Flextime Revolution: Prudential’s Changes
Making Hay on the Trade Show Floor
Corrections or additions?
These articles by Barbara Fox and Melinda Sherwood were published
in U.S. 1 Newspaper on November 3, 1999. All
rights reserved.
Survival Guide
Top Of PageFlextime Revolution: Prudential’s Changes
Clockwatchers are rare at the Prudential and the reason
is simple: more employees now enjoy the privilege of setting their
own schedules, working from home, or taking advantage of some of the
company’s other pro-family arrangements. Better work has been one
outcome, but Prudential has another ace in the hole: since the company
earned Working Mother magazine’s recognition as one of the “Top
10 Best Companies to Work For” in 1999, it also has greater
leverage
in a tough job market. “There’s a war for talent,” says
Debbie
Gingher, vice president for policy and strategy and the woman who
helped the company realize its flexible work policies. “There
are more jobs then there are talented employees, so in order to
attract
talent, you have to offer choice and different ways of doing
things.”
Gingher shares her expertise with the Rutgers Center for Women and
Work on Thursday, November 4, at 5 p.m. at the Ruth Dill Johnson
Crockett
Building at 162 Ryders Lane in New Brunswick. Dana Friedman,
senior vice president of Bright Horizons Family Solutions (the
consulting
firm that is working with Prudential to open two “back-up”
daycare centers for employees), and a columnist for Working Mother
magazine, joins her. The program is free. Call 732-932-1463.
Gingher, who holds a BS in mathematics and education from SUNY
Oneonta,
Class of 1976, started in Prudential’s accounting office and has moved
in and out of human resource positions for 20 years. When CEO Art
Ryan left Chase to join Prudential in 1997, the company beefed up
hiring in operations and call centers, and senior management set out
to create a new human resource strategy to fit. “Part of my charge
was to figure out what makes sense in the new world of corporate
America,”
says Gingher.
A microcosm of that new America, Prudential is seeing an increasing
number of Generation X-ers, working mothers, and single mothers in
the workplace. An office-wide E-mail survey revealed to Gingher that
48 percent of Prudential’s employees are female, 60 percent are under
the age of 35, and many are raising children.
With that information, Gingher went to senior management to make a
case for flexible schedules, arguing that it would improve retention
rates and cut turnover. There was some initial skepticism. “Where
the biggest resistance comes is from traditional managers using the
command and control approach,” she says. “Traditional mangers
want to feel and see their employees so telecommuting didn’t sit well
with them.” But when management added up the numbers, flex-time
made sense. When retention rates and morale rise, says Gingher,
“that
translates into dollars. Every time you lose a high skilled employee,
take their compensation and multiply it by 1.5, and that’s what you
spend replacing them. That’s a pretty big business case.”
The official company policy on flex-time is don’t ask, don’t tell
— the “reason-blind” approach. A Prudential employee
doesn’t
need to divulge personal information to justify modifying his or her
schedule. “We don’t really care what your personal reasons are
for wanting to work different, our concern is how you can accomplish
your business objectives with excellence in a different way,”
says Gingher. That policy, she explains, takes the pressure off
managers
who are often in an awkward position deciding who should have
flex-time
and who shouldn’t. Now the issue isn’t how many kids a person has,
but how you perform. Employees submit a request form stating the
desired
work arrangement and how they will be effective in that arrangement,
and then managers decide whether it works for the department.
“Fairness is not sameness,” says Gingher. “Not every
employee
is going to get the same work-flex. If you’re a customer service
representative,
for example, it’s highly unlikely that you’re going to be able to
work at home because customers are going to want to speak to you
whenever
they want. But if you’re a technologist, maybe you can. You have to
work through how it affects other customers.”
