Document rBYz4GJq25bZeGjKORjv8Xg9v

Here are the answers to questions asked in your survey. TO OUR FELLOW EMPLOYEES: We are happy to send you this report on the opinions of the men and women in all parts of our organization, in accordance with our letter of Septem ber 28. The Opinion Research Survey of all our opinions marks an important step in the program for progress for the Ethyl Plant at Baton Rouge. You can see by the majority votes on most questions that people here think pretty much alike. The good opinions of the vast majority give all of us encouragement; the critical opinions show all of us where we have opportunities to make things better. In some cases where criticism was expressed, work has already been started to remove the cause of these criticisms. On some others, it is clear that people were critical because they did not have all the facts. We are starting to work immediately to bring you more of the information which you say you want. As you read through this booklet, you will notice that the Opinion Research Corporation gives you the figures on every question asked in the survey, together with a brief comment based on their experience in making surveys in many plants. In some cases, we have added our comments. There is a lot of valuable information in this re port which can help us in planning our programs for the future, and many suggestions which can guide each of us in our common effort to make Ethyl the best possible place to work. C. W. Bond Resident Manager ijdfa . ETHYL EMPLOYEES On on Employee Opinion Survey Made at Baton Rouge August 9-16,1949 By Opinion Research Corporation Princeton, New Jersey ETC 05377 TO ETHYL EMPLOYEES: In this booklet we present the answers to each of the ques tions asked in the survey last August. The findings represent fairly the opinions of all the people in the plant. Everyone was interviewed except those who were on vacation, or ill, or who could not be spared or re lieved from work at the time the survey was made. As you will remember, we told you that your individual opin ions would be confidential. This pledge has been kept -your answers have been handled so that no one outside of Opinion Research Corporation can tell what any one person sa i d. He would like to take this opportunity to thank you for your interest in the survey and for your cooperation in making it a success. OPINION RESEARCH CORPORATION Oilman M. K. Smith Vice President ETC 05378 Opinion Research Corporation Report Several questions were asked to get your overall opinions about the Company, the people you work with, and your own job. First, you were asked how Ethyl compares with other companies you have worked for or know about. Here's how you vote: Out of every 100 employees 32 say excellent us say good in say average 1 says poor 2 say very poor 3 have no opinion Opinion Research Corporation Comment: Compared with other companies we have surveyed. Ethyl makes a very good showing as a place to work. When those who say "excellent" are added together with the ones who say "good," 80 of you out of every 100 think Ethyl is well above the average. Only three people out of 100 think Ethyl is a poor place to work. This means that in reality only about 90 people in the entire plant disagree with the more than 3,000 who say Ethyl is as good as or better than any other company they know about. ETC 05379 ARE YOU PROUD TO WORK AT ETHYL? The Report Most of you are proud of your company. We asked this ques tion: "How do you feel when a friend asks you where you work?" Out of every 100 employees -- 78 say " l am proud i work at Ethyl." 2 say "I am not proud I work at Ethyl." I 18 have no strong feeling one way or another . 2 have no opinion Opinion Research Corporation Comment; This is an excellent showing, since only two of you out of 100 are not proud to say you work at Ethyl. Counting the answers to this question by separate age groups, we find that a larger majority of the older employees (those 45 or over) take pride In working at Ethyl than Is the case with the younger ones (those under 30). 5 ETC 05380 The Report ETHYL TODAY COMPARED ; !I WITH A YEAR AGO "Right now, do you feel the Company is better or worse as a place to work than it was a year ago?" Out of every 100 employees -- 36 say better than a year ago 42 say about the same I 16 say worse than a year ago . 6 have no opinion Among those of you who say Ethyl is better, improved working conditions is the main reason you give. Host of you who were working here before September 1945, also say Ethyl is better now than it was four years ago. In your comments, the two reasons given by the largest number of people are that a single management is better and that work ing conditions have improved. Opinion Research Corporation Commont; No company over stands still; it gets better or it gets worse. Note that about twice as many employees (36 out of 100) say that Ethyl is getting better as a place to work as say it Is getting worse (16 cut of 100) . 