If FedEx is able to offer a compelling package to Kinko's workers, sufficient to improve retention rates, they may also build a group of leaders in the workplace, those who can help indoctrinate new workers into the FedEx culture.
Solutions and Implementation
To bring the cultures of FedEx and Kinko's closer together, FedEx should do two main things. The first is that they should afford Kinko's workers the same level of wages and benefits. This will help to attract and retain workers who are more in line with the FedEx culture. It will also help to ease the transition towards a greater level of professionalism for the existing workers. There needs to be opportunities for Kinko's employees to move into other areas of the company. In the retail environment, a job is seldom viewed as a career, whereas a large number of FedEx employees in other divisions do view their job as a career. I would recommend developing a specific program for Kinko's employees to move into other roles at FedEx. It will give them a greater feeling of belonging to the company, which will encourage a greater level of enculturation. In addition, it would bring some of the Kinko's culture to FedEx.
There may be obstacles in terms of longtime FedEx employees who feel that their culture has been an integral part of their success over the years. Cultural change in large organizations is not difficult, but the issue is simply one of understanding that it will not change quickly at Kinko's either, and this must be accounted for as well.
To address the issue of older workers, first the younger workers should receive their benefits and maximum salaries sooner. This will ease their feeling of inequality. Currently, FedEx lags its competitors in terms of the time...
This time should be shortened, to give all employees a sense of worth.
Another possible solution is employee education. FedEx uses a system of performance measurement that is very numbers-oriented. Performance measurement should include a numeric value attached to the service side function. This would communicate the message to all clearly as to what components of the job are most valued by the company. Right now only the physical components are measured and communicated, many of the soft skills are given no quantification.
Another way to deal with the issue is to offer incentives for early retirement. The older workers are not likely slacking off - they would work harder if they could. It is simply a reflection of reality that older workers cannot handle the same amount of physically demanding work that younger workers can. The company should plan for a career arc amongst its manual workers (cargo staff and couriers) that ends at age 55 instead of 65. The company should make it easier financially for older workers to retire. Most workers do prefer to retire gradually, so a program that allows for this would be beneficial to the workers and at the same time allow them to offer the company what they offer the most - the value of the relationships they've built over time with the customers.
References no author (2007) a Ream of Culture Clashes at FedEx Kinko's. AdPulp.com. Retrieved May 19, 2008 at http://www.adpulp.com/archives/2007/05/a_ream_of_cultu.php
Hirschman, Carolyn. (2001). Exit Strategies: Older Workers Want to Retire Gradually. HR Magazine. Retrieved May 19, 2008 at http://www.allbusiness.com/human-resources/workforce-management-hiring/833239-1.html.