Don’t expect to break down the 9 to 5 institution overnight, says
Gingher, who offers these suggestions:
Study employees . Don’t assume. Conduct surveys to findout who your employees are and what they want. Gingher discovered,to her surprise, that some Prudential employees preferred serviceslike back-up daycare, take-home dinners, or dry-cleaning over flexibleschedules.Set-up a pilot program first . “My initial approachwas an all or nothing approach,” recalls Gingher. But whenmanagementinsisted on a trial run instead, the company was able to learn moreabout how to train managers and identify problems.Treat each department individually . This is the”fairnessis not sameness” principle. Not every job can be done from home.Build a business case . The strongest argument for allowingemployees to set their own schedules is to keep morale high and keepthe best workers in the company. If turnover rate is low, retentionrate high, that’s a good indication that you don’t need to implementa new policy.For Prudential, on the other hand, “it was the right thingto do,” says Gingher. “We had an unbelievable number ofcommentsfrom telecommuters saying `I’m more productive now because I’m notsitting in traffic everyday.'”– Melinda SherwoodTop Of PageMaking Hay on the Trade Show FloorTrade shows have been around since forever, and theyhave proliferated beyond belief. Brian Simons of EXM says thereare 15,000 registered trade conferences, fairs and expos, coveringeverything from technology to pharmaceuticals to fashion to homesupplyto fertilizer. “For every conceivable product that is sold, notnecessarily to the consumer, there is a trade fair of some sort thatis developed around it,” says Simons.Simons speaks on “How to Exhibit Successfully: Making Trade ShowParticipation Painless and Profitable,” on Tuesday, November 9,at 6 p.m. at the Newark Airport Marriott, for the Business MarketingAssociation. He will cover strategy for participation, upfrontbudgeting,and tracking return on investment. Cost: $30. Call 609-409-5601.A marketing communications major at Ohio University, Class of 1983,Simons partnered with Bob Lasser, former director of sales forProdigy, to form EXM, a two-year-old trade show management and eventmarketing agency. He focuses on young companies that do not haveinternaltrade show resource — or larger companies that need assistanceexecuting trade show programs. Clients tend to be in broadcasting,pharmaceuticals, or other high tech fields.”Many clients are small companies with a need to deliver theirmessage,” says Simons. “The good news is, that there is ashow every week. The bad news is, that for some clients we would loveto have a year’s notice, but in many cases we get three weeks.”The tasks: to develop the strategy and objectives (select the show,environment or education fair), design and make the exhibit properties(multi-media presentations), procure the fixtures, and be on siteto manage the environment. In the best case scenario, the client hasan ad agency or PR firm to come up with the objectives and do thedesign and/or PR, and EXM acts as an executive producer for the actualexhibit.Trade shows are expensive, says Simons, but attendance is growingand the number of shows is growing, so this is suddenly becoming amarketing medium competitive with radio and television. Attendancehas grown from 7 to 15 percent over last year, he says, based oninformationreleased by companies producing the shows. At the Internet World Showin New York last month, produced by Penton Media, the numbers ofregisteredattendees went up 20 percent.Who were these visitors? Corporate representatives looking fortechnology,investors looking for the next Amazon.com, and traditional businesspeople who know that, in order to be competitive they have to usethe Internet. But they were visitors, not necessarily buyers.So define your objectives before you decide on your budget. Toincreasebrand awareness, for instance, is a waste of money, Simons believes.A more valid objective is to engage the media, a real possibilityfor a small company, because on the trade show floor the playing fieldis fairly even. Another valid objective is to try to get that oneimportant client. Particularly at a medical show, a client might latchonto one account that could trade into millions of dollars of revenue.Simons’ advice:Don’t try to say too much . Some companies want torepresentevery product, but “more is not necessarily the merrier. Themessagesget confused.”Don’t assume that anyone who works in an office can workon a floor. “Most business people are not used to having justthree to five seconds to engage a person on a show floor. They likethe competitiveness of being in the same room as their competition,but it’s a very concentrated and high intensity salesopportunity.”Don’t be afraid to measure the return on investment . Acommon formula for exhibiting is $150 per square foot, so for a 400square feet exhibit, a corporation is spending $60,000. “Tie itback to your product.”Certain clients try to extend the life of their trade showinvestment.Prodigy, for instance, packed up a tractor trailer and visitedretailersthat were planning to distribute their products. It works in thepublishingindustry as well. Prevention Magazine customized a tractor trailer,and in support of the message that the magazine was to provide, ittoured the United States. “This just reinforced the message