The impact of Lean Manufacturing on employee satisfaction: a case study

Abstract

The Lean has been spreading through several areas and different niches, as in the graphic industries that have been seeking to include the practices of this system to its objectives, in order to achieve a reduction of wastes, for example. Its implementation requires a series of changes in the processes, but also requires a change in the organizational culture, which means that adequate time is needed for people to become accustomed to the day-to-day of a new method of work and to that can realize the benefits that are generated. The perception regarding employee satisfaction can be studied in order to adapt it to the new scenario and the behavior change of the people. The purpose of the survey is to verify through a case study in a medium-sized graphics industry, how Lean implementation affects employee satisfaction of the shop floor. The results show that the level of employee satisfaction increased after the implementation of the Lean according to Maslow's Pyramid of Hierarchies, where needs tend to be met by levels and with each level reached the level of satisfaction increases.