labor around. The average salary of a forklift operator according to Salary.com
is $33,093 (Salary.com, 2014) while the salaries of those who left the company were averaged at
$29,746- over 3,000 dollars under market value (Case Systems, Inc., 2014). Mike Cooney, Chief
Financial Officer, has made it clear that efficiency of operations is our primary competitive
advantage (personal communication, October 13, 2014). In order to maintain an efficient and
effective operation, it is imperative we enlist highly skilled employees to manufacture our
business. Competitive wages and other benefits are the first step in recruiting and maintaining
successful employees.
The next solution to aid Case Systems, Inc. with the high turnover rate is simply to ensure
the current employees are being communicated with on a regular basis. It would be wise to
implement a quarterly chat session with each employee. These chats would be conducted by

CASE SYSTEMS INC: PRELIMINARY REPORT

5
human resources in an effort to ensure all employees have a chance to speak their mind regarding
their current position, the company, and overall how they are feeling. The chat will have a
general question by question format, but is intended to feel informal as possible. The goal with
these chats every quarter is to install a sense of free flowing communication between all levels of
the company. Ownership in operations of the company and accomplishments moving forward
will pertain to all members of our team enabling a sense of pride on the floor that may have been
lacking in the past couple years. With this plan in motion, current members of our team will be
able to suggest improvements, feel valued, and opt to choose Case Systems, Inc. as their career
path instead of simply a means to an end. It is also important to speak with those employees that
do decide to still leave the company. Currently, there is no formal exit interview procedure that
will help the Human Resource team examine if the data provides any information into the
organization, position, any competition information, and any leadership issues (Case Systems
Inc., 2014). In the new exit interviews strategy we will be able to ask questions to help us
improve any aspect of our company that employees feel is not up to par. We will keep statistical
data in our HRIS database to analyze the most common reasons employees leave and then adapt
to make Case Systems, Inc. the preferred place to work for skilled laborers.
Training
Not only is it all about recruiting the right people for the right position at the right time; it
is also about making sure that everyone within the organization is being properly trained. If even
one person is not being properly trained, it could have devastating effects on the company. The
reason that this may have devastating effects on the company is because that one person, who
wasnt properly trained, may train another person; so essentially there are two people who are
not properly trained. One can see how this quickly becomes a snowballing effect. After

CASE SYSTEMS INC: PRELIMINARY REPORT

6
reviewing the notes that I had taken down during the interviews with the different levels of
employees, I was able to see a reoccurring theme. This recurring theme supports the lack of job
training and future training opportunities that employees receive within the company. Another
issue that was brought to attention by Mike Cooney, CFO, was the fact that our labor costs are up
due to the amount of overtime that our employees are having (personal communication, October
13, 2014). With the proper training, we will be able to cut the labor costs which in turn will
increase our profits.
Cross-Training
It was brought to my attention by both managers within manufacturing and warehouse;
some of the employees; and the Chief Financial Officer; that everyone is feeling the effects of
the employees not being trained in both areas and being properly trained (personal
communication, October 13, 2014). Within the manufacturing area, employees from the
warehouse side are bottlenecking. Since these people are bottlenecking, than the employees
from manufacturing have to go get their own raw materials or have to move the finished product
out of the production area. Within the warehouse, employees from manufacturing will drop
products anywhere, when the warehouse employees get behind, and when manufacturing does
this they are also damaging the products. Various employees have mentioned in interviews that
they are feeling the effects of not being properly trained in both areas when they have to work so
much overtime and when they have to operate machines/lines that they have had no formal
training on (personal communication, October 13, 2014). Lastly, the company is feeling the
effects of this by having to pay so much in overtime, the reduction of quality in their product,
and the bottom line.