6 ETC 05381 OUR COMMENT: The answers to the three questions just shown are highly gratifying. However, with even a few people feeling Ethyl is a poor place to work, or worse than it was a year ago, and two per cent saying that they are not proud to work at Ethyl, there is still room for seri ous concern on our part. Pride, of course, is a personal thing, and one person might feel it for reasons that leave another cold. Most of us know that our plant, our fellow employees, and our products deserve our price -- that we play an important part in the economy of our country. Maybe it just takes time to realize these things because, as the research people point out, our older em ployees generally take more priae in the Company than younger ones do. The long expansion program we have been through has made our plant bigger and better in many ways, but it has also brought many difficulties to effi cient and satisfactory plant operation. Perhaps now we can all give more attention to those things that will make for progress in the months ahead. The Report "How would you rate the group with which you work as compared with others in the Company?" Out of every 100 employees -- III 21 say excellent 43 say good 27 say average 4 say poor 2 say very poor 3 have no opinion Opinion Research Corporation Comment: The people you work with have a tot to do with making your working day pleasant or unpleasant. From the figures above, it's easy to see that most of you think the groups you work with are among the best in the Plant. ETC 05383 The Report DEPARTMENTAL COOPERATION "What do you think about the teamwork and cooperation among the various sections and departments in the Plant?" ~ Out of every 100 employees -- 17 say very good 5A say average 2U say poor 5 have no opinion Opinion Research Corporation Comment; A plant like Ethyl Is a teamwork operation In the same way that members of winning football teams work together. About a fourth of you think that teamwork at Ethyl is poor, and you give some qood suggestions on how it can be improved. Most often you say that something should be done to show the employees and the various departments that they are all memters of the same organization. 9 ETC 05384 The Report COMPARED WITH OTHER COMPANIES YOU HAVE WORKED FOR OR KNOW ABOUT, THIS IS HOW YOU RATE ETHYL ON SOME SPECIFIC POINTS - Out of every 100 employees, here are the numbers who give these answers on each item: Business prospects in the years ahead Doing things for Baton Rouge Pay rates Safety program work i ng cond i t ions Employee oenefits^ Letting employees know what's going on in the Company Top men here Peing friendly to employees Having employees' interests at heart Very No Good Average Poor Opinion 75 17 17 54 3" u8 52 41 25 51 29 17 3 <u 47 63 43 uo 14 3 31 38 24 7 28 39 28 5 27 47 18 8 Opinion Research Corporation Comment: This table shows that your confidence in Ethyl's business prospects is high (higher than we have found in any other company we have studied). In terms of your own jobs, such a vote means that most of you look to the future with a strong feeling of personal secur i ty You also rate Ethyl highly on the things it does for Baton Rouge. Naturally, everyone wants to make the highest wages. Only two out of 100 Ethyl workers say pay rates are "poor." This is an excellent record in comparison with any other company we have surveyed. You rate Ethyl high on its safety program, working conditions, and employee benefits. Your vote on three other points finds smaller numbers rating the Company "very good" on -- letting employees know what's going on, the top men being friendly, and having employees' interests at heart. 10 1 ETC 05385 OUR COMMENT: The vote shown on safety may be a good rating in some plants, based on Opinion Research ex perience: but in this plant, where safety is a Number 1 rule, it is not satisfactory to us to find that 17 persons out of 100 say our safety program is poor. It is a fact that our safety record has been excellent. During the past two years we have been given three awards for our outstanding safety perform ance. We are proud of this, but we are not satisfied. We are going to re-examine every phase of our safety program to see if there is any place where it can be strengthened. The vote on top men here not being friendly to employees is, frankly, embarrassing. We feel like a person who, with all the good intentions in the world, has somehow offended a friend. No matter how busy anyone is, there is always time to say "hello" and to do things in a friendly manner. Let's give each other a chance to show that we are friendly. Where we have failed in this, we shall try to do better in the future; and we earnestly ask everyone to join with us in this effort. li ETC 05386 The Report There is one problem on which you show considerable criticism. It is the question of promotions. Because the critical evi dence showed up in several places, we have brought together on one page your answers to three separate questions: 1. In rating Ethyl on "fairness in making promotions," out of every 100 -- 25 say very good 40 say average 26 say poor 9 have no opinion 2. In rating your own job on "chance to get ahead," out of every 100 -- -c 22 say very good 41 say average 27 say poor 10 have no opinion 3. Those who said their chances to get ahead were "poor" in the second question above were also asked, "What do you feel is holding you back?" Here are the principal reasons: 9 out of 100 say -- "There is favoritism; promotions don't always go to the best man." 4 out of 100 say -- "My department is small; there's not much opportunity to get ahead." 