In October AGCO Automotive will once again take our staff and their spouses on a company cruise. Many people have asked if this is an incentive. NO, it is not an incentive at all. The entire staff goes and there are no predetermined criteria attached. Rather I consider it a reinforcement, for hard work and excellence and a team building exercise.

AGCO feels that good people always wish to do their best. They strive as hard as they can to produce excellence, as far as the system in which they operate will allow. A simplistic example might be two workers drilling holes in metal. The holes need to be one inch from either edge and exactly two inches apart. One worker is given a drill press, sharp bits and a jig to guide the bit. He effortlessly produces excellent work.

The other worker is given a hand drill and a tape measure. Though he tries and tries, he cannot produce flawless work. Soon he becomes discouraged and quits trying. An incentive will not help, a better system will. Further, applying an incentive insinuates the worker is somehow to blame. This will lead to lower morale and possibly even worse output.

AGCO management works to remove the obstacles to excellent production. As this occurs, production rises, defects fall and people begin to realize joy in their work. Our staff should share in the benefit of their increased production. A recognition of excellence would be something given after the fact, with no attached conditions.

A secondary benefit is the comradery that tends to develop when people have fun together. Wives get to know one another and everyone has fun in an environment removed from the work place. AGCO Automotive feels, as a company, we cannot afford to NOT do such things. Staff members pleased with their jobs are far more likely to produce excellent work. As a result we feel the client benefits as well as the company and the staff member.