CASE SYSTEMS INC: PRELIMINARY REPORT

7
One solution that I came up with to solve these training needs is making sure that our
company is cross training our employees. With this in mind, manufacturing employees will need
to be trained in the different warehouse positions and warehouse employees will need to be
trained in the different manufacturing positions. As one can see, this type of training will allow
employees an opportunity to learn some of the different jobs within the company. This in turn,
will keep the employees engaged within the company by challenging them due to the fact that
they will not being doing the same thing every single day that they are employed with the
company. This allows work to become fun and exciting again. Not only will this keep the
employees engaged in the company but it will also keep them motivated because learning the
different jobs will be challenging. This challenge will spark an internal competition within the
employees because the employees will want to conquer that new machine, so that they can show
off their new skills. Since the employees are increasing their skill level, this will also increase
their pay because of the skill based pay structure that we will be implementing. Lastly, since the
employees will be learning new skills and have a pay increase this will help boost their morale.
The Big Picture
Since the employees will be trained in both areas, manufacturing and warehouse, this will
also help with the problems that both managers within these areas are facing. As stated
previously, the manufacturing side feels as if the warehouse employees are bottlenecking and
when these employees bottleneck then the manufacturing employees must pick up their, the
warehouse employees, slack. Also mentioned earlier, the warehouse side feels as if the
manufacturing employees cant do their job because they, the manufacturing employees, end up
making a bigger mess than what they, the warehouse employees, started with and they are
damaging products. Cross training will allow the managers and the employees to see both sides

CASE SYSTEMS INC: PRELIMINARY REPORT

8
of the picture, which in turn will allow each of them to see the full picture which is that each
person needs to work together in order help make the company successful.
The managers may not be able to see the big picture until I break it down into how it will help
each section of the company, manufacturing and warehouse. Starting with the warehouse side,
which is where all employees are supposed to start out. This will allow the manufacturing
employees to re-capture the start of their careers and remember what it was like within the
warehouse. Once the manufacturing employees have seen what the warehouse employees have
to do on a daily basis, it would then be the warehouse employees turn to see what the
manufacturing employees have to do on a daily basis. Since the cross training is being
implemented on both sides of the company, this will help with a couple of issues including when
employees call in and the bottleneck issues. The cross training will help with the bottleneck
issues because many people will be trained within both sides of the company and different jobs
within those sides. Which in turn will also help when people are unable to show up to work due
to being sick or not having a baby sister, because there will be other people trained on that job or
could be trained on that job. With all of this in mind, cross training will also help each manager
and employee appreciate what the other managers and employees do. It will also help our
sections, manufacturing and warehouse, to be seen as one unit versus two separate units; and
finally, it will make both sides realize that neither one can survive alone, which is the reason they
have to work together.
Communication
While both sides have to cross train, it will also allow each of them to see the other
problems within both sections, for example communication between the two units and planning.
When speaking with both the manufacturing manager and the manufacturing supervisor it

CASE SYSTEMS INC: PRELIMINARY REPORT

9
became apparent to me that there is a communication problem and a planning problem in regards
to materials (D. Boyer & C. Dobbins, personal communication, October 13, 2014). Both of
these gentleman commented on the fact that they/ their employees were running out of a raw
material in some form or another. This is due to the company not physically ordering enough raw
materials and the fact that the manufacturing side is not communicating with the warehouse side
or vice versa. Since neither side is communicating well with each other, cross training will help
due to the fact that cross training will open the lines of communication. With the lines of
communication being open this will again reinforce that each side/unit cant survive without one
another.
Decrease in Labor Costs
Now that more people have been trained on different jobs throughout the company, our
labor cost will be able to decrease. Cross training will allow the company to work fewer people
if needed due to the fact that more people will be trained on each of the different jobs within the
company. Going back to a point that was made earlier, about how other employees will be able to
cover if another employee is unable to come in, this will allow for increased productivity. With
the increase in productivity, the company should be able to cut some if not all of the overtime.
Even if the company is only able to cut some of the overtime, it will still help reduce the labor
costs. This will also allow our employees a break from the overtime or give others the chance
for overtime due to more people being trained on those jobs. With this in mind, this will also
increase the morale of employees due to the fact that they will have time away from work to
relax, spend time with their families, etc. With the employees morale increased this will also
increase their productivity and with increased productivity will come increase profit margins.