3 out of 100 say -- "Seniority should not govern promo tions completely, as it does now." 3 out of 100 say -- "My boss doesn't give credit where it's due." Opinion Research Corporation Comment: In other plant surveys, It Is usual to find some criticism of promotion policies and practices. However, the proportion of people here who are critical on this point Is larger than we would expect to find in view of the very favorable rating given to the Company as a whole and to your own departments, as shown in preceding tables. 12 OUR COMMENT: It is the policy of Ethyl Corporation always to be fair in every respect; and because we realize that nearly everyone wants to better his position we try doubly hard to be fair in making promotions. On promotions to non-supervisory jobs, the terms of the contracts with the Unions state clearly how promotions are to be made. These contracts have been followed to the letter. On promotions to supervisory jobs, it is im portant that we select the best qualified employees we can find. We would be very foolish to let favoritism influence promotions. We may make mistakes, but we would like every employee to feel that we do try to be fair, always. On chance to get ahead, there have been many job opportunities here -- far more than in most or ganizations -- because of the rapid way we have ex panded. Eleven years ago we had two lead plants, one ethyl chloride plant and no sodium plant. There were about 60 foremen and supervisors jobs in 1938; today there are about 350. So, there have been 290 new opportunities for supervisory jobs in this plant in 11 years, an average of one such promotion every 14 days. 13 ETC 05388 The Report | HOW YOU RATE I YOUR OWN JOB You were asked: "How do you like the job you have -- the kind of work you do?" Out of every 100 employees -- Opinion Research Corporation Comment Cnmoared with other companies we have surveyed, Ethyl makes a .;ood showing here. You will note that, when the first two ire added, 73 out of 100 Ethyl employees rate their jobs better than average. On this question, just as on the one about how proud you are of working at Ethyl, a bigger majority of older employees are satisfied with their jobs tha- of the younger ones. Also, those of you who have been working here the longest like your jobs better than the rew'-r emsloyees. 14 ETC 05389 The Report "How would you rate your own job on these points?" Out of every 100 employees, here are the numbers who'give these answers on each items Very NO Good Average Poor Opinion Steady year-round work Hours of work work that is important Pay rate work that is interesting Immediate boss Working conditions 85 12 12 72 23 57 34 43 50 32 36 52 43 43 95 40 41 15 4 35 47 15 3 Opinion Research Corporation Comment: The overwhelming majority of employees say that your job offers steady, year-round work. Also, most of you say that you have better-than-average hours of work on an Important job with good rates of pay. A small minority (15 out of 100) are critical of your immedlate boss and working conditions. These two problems will be commented upon more fully later on In this report. 15 ETC 05390 The Report HOW YOU RATE YOUR IMMEDIATE BOSS ON THESE IMPORTANT POINTS -- Out of every 100 employees, here are the numbers who give these answers on each item: Very NO Good Averaqe Poor Opinion Friendliness to employees Giving helpful advice when you have a problem Knowing his own job Being easy to see when you have a problem Keeping his temper Being strict when necessary Knowing about the Company Correcting employees privately Training new employees Fairness to everybody Giving credit when you do a good job Letting you know where you stand Knowing about business conditions in general Helping you get ahead 47 38 45 36 44 41 44 37 40 41 39 45 39 43 37 30 29 42 28 34 28 34 28 32 27 46 21 39 13 2 16 3 . 13 2 16 3 15 4 10 6 10 8 25 8 25 4 32 6 3 4 35 5 16 11 31 9 We asked you another question on the amount of supervision you get. Out of every 100 of you -- 52 say you get about the right amount 24 say you get too much supervision 14 say you don't get enough 10 don't have an opinion 16 ETC 05391 Opinion Research Corporation Comment: A good supervisor has to know his job, and he also has to know how to dea! with the people who work under his direction. Most of you give your bosses a high rating on job knowledge. But a good many of you are critical on such things as giving helpful advice and being easy to see when you have a problem. And even more of you criticize you.' boss on such points as -- Fairness to everybody Giving credit when you Letting you know where Helping you get ahead do a good you stand job OUR COMMENT: We agree that it is up to every Ethyl "boss'' to do a good job of explaining why he takes the posi tion he does on the things you have criticized. It is not enough to be fair; it is necessary to explain why, so that his group will know he is being fair. We con sider that it is an essential part of the job of super vision to take time to give credit for a good job; and to let men know where they stand at all times. 