Employment Policies and Practices in American 0rganiz;ations
CHOOSIKG a technical career, choosing between industry and the university, between the large and the small company, is an important task that should be considered from every angle. On the proper choice depends much of your future success and happiness. To you, the young scientist faced with such a dilemma, we should like to provide as many facts as possible about opportunities and employment practices in our company that will be pertinent to you in your hour of decision. Many of the points to be covered have been suggested by a group of recently hired employees in response to the question: "What type of information about a company would have been useful to you when you were exploring indust,rial positions?" ACADEMIC OR INDUSTRIAL OR BOTH
Many of you will have engaged in some form of teaching, whether assisting in the laboratory, conducting quiz classes, or merely coaching a less highly endowed classmate. Some of you may wish to make teaching your career, preferring fundamental research and the academic halls of freedom. Industry as well
E. W. COOK American Cyanamid Company, New York City
as the university is fully aware of the importance of training future scientists. Nearly all of the leading industries realize the importance of maintaining a flow of talented college graduates who join their ranks from year to year, bringing new ideas, techniques, and furnishing the raw materials from which the top chemists, engineers, and executives of the future will be fashioned. Some who teach or participate in post-graduate research for the first few years may decide to join industry, and some who enter industrial work may later wish to return to teaching. These interchanges help draw industry and the university together and should be welcome t o both alike. The need for fundamental research today is urgent because the stockpile of scientific knowledge was pretty well depleted by the increased activity of the late war.
FEBRUARY. 1950
77
Industrial and academic or institutional research have grown closer, and the lines of demarcation between the two are not quite so sharply drawn. Alarm h&s been expressed that the university is becoming too concerned with the practical significance of its research problems and that industry is invading the domains of fundamental research. Our urgent defense projects taught us that a research worker, proficient in fundamental research, can readily shift over to the applied. What really counts is the scientific method, and this is the common denominator for the fundamental and the applied sciences. CHOOSING A COMPANY
Assuming one has decided on an industrial career, let us draw up a list of important factors one might consider in choosing a position with any company. Opportunity for Advancement Security Field of Work Starting Salary Size of Company Location Financial stand in^Progressiveness Stability Employee Relations Practices and Benefits Management's Attitude and Understanding ~
~
Each of you will place a different order of importance on these factors, hut the majority will put opportunity for advancement a t the top of the list. In this connection, the inherent differences between the small and large company will be described.
choose. Perhaps in this case not all the emphasis should he placed on choosing the job, because certainly to some extent one should let the job choose you. The large company provides a greater number of important positions; although the competition is keener, the rewards are greater. Working with a large organization carries with it a certain amount of added prestige. The worker has the opportunity to consult with and dram on the experience of others skilled in relat,ed fields. Employment training programs, medical and retirement benefits are usually more definitely provided by the large organization. Frequently a large company displays a certain amount of inertia in making up its mind, but once a course of action is decided upon it has greater resources and work teams with which to carry the program to completion. The work is more highly specialized and each job is more highly defined. Although this may limit the scope of work for the moment it spares the individual many trivial details and allows greater efficiency. Assigning the individual to a specialized job should not mean that he is tied down to it. As the individual develops his abilit,ies and further interests, perhaps he outgrows his old job and is ready for a new type of xvork altogether. Flexibility must be maintained and every effort made to relocate the individual as the occasion arises. EMPLOYEE TRAINING AND STATUS
The young graduate entering on his first industrial
SMALL VERSUS LARGE COMPANY
The small company offers the advantages of rapid advancement for the talented graduate, particularly when times are good and business is expanding. The young employee can get in on the ground floor, so to speak, and may advance rapidly with the successful small organization. Work is usually on a more informal basis-you get to know everybody and probably can call the top boss by his first name. It is less specialized and includes all phases of a project. The small organization can reach decisions and act more quickly because fewer people have to make up their minds. Some of the disadvantages attached to a job with a small company are the greater risk of unemployment, particularly when the business cycle is on the downward path or when management's attitude takes a sudden turn; limited resources and equipment; the smaller number of important positions; and the fact that the ultimate goals, even when obtained, are less than in a large company. While the outstanding employee may make spectacular strides, the one with lesser ability may either advance only slightly or else remain at a standstill. Through employment the large company offers advantages of greater stability, greater resources in men and materials, and a larger variety of jobs from which to
~ i ~ o t - ~~~lu ~i p ~ rtn efor ~ tthe preparation 05 ~~~i~~
78
job will find the company-sponsored training program very helpful in getting properly orientated, getting to know quickly an over-all picture of the company's operations and how the job he finally takes fits in with many others at the various levels throughout the company. Industry is convinced that the time and money spent on the training progrm is well worth while and mill pay dividends to both the employee and the company in later years. The young worker who knows his job well and is briefed in other related jobs can discharge his duties with greater confidence and is ready to step into a more responsible job whenever it turns up. By and large, the worker with this training background can advance faster towards success in industry. Improving the status of the technical worker is important to the worker and the company alike because both share in the benefit. When the young graduate comes to work with the American Cyanamid Company, he is expected to be well versed in fundamentals and theory. He is not expected to be a finished product but rather one who has a high potential for further development through assimilation of more knowledge and particularly through learning how to solve the many and complex practical problems that arise. Aside from on-the-job experience, the technical em-
JOURNAL OF CHEMICAL EDUCATION