CASE SYSTEMS INC: PRELIMINARY REPORT

10
Standardization
In order to correctly implement cross training, we need to ensure that we standardize our
training and also make sure that our trainers are properly training other employees. We will also
need to make sure that we inform the employees of what is going on and that there are other
training opportunities available. After reviewing some of our companys information, it was
made clear to me that we are not advertising that we have trainings or re-certification
opportunities available, especially when it comes to our forklift drivers. Informing everyone
within the company of what is happening in regards to training is key. This will allow for
everyone to be aware of opportunities within the company, which in turn will increase morale
due to the fact that everyone will be able to increase their skill level. It will also help make sure
that everyone is being compliant with certain regulations.
Effective Communication
In any organization that runs effectively and efficiently, the heart of the organization is
ensuring constant communication. Constant, efficient, targeted, communication will help any
organization grow and will help ensure that all employees of the organization will know: the
strategic goals and plans to help the organization grow and ensures there is transparency in the
workplace, so that every employee knows how each of the team works and how they are vital to
the success of the organization. Upon reviewing the case details, it has been determined that
there is there is a high level of concern in regards to any communication between the
organization, the warehouse and manufacturing teams, compliance officers, and the overall
Human Resources team. The main determination of this concern is that throughout the interviews
and in the HRIS database, it demonstrates that there is no clear set communication between

CASE SYSTEMS INC: PRELIMINARY REPORT

11
anyone that interacts within the organization internally and externally (Case Systems, Inc.,
2014).
Miscommunication
One of the main factors that has become very relevant throughout the documentation is
the lack of communication between the warehouse and manufacturing teams. The
communication between the warehouse and manufacturing teams are very ill and need attention.
The leadership teams between each of the two teams despise each other and therefore have
spilled over into the workplace, causing the team members to dislike the opposite teams (D.
Boyer & J. Brown & C. Dobbins, personal communication, October 13, 2014). Each of the teams
feels that the other team is getting treated better and better supplies than themselves by the
organization. There is no evidence that supports that the previous Human Resource Manager and
investigated the issue and examined the team structure after inquires in the initial documents.
While, solving this problem is a delicate procedure, since we want to defuse the confusion
between the two teams immediately. In addressing this issue, I hope to map out the different
interactions that each of the two teams have between each other and look at if there is a better
procedure to address the communication breakdowns of each of the teams. Another effective way
of addressing this issue between the two teams is conducting a survey between the two teams, so
we can better understand their line of business needs and see if any changes needs to be made. I
want to ensure that every employee being heard and understood. Finally, from the results of that
survey, I will be hosting a meeting with both of the manufacturing and warehouse teams to
present the findings of the surveys and how we are going to implement the plan.

CASE SYSTEMS INC: PRELIMINARY REPORT

12
Raw Materials
A second factor of communication that holds a strain between the manufacturing and
warehouse team is the running out of the raw materials. Throughout the initial documentation
that I received, it has been documented several times by different leaders and members of the
manufacturing teams that during the manufacturing cycle, they run out of the raw material on a
frequent basis (D. Boyer & J. Brown & C. Dobbins, personal communication, October 13, 2014).
One of the leader stated that the warehouse team holds the raw material and there is an issue of
the warehouse team getting the raw material to the manufacturing team. The delivery of the raw
goods is not consistent with the manufacturing team schedule. It is very important that the
manufacturing team has at all times the material that they are needed. In solving this issue, I will
examine if there is a better solution to the current method of how the goods from the warehouse
and the manufacturing teams are being handled. I will be examining if it is worth the cost to
expand the current manufacturing site that can hold the raw materials that are needed for
production. Another solution is looking at examining the warehouse procedures for the raw
material goods and improving those procedures to ensure there is an efficient transfer of the raw
goods from the warehouse to the manufacturing teams. In any operations, its important that both
the warehouse and manufacturing teams have a clear understanding of the operational
procedures.
Forklift Training
Finally, the last strain that was found in the organizational communication is in regards to
legal compliance of certain positions. Within the organization, there are positions that have legal
requirements. One of these positions is a forklift operator, they must hold a valid forklift operator
license, in order to operate the forklift. In the initial discovery of the organization, it has come to

