Email Jim at jim.thompson@ipulpmedia.com

If one could put housekeeping in a pipe and pump it around the mill in circles, not only would it be assigned an operating budget, but it would also be assigned a maintenance budget, too. As it is, housekeeping gets even less respect than maintenance--at least maintenance has a line item in the budget.

I am going to go way out on a limb here. Traditionally, pulp and paper mills have had a masculine odor. Housekeeping has often been thought of as a feminine task. Being a welder, repairing a pipe up in the rafters, has been an admired job while being a person on the floor picking up deleterious material has not. Hence, from the top to the bottom of your organization, housekeeping has the baggage of all the old jobs we thought of as feminine and somehow less desirable. I am not going woke on you here, I am merely speaking the unspeakable.

Housekeeping should be thought of as a process. It is a very important process which is often neglected.

Walk in a mill that has great housekeeping and walk into another that has terrible housekeeping. Quick--what is your immediate image of the quality of management in each of these two?

For nearly twenty-five years, in this column alone, I have been telling you, if you take on a new department, mill or company, the first thing to do is clean it up. It is very simple--you can't understand what to manage until you remove all the stuff in the way of managing the objective of your work.

This concept I just provided above is very simple. If things that don't matter are in the way of things that do matter, they are affecting performance. Think of a dirty windshield in a car. If you can't clearly see through the windshield, you might miss something that will cause great harm.

When you visit a doctor's office, what is the level of cleanliness you expect? Why don't you expect this where you work?

Then the tough question--who do you think is supposed to do the housekeeping where you work? The answer is everyone including you. I particularly like to walk down the machine floor, operating or drive side, and pick up deleterious material there myself. I would like it even better if there was none there, but I am certainly not going to walk past it if it is there.

Everyone is watching all the time. Make sure they don't see you as being "too good" to do what you ask them to do.

This goes for the parking lot, too. The worst thing I find in the parking lots these days are those little plastic floss/toothpick devices. I pick them up and then scrub my hands. Do these affect our ability to make paper? Possibly, for they set a standard that says such trash is OK. I think if I ever caught someone dropping one of these and they worked for me, I would frog-walk them to the human resources department.

Be safe and we will talk next week.

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Housekeeping in the Mill: A Study Guide

• Quiz

1. According to Jim Thompson, how does housekeeping compare to maintenance in terms of budgetary respect within a mill?
2. What traditional perception of housekeeping in pulp and paper mills does Thompson challenge?
3. Thompson states that housekeeping should be thought of as a process. Why is this important, and what is its current status in many mills?
4. What is the immediate impression a mill's level of housekeeping can convey about its management quality?
5. What is the first action Thompson suggests taking when taking over a new department, mill, or company, and why?
6. Explain the "dirty windshield" analogy used in the text. What concept does it illustrate?
7. What question does Thompson pose regarding cleanliness expectations at a doctor's office versus a workplace?
8. Who does Thompson believe is responsible for housekeeping at work?
9. What specific action does Thompson himself take on the machine floor regarding housekeeping?
10. How do seemingly small items like plastic floss/toothpick devices in the parking lot relate to the overall standard of housekeeping and its potential impact on mill operations?

• Answer Key

1. Thompson states that housekeeping gets even less respect than maintenance because maintenance at least has a line item in the budget, whereas housekeeping generally does not. This highlights the severe undervaluation of housekeeping.
2. Thompson challenges the traditional perception of housekeeping as a "feminine task" that is less desirable or admired than traditionally masculine jobs like welding. He argues this perception contributes to its undervaluing within the organization.
3. Thinking of housekeeping as a process is important because it implies a structured, ongoing activity, rather than a sporadic chore. Thompson notes that despite its importance, it is often neglected in mills.
4. A mill's level of housekeeping immediately conveys an impression of the quality of its management. Excellent housekeeping suggests good management, while terrible housekeeping suggests poor management.
5. When taking on a new department, mill, or company, Thompson suggests the first thing to do is clean it up. This is because one cannot understand what to manage until all "stuff in the way" of the objective is removed.
6. The "dirty windshield" analogy illustrates how things that don't matter, but are in the way, can affect performance by obstructing a clear view of what does matter. Just as a dirty windshield can cause harm by obscuring vision, poor housekeeping can lead to missed issues.
7. Thompson asks why individuals expect a high level of cleanliness when visiting a doctor's office, but do not expect the same level of cleanliness where they work. This question highlights a double standard in expectations.
8. Thompson believes that everyone, including management, is responsible for housekeeping at work. He emphasizes that it is a collective responsibility.
9. Thompson himself particularly likes to walk down the machine floor, operating or drive side, and pick up deleterious material there. He prefers if there is none, but will not walk past it if it is present.
10. Even small items like plastic floss/toothpick devices in the parking lot set a standard that suggests trash is acceptable. This "standard" can subtly affect the overall environment and potentially impact the mill's ability to make paper by fostering a culture of neglect.

• Essay Format Questions

• Discuss Jim Thompson's argument that the traditional perception of housekeeping as a "feminine task" has contributed to its undervaluation and lack of respect within pulp and paper mills. How does this historical baggage impact its current status and budget allocation?
• Thompson asserts that housekeeping should be viewed as a "process." Elaborate on what this implies for a mill's operations and management philosophy, contrasting it with the likely current approach. What benefits would a process-oriented view bring?
• Analyze the connection Thompson draws between the level of housekeeping in a mill and the perceived quality of its management. Use his examples and analogies (e.g., doctor's office, dirty windshield) to support your explanation.
• Thompson states that "everyone including you" is responsible for housekeeping. Discuss the implications of this statement for different levels of employees within a mill, from floor workers to top management. How can leadership effectively model and enforce this collective responsibility?
• Beyond just cleanliness, how does Thompson suggest that the standard of housekeeping, even in seemingly minor areas like the parking lot, reflects the overall culture and operational efficiency of a mill? Provide specific examples from the text to support your points.

• Glossary of Key Terms

Deleterious Material: Harmful or damaging substances or objects. In the context of the mill, this refers to trash or debris that should not be on the floor.

Frog-walk: To escort someone forcefully or indignantly, often to an authority. In the text, it refers to Thompson's hypothetical action of taking an employee who litters to Human Resources.

Housekeeping: In the context of the mill, this refers to the maintenance of cleanliness, order, and organization within the facility. Thompson argues it should be viewed as a vital process.

Line Item: A specific entry in a budget, detailing an allocation of funds for a particular purpose. Thompson uses this to highlight that maintenance has a budget entry, but housekeeping often does not.

Masculine Odor/Feminine Task: Terms used by Thompson to describe the traditional, gendered perceptions of jobs and responsibilities within industrial settings, specifically how housekeeping has been historically devalued due to its association with feminine roles.

Process: A series of actions or steps taken in order to achieve a particular end. Thompson advocates viewing housekeeping as a continuous, structured process rather than just a sporadic chore.

Speaking the Unspeakable: Thompson's phrase for addressing a topic (the gendered perception of housekeeping) that is often avoided or considered taboo in traditional industrial settings.

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