Good Things Can Come from a Tough Situation

My first supervisory assignment was at a ceiling grid factory in Franklin Park Illinois. We had eleven operating lines at one end of the plant and a distribution center at the other end. It wasn’t unusual to produce grid in the morning and ship it out the same day. Sometimes, due to inefficiencies, we produced finished goods for customers whose trucks were waiting to be loaded on our shipping docks.

In early December, people in suits came to our plant and took a tour. They spent time on the factory floor and in the offices with our plant management. I was told they were “investors.” I didn’t know enough to question this, and went about my business, trying to produce grid as safely and productively as possible.

Our Vice President of Operations came to the plant in the middle of December and took the staff and their dates out to a nice dinner. He told us how impressed he was with us and that he was committed to the long-term viability of the plant.

Our performance was improving and the team was feeling good about their future. Early in the spring, we planned a recognition luncheon and invited employees from all three shifts to join in the celebration.

As we sat down to the meal, our Plant Manager summarized the performance improvements made over the past year. He congratulated many by name and shared how proud he was of what we had accomplished. Then, he introduced the “investors.” Everyone clapped. We had no idea what was about to happen.

One of the investors got up and added his congratulations. Then, he told us that even though we had made such great progress, our company had entered into a joint venture with his. Our plant had become redundant. We would be shut down in the next three months.

I was stunned. Good thing too. The moment the announcement was made, employees looked at me to see if I knew about the plant closure ahead of time. The look on my face told them I didn’t.

Over the next three months, we did everything possible to keep everyone safe and productive while we were preparing the plant to shut down. We lost many good crew members who found jobs in the area. But something happened that surprised me (in addition to the shock of the announcement). Performance improved beyond the levels it had reached prior to the luncheon. I think most people wanted to stay busy, rather than focusing on the eventual plant closure.

The remaining team members became closer and seemed to appreciate me more than they had before. I’m almost certain my ignorance of what was coming made them feel like I was in the same situation as them and that I hadn’t hidden anything from them.

As we shut off the lights and locked the doors on the final operating day at the plant, employees hugged each other and said their heartfelt good-byes. Our team rallied in the face of adversity and stayed strong until the end.