17 ETC 05392 The Report "How would you rate your own job on these points?" Safety program Light or 1 ighting Tool s or equ i pment Enough space to work in Cl eanl i ness venti1 at ion washrooms or change houses Temperature Out of every 100 employees, here are"the numbers who give these answers on each item: very Good Ave raqe Poor NO Opinion 36 44 18 2 34 46 17 3 31 42 24 3 30 38 29 3 24 55 19 2 21 36 40 3 20 47 29 4 13 36 45 6 Opinion Research Corporation Comment: In general, well over half of you rate your specific working conditions either very good or average. However, quite a few are dissatisfied with the temperature and vent 11 at Ion on your jobs. On both of these points, the vote of "poor" Is highest In the Sodium Plant. The problem of enough space to work In Is one that especially troubles people In Engineering and Maintenance. Out of every 100 employees In Engineering and Maintenance, 39 vote "poor* on this point. 18 ETC 05393 OUR COMMENT: Even though all the ventilation we have in our plant doesn't seem to be enough when the thermometer is hitting around 95, the fact is that we have engineered all our plants to provide the best ventilation practicable. Our washrooms and change houses have been crowded and it has been hard to enforce proper standards of cleanliness under crowded conditions. This was recog nized at the start of the expansion program. Now we have 3 new change houses and 4 new washrooms, which were put in as a part of this program. The cost of these new facil ities was $700,000.00. The criticism of crowded working room on the part of Maintenance people is justified, we believe, and we have plans to correct it. Our next big project will be new modern buildings for Stores and Maintenance. Details of this will be announced in the near future, and given to you in a separate report. 19 etc 05394 The Report "Compared with, other companies you haver worked for or '.mow about, how would you rate Ethyl on -- " Paid vacations and holidays Medi cal f ac i 1 i t i es Group life insurance plan Accident and sickness Benefit plan Credit union Hospitalization and surgical pi an (Metropol i tan) Medical services Seti.tment income plan Out of every 100 employees. here are the numbers who give these answers on each item: very Good Ave rage Poor NO Opinion 70 27 6U 25 52 37 12 56 74 49 40 43 27 83 6 24 36 43 12 9 36 38 22 4 35 33 25 7 Opinion Research Corporation Comment: These figures show you have a pretty good opinion of your benefits. On every item In the list, a majority of you vote either "very good" or "average." But many of you are criti cal of your retirement Income plan. 20 4 A ETC 05395 OUR COMMENT: Compared to benefit plans in other companies, Ethyl*s plans are very good. Compared to the pension and welfare plans that have been discussed in the news papers lately in the steel and coal controversies, Ethyl's plans are excellent. From the answers to other questions about benefits, we think that many do not know the facts about these plans, and that some if not all of those who said "poor" do not understand the benefits available to them at Ethyl. That is our fault. We are going to tell you more about them in separate reports, and we are going to say it in plain language - and say it again so there will be no chance of misunderstanding the true facts about the benefits you are entitled to participate in as an Ethyl employee. 21 ETC 05396 The Report ARE YOU IN THE i BENEFIT PLANS? "Which of these plans are you personally in or covered by at the present tine?" Accident and sickness benefit plan Group insurance Hospitalization and surgical pi an (Metropolitan) Retirement income plan Out of every ICO employees here are the numbers who give these answers on each plan: 1 Am 1 n or l Am Covered 3y Not In Oon' t Know 64 4 12 88 3 9 79 6 16 67 20 13 Opinion Research Corporation Comment: Translating these figures Into total employment, we are sur prised that from 300 to 500 people do not know whether they are covered by these benefit plans. 22 I ETC 0539T OUR COMMENT: Obviously we have not done as good a job in telling about our benefit plans as we thought we had. For instance, here are the facts about who is in, or covered by, the four plans named on the opposite page. Accident and Sickness Benefit Plan - Participation in this plan is automatic - all regular employees are covered - for occupational accidents from the day of employment, for non-occupational illness or accidents after 3 months' service. The correct answer to "Covered by*-' is 100%. Group Insurance - Participation in this plan is voluntary after 3 months' service, and 97% of all eligible employees at Baton Rouge are covered. Hospitalization and Surgical Plan_______ - Participation is voluntary for all those who have group insurance and in Baton Rouge all group insurance policy holders have elected hospitalization and surgical benefits. The percentage of eligible employees covered is 97%. Retirement Income Plan - Participation in this plan is voluntary and we are very happy that all those who were participating in this important plan knew they were covered. The 67% figure for all employees was correct at the time the survey was made. For eligible employees - all who are 25 years old or older and have one year of service - the correct figure is 82.3% as of November 1st. 23 ETC 05398 The Report DOES ETHYL CONTRI BUTE ENOUGH TO THE BENEFITS? "Compared with your contributions, how would you describe the Company's con tributions to each plan?" Accident and sickness Benefit plan GrouD life insurance Hospitalization and surgical pi an (Met roool itan) Retirement income plan Chit of every 100 employees, here are the numbers who give these answers on each plan: Too Smal) Aoout Right very Generous Company Contributes Nothing No Opinion 21 3? 