Good Employee Relations---Sound Basis for Leadershp

Bv B.J. Vaughn, Director, Public and Employee Relations, Union Lumber Compony, Fort Bragg, Cahf.

The Union Lumber Comltany, of Fort l3ragg. California. has l;een t leader in the field of redu'ood lumbering throughout its long and colorful histrlrr'. The cornpanv is outstanding also ir.r its record of good ernplovee relations. Its success in achieving tl-ris can be traced to its conviction that leadership entails responsibilities. Foremost alnong these responsibilities is the need to base continued leadership not on a feu' t()p manag'ement men alone. but also orr its 1300 employees.

The Union l-umber Ccu.npany has a ver-\' l)r()gressive crnployee program, and they ltelier-e that good emplovee relations are based, lirst oi all, on conrlllete and accurate records.

\\rith the aid of a Iternir.rgton Rand Systems expert, the Union Lurnber adapted to their needs a record sl'stem that deserves study b1' executives considering inrprovenrents in their orvn personnel clepartments.

At the otrtset, the Unior.r l-umber Companv nrade sure that their new recorcls l'ould be safe irom fire. Fite destroys thousands of irreplaceable emplo-vee records in the United States every )'ear. Safe-Kardexes ancl Safe-files. combining efficiencv ancl fire protection, n'ere decided upon to hotrse tlre records.

The Kardex form u'hich is filled in for each ernployee is a model of compactness and conrpleteness. It begins u'ith tl.re card filled in by the personnel department intervierver l'hen the employee is hired. Here is listed all pertinent personal information, including a record of prelious em1>loymer.rt. This form is r.nade a l)ermanent part of the cmployee's record.

Next, there is the service record. n'hich lists the employee's jobs u'ith the Union I.umber Compan,v. This is an abstract of infornration contained on larger form, located on the reverse side. Here is a detailed record of reprimands; a 1'earlv rating record ; an altsentee srlnlmary recrird ; an accident record ; and a termination code. The abser.rtee record is, in turn an abstract of a ])ailv Absenteeism record, a four-year form housed along n'ith the l)erluanent record.

Last, there is the title insert-or visible margin. Here along u'ith the emplol'ee's name, social securitr- number and department, is a numltered strip on rvhich a Graph-AIlatic signal is moved to indicate the length of emplovment. \rertical colored signals are also used for follos--up in accordance n'ith an arbitrary code.

No phase of the emplo-vee's life s-hich might reasonabl-ralTect his job is missing from his personnel record. Such thoroughness results in man,r' ltenefits, both tor the ernplovee and for thc companl-.

As elerv personnel director knon-s. one of the cliief causes of emplovee dissatisfaction. and conse(ptent inefficiency. is the feeling of the emplo-r.ee that he is sub-