CASE SYSTEMS INC: PRELIMINARY REPORT

13
my attention that the organization has misplaced this importance of ensuring that all forklift
operators hold a valid license. Within the HRIS system, there is no documentation of the forklift
operators and when the license was issued and when the license will expire (Case Systems, Inc.,
2014). Legally, under the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) Act, an
organization must keep key documents in relationship to safety on all employees (Occupational
Safety and Health Administration, 2014). As a forklift operator is a safety concern, due to the
equipment that is operated, it is important that Case Systems monitor the status of each forklift
operator or anyone that would be using the forklift (in the case of cross-training positions) to
ensure compliance with the Occupational Safety and Health Administration Act. The main
discovery of this issue was exposed when during the interviews, it was mentioned that there was
a posters throughout the workshops, to sign up for a forklift operator training course. However,
there was no record of the employees that are required to complete the training and get the
license. I plan to develop a database within the HRIS that would showcase all of the employees
that are required to complete the forklift operator license and when the license has been issued
and when the license will expire. Since, legally a forklift operator license expires every two
years, I will also develop a worksheet document that is accessible to each of the leaders to know
the status of each of their forklift operators and develop a notification letter of eligible employees
of how to obtain or review their forklift operator license.
Compensation Strategy
After my first day and meeting with a number of employees I have notice that there is an
issue with not only the job descriptions and levels but also with the pay levels as well. More than
one person made a comment that a manufacturing job is more along the lines of a warehouse job
or a warehouse job is more along the lines of a manufacturing job. With these changes in job

CASE SYSTEMS INC: PRELIMINARY REPORT

14
displacement, the pay changes as well. This is causing an issue of role ambiguity which can lead
to a great deal of occupational stress. I have taken a more in depth look into both the job
descriptions and active employment spreadsheets to see if there is a consistency issue at hand.
Revamping both of these documents could create a less hostile work environment and might be
able to settle the differences between the warehouse and manufacturing teams. In regards to the
other issues that the company is facing I have weighted this as the fourth priority.
Job Descriptions and Pay Differentials
Currently the job descriptions and average pay levels for manufacturing are as following:
Table 1.11: Average Pay Levels for the Manufacturing Teams
Department

Job Title

Job Description

Preprocessing

Machine
Operators

Assembly

Production
Technicians

Finishing

Paint Room
Techs

Picks up materials from the raw material 20

staging area. Completes assigned
sawing, planning, shaving, sanding,
drilling or finishing operations. Stores
ready-for-assembly pieces in the staging
area for pick up by assembly.
Responsible for strict quality and
production standards. Responsible for
complying with all safety controls.
Requires a high school diploma or GED.
Reports to the saw room supervisor.
Moves raw material from the staging
30
area and places the individual pieces into
the production jigs. Completes assembly
process according to established
procedures. Responsible for quality
control of assembled units. Moves
completed unit to finished good holding
area. Reports to assembly supervisor.
Utilizes the automated sprayer to apply
10
paint or stain to finished products.
Mounts product to hangers. Moves
product into sprayer area and after

(Case Systems, Inc., 2014)

How
Many?

Average
Pay
Levels
$30,263.80

$21,892.76

$35,472.00

CASE SYSTEMS INC: PRELIMINARY REPORT

15
coating into the drying area. Requires a
high school diploma or equivalent.
Reports to finishing room supervisor.
Average

$29,209.52

Currently the job description and average pay levels for warehouse are as following:
Table 1.22: Average Pay Levels for the Warehouse Teams
Department
Raw
Materials

Finished
Goods
Finished
Goods

Job
Job Description
Title
Forklift Warehouse forklift operators may work in a
receiving area unloading raw materials from
trucks or in the distribution area loading
trucks. Distribution operators must pull
customer orders from stock based on "pull
tickets." They are responsible for the
accuracy of the assembled orders and the
protection of materials in transit. All
operators also move stock to and from the
packaging or manufacturing areas as needed.
An OSHA forklift operator's certification is
required. HS or GED.
Forklift See Above

How
Many?
9

Average
Pay Levels
$27,236.55

10

$28,739.00

Crater

15

$22,548.93

Average

$26,174.83

Craters take finished product from the

manufacturing or finishing areas and build
wooden shipping frames/crates to protect the
units during storage and transport. Detailed
procedures for crating are posted in the
crating area. HS diploma or GED.