18 111 18 13 1 23 2 26 20 3 33 25 13 14 2 31 2 26 Opinion Research Corporation Comment: There Is a lot of disagreement on what you think about the amount of money the Company contributes to these plans. Around a fourth of you have no opinion on this question. 24 ETC 05399 OUR COMMENT: You were asked to state an opinion on this question, and everybody always has a right to his own opinion. It is difficult to judge the results, however, since as you will see on the following page, most employees surveyed didn't actually know whether the company or employees pay most of the cost of the benefit plans. For example, look at the opinions about the Accident and Sickness Benefit Plan on the opposite page. A total of 21 out of every 100 employees surveyed said the company payment is "too small" -- and yet the company pays the entire cost of this plan. 25 ETC 05400 The Report WHO PAYS FOR YOUR BENEFITS? "Wr.o v.ould you say contributes most toward the cost c' these clans': " Accident and sickness oenef i t pi an Group life insurance Hospitalization and sure i cal pi an (Metropolitan) Retirement income plan Out cf every 100 employees, he"9 are the numbers who yive these answers on each olar.: Employees ill or Most Company All Sotfi Aoout or Most the Sane Oon11 Know 17 27 24 18 25 31 27 31 20 25 27 17 22 33 29 27 Opinion Research Corporation Comment: The large number 0* you who say you "don't know" shows that you have not been given a good knowledge of the facts about your benefit olans. 26 ETC 05401 OUR COMMENT: Here are the facts: The company pays the entire cost of the Accident and Sickness Benefit Plan (sometimes called the Disability Plan.) Employees pay nothing. Company and employees pay about the same toward the Group Life Insurance Plan and the Hospital ization and Surgical Plan, which is a part of it. The company pays twice as much as em ployees pay to meet costs of the Retirement Income Plan. 27 ETC 05402 The Report ARE THE BENEFITS BIG ENOUGH? "What would you say about the amount of the benefits each plan provides?" Accident and sickness Benefit plan Group life insurance Hospitalization ana surgical p)an (Metropolitan) Retirement income plan Out iof every 100 employees; here are the numbers who give these answers: Too About very NO Smal 1 Right (Generous Opinion 31 U6 10 13 21 52 10 17 29 41 7 23 34 34 10 22 Opinion Research Corporation Comment: Even with many people not knowing the facts, the vote here indicates that you are fairly well satisfied with the extent of the benefits. 28 ETC 05403 OUR COMMENT: Here are the facts: Accident and Sickness Benefit Plan - For non-occupational dis ability - it pays according to service up to 12 weeks at full pay and 4 0 weeks at half pay for employees with 10 years service. Group Life Insurance - For an employee earning $1.75 an hour - $4,000 life insurance at a cost of $1.80 a month. Retirement Income Plan- During the first two years' retirement, this plan pays back every dollar an employee has put in over the years of his employment with Ethyl -- and payments go on at the same rate for as long as he lives. :-9 etc 05404 The Report EATING FACILITIES "Which of these do you ordinarily use at least once a week?" Out of every ICO employees -- 49 use the cafeteria once a week or more often 31 use the lunch rooms once a week or more often 13 use the mobile lunch wagons once a week or mere often And this is what you say about these facilities -- Out of every 100 employees, here are the numbers who give these answers on each eating place: Very Good Average Poor No Opinion Cafeteria Lunch rooms Mobile lunch wagons 22 ui 13 27 6 19 18 19 19 41 14 61 About half of you have no suggestions for improving the cafe teria. Of those who do have ideas on this, many mention these things: Lower the prices; serve the food at cost Improve the quality and preparation of the food Give more variety In general, these same suggestions are made about the mobile lunch wagons. Of the lunch rooms you say, "Keep them cleaner." Opinion Research Corporation Comment. We have never run a plant survey yet In which employees failed to criticize their eating facilities. Comparisons here are hard to make, but Ethyl seems to come out pretty well. 30 ETC 05405 OUR COMMENT: Regarding the criticism about prices, and the suggestion "to serve food at cost,'' this is just a plain case of arithmetic. The money that you pay for your meals is less than the amount necessary to run the Cafeteria. While it has always been the Company's policy to absorb depreciation, power, maintenance and repair costs for the Cafeteria, we have an additional cash loss on food bought for you and for wages paid to cook it and serve it. The following will give you an idea of these losses. Cafeteria Costs 1948 First 9 Months - 1949 Rent (Depreciation, Power, Maintenance 8t Repairs) $27,078 $20,987 Cash loss on food bought and wages paid 31,058 10,218 Total Loss $ 58,136 $ 31,205* * Which we estimate will amount to about $41,500 for the current year. 31 ETC 05406 "7 say They're swell." 2 5 say "They're OK for some people but not for me. 3 say They're a waste of time and money. 