1. Maintaining a Viable Operations Group; Motivating and Managing Operators
Peter Ingrassia
Collider-Accelerator Department
28 October 2014
Retaining operators has always been a challenge for operations managers. One might say the challenge tends to increase with time given, for example, changing budgets, a new mission, an increase in complexity of operation, or added responsibilities for the group. Reducing the challenge is not entirely deterministic – some luck is involved. Each operations manager has strong opinions regarding methods used to meet the challenge. This presentation will summarize some of the lessons learned while attempting to manage the challenges during more than two decades at the AGS-RHIC complex with the hope that it will spark an open discussion by the workshop attendees and encourage them to share their positive and negative experiences.

2. WAO Topic Frequency

3. Why the WAO Topic Frequency plot?
“Operator Issues” is not often an explicit WAO agenda item
Operator issues are talked about in “Training/Development” sessions, in Open Discussions (today?), and mentioned in other sessions.
The basis of “Operator Issues” at each of our institutions can be inferred from WAO How We Do Business (HWDB) presentations e.g.
Shift schedules
Operations Organization
Shift Crew Makeup

4. Operator Issues – frequency of discussion
I claim Operator Issues are NOT “REALLY” discussed at WAO owing to the fact that every operations group learns to deal with these issues – some better some worse. “Each group/manager knows what to do”
There are as many solutions as there are Operations Groups – so why discuss?
Operations Group Leaders have the answers … or they think they do
“Operator Issues” result from the work environment – each environment is different

5. Disclaimers/Caveats
In what follows I don’t claim to be expert and don’t propose answers
Each institute is different and solutions to the same problem often vary by institute.
This talk does not pretend to teach Ops Group Leaders how to Maintain a Viable Operations Group. Instead I try to list “viability requirements”.
The talk is a list of ideas that come from my experiences and is intended to spark some discussion.

6. Accelerator Operations Group Commonalities or “SSS”
Shiftwork
Amount varies with institution
Science (Technology, Engineering)
Educational requirements
Safety
Responsibilities for self and others
Around this framework of requirements shall you build your group.

7. A Viable Group (1) : Recruits the right people Retains good performers
Very hard to find the “bad apples” during recruitment
Be honest when recruiting about the rigors of shift work.
Retains good performers
Gives people the opportunity to move to another group (get off shift if they want to)
Motivates
Motivation can be hard given a spectrum of abilities in the group
One method is to allow them to develop professionally in a subject area that they like or that suits them.
Give operators responsibilities both on shift and off shift.
Encourage on/off shift collaboration with physicists, engineers, controls, technicians.

8. A Viable Group (2) : Expects and Responds to change
Workload increase/decrease
Training needs as facility expands or changes modes of operation
Maintains training current
Continually trains operators to maintain skills and prepare for new equipment or modes of operation
Self Assesses
Reviews with the assembled group what was done well and lessons learned from mistakes

9. The Secret to Retention
A Word about Retention
The Secret to Retention
There is none
There are too many variables to try to maximize
You are dealing with Humans – good luck trying to predict outcomes.
Expect to lose your best people

10. Needed to Maintain a Viable Group (1):
Trust / mutual respect
Between manager and employee and employee and manager
Manager makes an implicit agreement with employee – each must do what they implicitly agree to do.
Honesty – employee dishonesty is a deal breaker for me.
Explicit support of Department Managers for the Operations Group and Ops Group Leader
Manager Flexibility
Ability to listen
Manager willing to change ideas in the light of new evidence
Allow flexible employee work hours if lab and work schedule permits.
Manager Attention to employee needs
Family and other sources of stress away from the workplace
education

11. Needed to Maintain a Viable Group (2):
Team Building
Easier said than done.
Social gatherings (BEER and more BEER)
Not everyone interested (3 mothers, athletes, etc.)
Background Diversity vs. Homogeneity when recruiting
Homogeneity likely leads to a better team but not necessarily to better performance
University education (B.S./M.S./PhD)
Technicians
Former Military
Contract/Union Workers

12. Needed to Maintain a Viable Group (3):
Advancement
Performance must be given greatest weight when evaluating.
Need (family expanding?) – Don’t ignore that facet
Goal setting
Primarily for new operators.
Experienced Operators should be able to set own goals
Accessibility
Manager must remain accessible – unless drinking beer in Mainz
Please help me add to the list….
Discussion