After a more thoroughly analysis of the job descriptions the biggest issue seems to be the
crater position. It is the position that very few employees want to have, that takes the most
training, and also has been argued that it should be a manufacturing position instead of a
warehouse position. There is also a difference in position titles between the job descriptions and
active employees spreadsheets; in the raw materials department within the warehouse the
2

(Case Systems, Inc., 2014)

CASE SYSTEMS INC: PRELIMINARY REPORT

16
position is termed forklift on the job descriptions spreadsheet, on the active employees
spreadsheet it is termed material handler. An overall clean-up and standardization is needed in
the compensation strategy in order to be effective and efficient.
Table 1.3 compares salaries of the manufacturing and warehouse departments to the
averages of the same positions in the state of Michigan. The items highlighted in red show that
they are below the state average:
Table 1.3: Salary Comparisons
Job Title
Machine Operator
Production Technician
Paint Room Technician
Material Handler
Forklift Operator
Crater

Case Systems Inc.3

$ 30,263.80
$ 21,892.76
$ 35,472.00
$ 27,236.55
$ 28,739.00
$ 22,548.93

Glassdoor (MI)4
$ 35,000.00
$ 48,000.00
n/a
$ 34,000.00
n/a
n/a

Indeed (MI)5
$ 25,000.00
$ 34,000.00
$ 38,000.00
$ 22,000.00
$ 23,000.00
$ 38,000.00

This table causes a lot of concern as the Human Resource Manager and can be an
indicator of why Case Systems Inc. is losing so many employees to other jobs in the surrounding
area. Four out of the six positions in questions are below the state average and in some cases are
significantly lower than that of competitors. The crater position is where Case Systems Inc. is
seeing the most difficulties with; when you do further research you can see that the average
salary for this position in the state is $16,000 more. It is pertinent that job salaries and the
compensation strategy are revamped immediately to ensure employee loyalty and retainment.
Skilled-Based Pay Structure
After my research of the company documents and conversations with the employees at
Case Systems Inc. I think the next step would to be introduce a skill-based pay structure. Instead
3

(Case Systems, Inc., 2014)

(Glassdoor.com, 2014)
5
(Indeed.com, 2014)
4

CASE SYSTEMS INC: PRELIMINARY REPORT

17
of linking compensation to a single job, the skill-based pay structure will link pay to the
employee. I believe that the introduction of a skill-based pay structure will enhance employee
moral which in turn will increase employee loyalty. The reason I believe this is because many of
the complaints that I was receiving were along the lines of being asked to work in positions they
are not employed in and also the difference in pay between the warehouse and the manufacturing
teams.
The skill-based system also goes hand in hand with the training and development
programs that are believed to reduce role ambiguity. Having a standardized training program that
allows employees to be trained in more areas and positions than just their own will help with the
speed of production and decrease the amount of issues that are arising on the ground floor. This
training increases expectations and responsibility of the employee which could decrease their
motivation; but with the implementation of a skill-based pay structure the employees that are
trained in more positions and possess more skills will be paid accordingly.
Standardization
The number of complaints that I received in regards to differing management style,
methods of communication, and training is concern that needs to be addressed. With the other
corrections that are being made, standardization of these functions will start to develop on its
own, but a focus on continuing standardization will be important for Case Systems Inc., that is
why the weight of this issue isnt as pertinent but still a concern.
Training
Training at Case Systems Inc. across the board is needed in order for the company to start
running more efficiently and effectively. A standardization of cross-training for the company will
ensure that employees not only understand the position that they are required to work but also

