WHERE
The social firm CarMen gGmbH (Caritas for persons without a job, CarMen) was established as a company for employment and integration in 2003. Together with its predecessor, “Proju”, which was founded 1984, CarMen looks back to over 20 years experiences in the field of job integration and employment of jobless people.
Proju, a project for jobless adolescents, provided projects for job-seekers and social welfare beneficiaries. In 2003, it became insolvent and CarMen was founded by the welfare organisation Caritasverband Koblenz, which is one of the six welfare organisations in Germany. CarMen additionally offers special working occasions called one-euro jobs for unemployed persons who are on supplementary benefit. CarMen employs 15 able-bodied and 15 disabled people, 12 expert trainers, 5 pedagogical workers and 4 trainees in gardening, caretaking and home economics. It also provides training for problematic adolescents.
WHY
Quality management has been introduced quite recently at CarMen. The main topic in Equal Community Initiative for CarMen has been to establish a quality management system on the basis of the EFQM Excellence Model. CarMen develops quality standards together with the entire staff according to the EFQM criteria in order to improve the organisation’s key competences and economic independence. The performance improvement is based on principles of transparency through team work involving all employees as well as team responsibility. Therefore, the quality management systems need to designed as simple and comprehensible as possible. Everyone should be able to understand these systems. Everybody has to be motivated to be willing and to be able to take EFQM into action.
The purpose of the EFQM News was to establish a communication platform for all employees showing examples of good practice at work and reporting continuously about EFQM, the progress of the quality management project, and the success of the development actions.
HOW
The quality manager and the Equal project team consisting of the manager and employees from different areas produce the EFQM News every month. It is a one-page newsletter understandable to all staff. Each issue informs about one key issue of EFQM. Another permanent component is a description of the current results of development actions. This has the advantage of being able to show improvements on a monthly basis as well as arranging networking and dividing work in a way which is understandable to everyone. Thirdly, the newsletter presents best practice examples, such as the publication of this newsletter, which followed from proposal made by an employee. The newsletter provides transparent insight into quality management, telling who has been working in which area and what have been the results. In addition to that, all employees receive continuously updated information and training concerning basic concepts and criteria of EFQM.
The EFQM News is assessed by means of the annual employee survey (including questions like: Would you like more or more detailed information?…) and needs for improvement are asked for. The managers and employees from all branches of the enterprise report about measures of transferring things into action and good practice monthly. The description of good practice in form of texts and pictures is an additional motivation for the employees. The tool has been used for four years now. The newsletter is structured with the help of the EFQM criteria and there is always a special subject or motto. The subjects presented include feedback from the customers and employee interviews/surveys, as well as strategy and policy. The newsletter is discussed in meetings and it is available for all employees. A similar tool of communications can be used by all enterprises.
Enclosure: Example of EFQM News (March 2006 issue)
For more information: CarMen gGmbH, Achim Meis, meis(at)caritas-koblenz.de