thatwas on the floor. You do see this type of marketing in the foodindustry– it’s based on the sampling model — they take it not onlyto the consumers but to the level of distribution,” says Simons.”Our mission is to realize new tricks — what was done lastyear that we can build on for this year, so that you can always bedifferent,” says Simons. “You not only have the competitionto deal with, you have the booth next door — they could be sellinga completely different product, but if you both have magicians it’spolarizing.”What about those magicians? “In our minds, the arena of`entertainment’on the trade show floor can be the most effective or absolutely awaste of money. It all comes back to how is your message or productincorporated into the delivery. All too often, it’s a last minuteengagement, it’s not well thought out, positioned, and your messageis not woven into the piece.””Cable and Wireless used a variation of Cirque du Soleil todemonstratetheir credibility and capabilities in the marketplaces and they didan outstanding job because the presentation incorporated the nameand service.”What about hand outs? “We’re not a big fan of handing out pilesof toys. As exhibitors, you are paying to have them created anddelivered,and unless you qualify who the recipient is, why not give out $5 toevery person. Unless the premium is carefully sewn in, we’d ratheremphasize fulfillment on the back end.”Top Of PageTracking YourMail CarrierFor years now, private package delivery services havebeen lording it over the United States Postal Service by advertisingtheir “track your package on the web” services. Now the USPSoffers delivery confirmation of priority and standard mail via theInternet or an 800 number. Mike Donlon of the USPS (E-mail:mdonlon@email.usps.gov) explains how at a regional trainingseminar on Tuesday, November 16, from 8 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. at theTrentondistribution center at 680 Route 130 and Klockner Road in Hamilton.Cost: $25 including breakfast and lunch. Register by Friday, November5. Call Jake Truex, acting manager of the business center inEdison at 732-819-4321 or E-mail: jtruex@email.usps.govThe keynote will be given by Scott DeMayo, who speaks on “AFresh Look at Mailing, Internet Technology, and Helpful Tools forMailers.” DeMayo, based in Randolph, is a certifiedmailing-operationsconsultant, webmaster, and president of DeMayo Mail Management andDMM Web Design & Hosting. He is vice president of operations for NewJersey Mail Systems Management Association; he created the officialweb site of National Postal Forum and others includinghttps://www.mailingstuff.comParticipants can choose among several workshops:Grow your business with ad mail , as expanded by theInternet,taught by Frank Cooper and Ralph Moccio, both of USPS.Designing barcoded mail . Rick D’Angelo, a USPSdesignanalyst, will show how to qualify for discounts and low rates.Exploring the USPS web site taught by DeMayo andCamilleCoogan of USPS. Use the website at https://www.usps.gov togenerate automated postage statements, get online/real timeinformation,and perform rate comparisons.Improve cash flow with CAPS and MAIL.dat taught by BobSpadaro of EquiServe and Bob Wszolek of USPS. CAPS is theelectronic funds transfer system that eliminates paper checks.MAIL.datis an industry-oriented database that helps track volume, weight,container usage, and distribution patterns.Drop ship and consolidator parcel mailing , an “outof the box” solution offered by John Pampani and PeteFurka both of USPS.Donlon will explain how your business can get deliveryconfirmationfree for priority mail, and 25 cents for a parcel that weighs at leastone pound.Delivery confirmation is for standard parcels and priority parcelsor envelopes. You can get it at the post office or electronically.Businesses that file reports electronically can track priority mailat no charge, and standard parcels cost 25 cents under this system.With your Dun & Bradstreet number, available free on the Internet,you register with the postal service and set up a procedure so youcan build a file and electronically send it.You send a file on the day’s mail electronically. You also includea copy of a similar document, complete with your bar code, when yourcarrier picks up the mail. When the post office receives your mailit scans the barcode on the document you provide. Both files meet.Now the postal service knows that these files are in the system.When your parcel is delivered, the postal worker scans its numberinto the system; more than 300,000 hand-held scanners are inoperation.This shows where the parcel was delivered and at what time. You cancheck by tollfree telephone to see if your parcel has been deliveredor track it on the website. No insurance is included in this fee,and if you send your parcel insured you do not need the deliveryconfirmation.At the post office window, you get the same service at slightly highercost, 35 cents for priority packages and 60 cents for standard parcelpost (packages more than 16 ounces sent at parcel rates). You receivea numbered receipt.”I didn’t get your bill . . . your letter . . . your notice. Thepost office must be slow.” How many times have you heard thatand not been able to refute it? Now you can.Next StoryCorrections or additions?This page is published by PrincetonInfo.com— the web site for U.S. 1 Newspaper in Princeton, New Jersey.