25 have no opinion Opinion Research Corporation Comment: Half of you have a high opinion of ERA activities, but a large number say the programs don't satisfy everyone. 3* ETC 05407 OUR COMMENT: Although we have a very keen interest in the success of the Recreation Association, it is fundamen tally an employee activity -- and Ben Burge is direct ing these activities for you -- so we have asked him to write the comment on this. Here is what he says: "The E.R.A. is an employee organization con sisting of over 2000 members and governed by a board of directors elected from the membership. "Members of this board and the various com mittees have tried to give you a program they thought you would likS. There have been disappointments and there have been times when your board felt proud of your participation. However, we are a young organiza tion not quite a year old, and we do not expect to satisfy all your needs in recreation the first year -- but you can be assured a lot of your fellow members are trying, and their job would be a whole lot easier if the members would let us know where we are missing the boat. "We have the only Industrial Recreation Center in the state and one of the few Industrial Recreational Associations in the nation that furnish uniforms for their intramural teams With such a start, and with active participation by all members we can be just as good as any in the nation and then, I feel sure that the folks who are not members will want to get in the swim for, after all, everyone likes a good time." Ben Burge Recreation Director 33 ETC 05408 The Report WORK SPEED "How do you feel about the speed at which you are re quired to work'.'" Out of every 100 employees -- 10 say too fast 7 5 say at a reasonaol e speed 10 say they could work faster 5 have no opinion Opinion Research Corporation Comment: The large majority of you (75 out of every 100) feel that you work at a reasonable speed. On a related question, al most as many (68 out of every 100) say that, If you were the boss, you would have your section or department turn out about the same amount of work as now. 3* ETC 05409 The Report HOW CAN ETHYL CUT COSTS? Me asked: "It's to the advantage of a company, its employees, and its customers, to keep prices of its products as low as possible. Can you think of anything we at Ethyl can do to cut our costs so that we can lower our prices to our customers?" 28 out of 100 of you suggest that Ethyl should -- Reduce waste -- Of materials and equipment Of manpower Of time Opinion Research Corporation Comment: Most of the suggestions you made seemed to give sound, constructive help toward Increasing efficiency by reducing waste. 35 ETC 05410 The Report HOW MUCH DOES THE COMPANY TELL YOU? i I "How do you feel about the amount of information the Company puts out about its policies and operations?" Out of every 100 employees -- 1 says too much 3 4 say about right 5 2 say some, but not enough 7 say 1 i t tl e or none 6 have no opinion Opinion Research Corporation Comment: Note that a sizable number thlnP the Company puts out the right amount of Information. But more than half of you, while crediting the Company with providing some information, want more. ETC 05411 The Report "How much do you feel you know about the policies and operations of your Company that affect you and your job?" ^ Out of every 100 employees -- I IS say feel well nformed. I 63 say '1 know some things but not enough.* I 13 say I feel poorly informed. 6 have no opinion Opinion Research Corporation Comment: It is natural that employees of a company want to be informed of what goes on In the company that affects them. These fig ures make it very clear that you want your Company to give you more Information. 37 ETC 05412 The Report ! 00 YOU BELIEVE WHAT THE I COMPANY TELLS YOU? ''When the Company puts out information, do you feel you can depend on what they say?" Out of every 100 employees -- I. 30 say *1 can always depend on it." 54 say *1 can usually depend on it.* 8 say *1 can seldom or never depend on it. 8 have no opinion Opinion Research Corporation Comment; We tbink that these figures speak well of the trust and con fidence that you place In what the Company tells you. 38 ETC 05413 OUR COMMENT: Nearly all of you say that we haven't told you enough about plans, policies, benefits and other company programs. We are going to get busy on this right away. The Report YOUR OPINION ON SOME BASIC THINGS OF THE AMERICAN WAY Out of every 100 employees 72 say competition will keep prices at fair levels 67 say competition is a good thing for Ethyl 56 say the 79 say the government governmen t should not should not limit a com- limit how much pany's profits any man can earn Opii. -it Research Corporation Comment We put these questions In to see bow your thinking on the economic system compares with that of other workers in the country. As you know, many people to'day are debating the question of how much government should control the business affairs of individual citizens and business concerns. Your answers here show that strong majorities of you support a system of free and competitive business. uo ETC 05415 The Report "Which of the following two ideas about how to improve the American worker's standard of living do you think is more nearly correct -- produce more or get more of the money their company is already making?'1 Out of every 100 employees -- 25 say produce