CASE SYSTEMS INC: PRELIMINARY REPORT

18
other positions in case of spill-overs. Every employee in this case should be trained in the same
way and in the same style in order to ensure productivity. I have an understanding that the
company at times does have spill-overs and people are shifted from different areas in order to
keep up with the process but pulling people into random positions where they are not trained is
something that needs to be avoided at all costs.
Communication among teams
Communication, especially between the warehouse and manufacturing, is causing a
decrease in employee morale. Instead of working together as one company and ensuring the job
is done the best way possible, there is finger-pointing and hostility between these two functions.
Standardization in the way communication is given and received between the different units at
Case Systems Inc. will help improve the relationships between managers and also improve the
morale of the employees. Respect or disrespect for co-workers has a downward effect in a
company, if executives and managers are not respecting one another; an expectation for
production line employees to respect one another is unfair.
A bi-weekly meeting with all business unit managers and myself could be beneficial with
communicating any concerns or errors that are happening on the ground floor. Having the human
resource manager present will also ensure that the communication between the units is effective
and tasks are followed through on.
I have observed that there is a disconnect between the higher level executives, business
unit managers, and floor employees. The questions of productivity that the CEO and CFO have
raised were easily answered in the concerns raised by managers and floor employees. If possible,
taking an open door approach to Case Systems Inc.s culture could decrease this communication
divide and improve company morale. Employees want to know that their voice is being heard;

CASE SYSTEMS INC: PRELIMINARY REPORT

19
giving them the opportunity to address issues with people other than their direct supervisor will
cause loyalty among employees to rise.
Management Issues
Another function of Case Systems Inc. that would benefit from standardization is the
management styles that are used. I would like to stress the importance of allowing managers to
lead their people the way they believe is most effective; the standardization of management
styles is not to force anyone to manage a specific way. However, the concern that was raised was
when spill-overs and back-ups arise managers from different areas step in and try to manage
groups of people that do not respond well to the different management approach (J. Brown & C.
Dobbins & S. Moore & N. Smith, personal communication, October 13, 2014). Giving managers
the tools and training to understand different personality styles and what each business unit
responds the best to will enhance productivity and respect among employees.
After providing managers with the tools and training that is needed, a standard style
should be agreed upon. This style is not something that has to fit perfectly into a box but rather
taking the positives from each management style and forming one cohesive style that will benefit
all employees.
Conclusion
To summarize, after reviewing the initial documents we have determined that there are a
spectrum of issues within Case Systems Inc., such as: high levels of overtime, high turnover
rates, job inefficiency, hostile work environment, miscommunication, lack of training, and
conflicting management styles. Moving forward, I will be able to develop and create a strategic
plan that includes several solutions including: looking at the recruiting process to see what type
of person we are hiring; revising our training to include a more versatile system; improving the

CASE SYSTEMS INC: PRELIMINARY REPORT

20
effectiveness of our communication; revising our compensation strategy to include a skill-based
pay system; and standardizing our way of management styles, communication, and training.
Upon implementation of these strategic ideas, Case Systems Inc., will set a gold standard for the
door industry within the Mid-Michigan area.

CASE SYSTEMS INC: PRELIMINARY REPORT

21
References
Case Systems, Inc. (2014). Case Overview. Central Michigan University.
Case Systems, Inc. (2014). Case Overview. Central Michigan University.
Case Systems, Inc. (2014). Human Resource Database. Central Michigan University.
Case Systems, Inc. (2014). Employee Handbook. Central Michigan University.
Glasdoor.com. (2014). Glassdoor Salary Data for Midland. Retrieved October 2, 2014, from
http://www.glassdoor.com
Indeed.com. (2014). Indeed Salary Data. Retrieved October 5, 2014, from
http://www.indeed.com/
Occupational Safety and Health Administration. (2014). OSHA Law & Regulations.
Retrieved October 10, 2014, from https://www.osha.gov/law-regs.html
Salary.com. (2014). Salary.com Salary Wizard- Do you know what you're worth?
Retrieved October 5, 2014, from http://swz.salary.com/SalaryWizard/Fork-LiftOperator-Salary-Details-Midland-MI.aspx