Stirring up the talent pool

J.R. Brumley, CEO of South Slope Cooperative, is the first to admit that his company has been hesitant to outsource. So when it came time to establish a group of technicians that would be responsible for installation of video service, the company first looked inward.

But instead of simply drawing from the available employee base and giving its existing technicians crash courses in cable TV 101, the company decided to create a new position — the network access technician — that acts as a sort of roving worker across all areas of the company.

Currently, South Slope has 10 technicians in the program, rotating among central office, video installer, IT technician and transmission jobs.

“We're really big on cross-training,” Brumley said. “We do one-week rotations, and the goal is to get them out of their comfort level. We don't want our transmission guys only to know about transmissions.”

Reaction to the program initially was mixed, Brumley said, but during one recent Tuesday afternoon, when a small group of installers was being taught the intricacies of the Calix C7 Broadband Loop Carrier and its all-important IP Resource Card, no one was taking issue with it.

“Most of the NATs are telephone guys first,” Brumley said. “They may not have liked it at first, but now if you ask them a question about set-tops or a question on the Calix equipment, they know it.”

The company's relationship with the Communications Workers of America has helped to some extent as well. It would seem unlikely that a large Bell company could adopt the same strategy without running into some significant static from unions. At the same time, the program aims to give technicians greater experience and empowerment.

“We have a standing rule here regarding repair: No matter the day or time, the repair technician must be on the job in two hours from the time we are notified,” Brumley said. “Once you get something assigned, you own that problem.”