more 19 say get -Tore of the money companies are al ready mak mg m say they agree with both of these ideas 15 have no opinion Opinion Research Corporation Comment: American workers enjoy the highest standard of living in the world today. This is true largely because American business pays the best wages. These are made possible by low-cost mass production. In the final analysis, the explanation of the high standard of living in this country can be boiled down to one word -- teamwork. There has been teamwork between Ameri can workers' and the owners and managers of their companies. The workers have believed in turning out a good day's work. The owners and managers have invested large sums In tools and equipment to help the workers turn out more and better prod ucts at lower costs. It seems to us that the way to a higher standard of living is in the strengthening of this teamwork. The Report ! BOUQUETS AND BRICKBATS On one page In the questionnaire you were asked to comment freely under the headings "Here are the things I like about working here* (BOUQUETS), and "Here are the things I dis like about working here" (BRICKBATS), These were voluntary comments written in by you. Most of you commented on sev eral things. As in the rest of the survey, a great major ity of you expressed satisfaction and approval of Company policies and plant operations, but there were plenty of "Brickbats" on specific things that some of you dislike. Dividing your statements into the separate remarks on spe cific things, we found 10,335 comments on over 30 different points. The following are the most frequent ideas you ex pressed. I50Z of you talked about high wages: You expressed yourselves about the rate of pay being high, about the pay checks coming in regularly all year round, and said Sthyl pay is good compared to that of other companies. //^ of you don't like the pay policies: Those of you with this point of view had three principal kicks. Some said certain people get more than they deserve compared to others, some wanted pay for clothes-change time, and a few said Ethyl didn't pay as much as other companies. ETC 05417 ye.om,^% ??> of. you say working conditions are good: Most of you just said working conditions here are very good or as good as can be found. A number also say the Company is doing all it can to make them better. S/f of you are not satisfied with working conditions: Those of you who complained about working conditions usually said that conditions just weren't good. But others com plained specifically about bad odors, noise, dirt, oontamination*. and not having enough room to turn around in. Others said the Company should do something about better lighting for their jobs. 76f of you like your future prospects: A lot of you expressed yourselves on steady work, good outlook for the Company's future, job security, and are glad you don't have plant shutdowns or "rainy days like some other companies." Many of you feel that if you do- well in your job, you get ahead, and say your future looks bright to you. 2JJ of you comment unfavorably on chances for advancement: Most of you who don't like your outlook for the future criticize the methods of promotion. You say that if you are in the wrong spot, you don't have a chance to get ahead; that the seniority plan holds back men that are better qualified for the job; and that management doesn't like to promote because they would have to train another man. Practically no one said the Company's future pros pects are poor. f SS/ of you comment on good fellow workers; Here you say fel low employees are friendly, cooperative, a fine bunch of fellows, and you couldn't find a better bunch of guys anywhere. 97 L you complain about favoritism: Some of you feel that foremen have favorites and listen to their story first; others say yqur chances with the Company would be better if the bosses treated everyone alike. 4*7? of you mention good hours: Some of you say you like the hours you work and they can't be beat. /& of you don't like the hours: Some of you say shift work is not satisfactory, or you would prefer working straight days with Saturdays and Sundays off. 325 of you speak well of management: Most of your comments on this say the supervisors and the rest of management are tops to work with, the big shots are friendly, and the fore men know their stuff and treat you right. uu ETC 05419 304- of you say you like the benefit plans: Host of you here express satisfaction with the Retirement Income and Insur ance Plans, and say you like the security they give you and your family if something goes wrong. 127 more of you praised other Company benefits -- see later comments. There were very few brickbats among the comments about the benefit plans. 2&X of you like your Job and your type of work; Here you 'said "the work is interesting, that you like to do something that's imoortar.t, that it's clean, and that it is not monotonous. /// of you said you don't like your work: Most of you with this point of view mention your treatment by foremen and. super visors. Your comments said some of the bosses think the employee is just a tool instead of a human being, that you are not given credit for doing a good job. ETC 05420 252 of you say you like the safety conditions: Those of you who praise the safety program say that Ethyl is a very safe place to work, and that the Company means what it says when it talks about safety coming first. '7' L you criticize safety conditions; Those of you thinking the safety conditions aren't good enough said safety regu lations weren't enforced. /O of you say everyone is pulling together: Only a very few mention teamwork in their comments. !5S say there is not enough teamwork: Those of you who com mented on this said that there is not enough cooperation between the plant groups, that the three units pulled in different directions, and sometimes you wouldn't think everybody here worked for the same company. 6 ETC 054 // of you like the Company's program on work clothes: You commented on the savings you make on work clothes, the fact that the Company cleans them, and some said your wives like these arrangements. There were almost no brickbats on arrangements on work clothes. /3S of you said something favorable about time-off policies: You said you liked the holiday and vacation plans here, that Ethyl is better than most companies when it comes to tine off, and that you get a "good deal" on sick leave. Very few said they disliked the Company's time-off poli cies. ETC 05422 Summary of Opinion Research Corporation Comment*: One of the greatest satisfactions we get in our business is from watching what happens after we make a good survey for a management that takes the votes of employees to heart and does something about them. After reading ail of your questionnaires and the comments of your management, we feel sure that this survey wilt do a lot of good. In this case, we think we have helped to clear up some misunderstandings. Also, the answers you gave us have helped to expedite programs to eliminate some areas of critic!sm. He feel very good when one of our jobs produces such results because then the company and the employees both benefit. ETC 05423 SUMMARY OF OUR COMMENTS: This survey gives all of us a better understanding of what our fellow employees think about some important questions that affect our common interest in our business. With the great majority clearly stating their overall satis faction with Ethyl, this survey should give all of us more confidence in our future plans for working together harmoniously and successfully. Wherever anyone had something to criticize, he has had a chance to do so. And no one should claim that any of these criticisms are not justified until careful investigation proves otherwise. This report takes the gripes off the "gripe-vine" and puts them out in the open for all of us to see. The criticisms present a real challenge, and we honestly seek the cooperation of every one of the men and women of the Baton Rouge organization to help remove these criticisms whether they are real or imaginary. You are going to hear from us soon and frequently on several of these points. We have your frank opinions on many questions. They will be of great help to us in making our plans for the future and helpful also in preparing mes sages for you which we can transmit through the media of meetings, the Antiknock, and letters, which we hope will help to clear up some of the misunderstandings. It seems to us that there are principally five points which need careful attention. These are: 1. Safety - Opinion Research says that the comments show that a few people think we have put too much stress on production at a sacrifice to safety. This isn't so. Safety is our Number One responsibility in this plant and no production is increased until all safety requirements are fully and completely met. 2 . Lack of Knowledge About Benefit Plans - We are going to put out some new folders about the Benefit plans that will cover the main points you want to know and remem ber about each plan. We will illustrate them with easily remembered figures and leave out all the legal language. 3. Promotions - There is a need for better explanation of actions we take so that there may be a full understanding. We intend to see that you get this. 4. Unfriendliness of Management - No action or relationship involved in the business of running this plant provides any reason for unfriendliness between any two people working here, whatever their job. We say to those who said they wanted more friendliness: "Meet us half way." We are going to try. Let's all try to improve on this score. This is one organization with one common purpose. Let's show that we are for it. 5. Working Conditions - A number of persons criticized crowded working conditions, temperature and ventilation. A small number mentioned lack of Change Houses and Wash Rooms. The survey was made in August, the temperature was pretty high and the construction program was in full swing. Already, we have some of the improved working conditions that are a result of the modernization provided in the expansion program. We will soon announce the details of our plans for new well-lighted, up-to-date Shops and Stores. With these tangible improvements, those pro vided since the survey and those which are to be provided, we hope those who marked "poor" shall change their vote to "very good". This survey in itself was a splendid team work job. Everyone who was on the plant during that week who could be spared or relieved from duty, contributed to its success. The result is a gold mine of information for all of us. Let's make good use of it.