ployee improves in stature by publications in the technical journals and by obtaining patents contemporarily on'the same subject. His status is further enhanced by joining and contributing to professional societies, attending the technical meetings and maintaining numerous contacts with the university and with industry. Attendance a t various technical society meetings is provided for on a rotational basis so that each employee takes his turn within a reasonable period of time. By working in a larger industrial group the employee comes in contact with a greater number of professional skills and hence can pick up extra points in this may that would be more difficult otherwise to obtain. COMPANY PRACTICES AND BEXZFITS
Promotions. Since ample opportunity is given the individual to learn and effort is made to train him for a higher position, most promotions are made from within the organization. Seldom is it necessary to go outside to fill an executive position, and the general trend is for the technical man to move into the ranks of top management, providing he develops the special abilities required of executives. Ample advancement in purely technical fields is also possible. Salary Increase. Salary increases are on the basis of merit and increased responsibility, recognizing both accomplishment and ability.. In general, individual raises are made on an annual basis with reviews of the case every six months. Starting salaries for technical personnel are in line with those elsewhere in the chemical industry. Surveys show that salaries for experienced personnel are above the median and among the highest paid in the industry. Educational Opportunities. Under the education assistance plan the technical employee may go to evening school or take extension courses, and one-half of the tuition fees will he paid by the company for courses satisfactorily completed. Fortunately, several metropolitan colleges, such as Columbia University, New York University, and Brooklyn Polytechnic Institute, are conveniently located nearby and offer both graduate and undergraduate courses. Publications. Publication of original work is encouraged after the patentable features have been covered. During one year, the entire Cyanamid organization contributed nearly 160 technical papers which appeared in the various scientificjownals. Vacation. Annual vacation of two meeks with pay is ... , granted each technical employee after six months of continuous service. Employees hired between January 1 and April 1 receive one week during that current year. Group Insurance. For the employees at the various laboratories a modest amount of insurance is provided e ~ i e n r i o a ~ p n ~ i n c e r rruv~d two yrnrs in tho rlartior Developmiir charge after six months, employment and is ment Laboratory but xvl>ilr lhclpine filo a. couplo of his "ateat s ~ ~ l i e a t i a n s became a. intorested in ,,rtent is,$. that he whntod to become attorno,,. increased to a maximum of $2000 after four years of ~ c c o r d i n g k ,he was trhnsierred to the oompsny's when1 office in r a s h employment. Thereafter, additional life insurance up inpton, D. C., where he works and attends evening olasses in law a t Georse to $18,000, depending on age and income, can be subW s ~ h i n g t o nUniversity. In this way, he e x p o t s t o earn his LL.B. degree scribed to a t a low rate by the individual. b y 1852.
13
FEBRUARY, 1950
Ion Exchange Equipment in the Technical Service Division
Laboratories as well as that of a number of other companies. Although much of the expansion of the American Cyanamid Company .was through the acquisition of the businesses of a numher of chemical companies in 192830, there has been a continuing and accelerated growth as a result of research and development, which is a necessary sign for any healthy organization. From total sales of $61,000,000 in 1936 the annual sales figure has increased to $232,000,000 for 1948. Furthermore, as a general trend over the years the sales have grown proportionally faster than the chemical industry as a whole. More than one-half of the approximately 5000 chemical products turned out by the company today are the result of Cyanamid's research and development. These products are important raw materials for American industry and comprise dyestuffs, various organics from coal tar, pharmaceuticals, biologicals, explosives, synthetic resins, insecticides, fertilizers, and whole lines of chemicals for such industries as paper, petroleum, rubber, mining, textile, metal, and leather. The total personnel employed throughout the company, including its 38 widely scattered plants, number about 20,000, of which approximately 1500 are technically trained.
Safcty. A safety program operates to instruct all employees in proper handling of hazardous chemicals and in the safe use of equipment of the plant or laboratory. Periodic and rigid inspections are made to uncover any unsafe conditions or habits. Such aids to safety as goggles, gas masks, gloves, and shatterproof RESEARCH screens are furnished wherever needed. American Cyanamid from the beginning has been Medical. Thoroughly equipped and well-staffed Medical Deoartments are maintained to safeeuard the very research minded and has reearded research as employee's 6ealth and t o render first aid in em&gencies. Each employee is given a complete physical examination before assuming his position and thereafter receives an annual checkup. The staff doctor is available for consultation also on minor nonoccupational ills. Pension and Retirement Plan. The plan provides without cost to the employee a regular income to supplement Social Security payments. Any employee after thirty-five years of age and after completing two years of service is eligible for the plan. Retirement is optional a t age fifty-five or any year thereafter to age sixty-five, when it is compulsory. HISTORY AND GROWTH
To a person contemplating an industrial career the history of the company affords a perspective on its growth and expansion which may set the pattern for the future. The American Cyanamid Company was founded in 1907 and a olant built in Niaeara Falls. Ontario. to make calcium cyanamide by combining calcium carbide with atmospheric nitrogen. Soon an economical process was installed to convert calcium cyanamide into cyanides for the mining industry and as a source for hydrocyanic acid. Since then calcium cyanamide has become a starting material for melamine and a host of other nitrogen derivatives. During the late twenties the company, in keeping with a diversification program, acquired the business of the Calco Chemical Company and of Lederle Antitoxin
-
YOU,,
scientist at work on the synthesis of s u r f e o e . ~ ~ t i ~ u~ e ~~t~
JOURNAL OF CHEMICAL EDUCATION
80
requires several different scientific skills for its solution the concerted efforts of several individuals morking in close cooperation is essential for swift attack on the. problem. This teamwork idea while usually associated with industrial development is a by-product of research on a large scale. Even the university, in the prosecution of important defense problems during the last mar provided opportunities for the training of work teams. A familiar example of a team for the solution of a biochemical problem or for the discovery and elucidation of some new growth factor is a group composed of analytical, organic, physical, and biological chemists, along with physicists trained in molecular structure measurements. When one stops to think, an entire industrial organization may be resolved on the basis of large teams such as financial, production, sales, research, and advertising, all of which must function smoothly together to insure success. To those mho are considering an industrial career in the near future we should like to give an idea of the different opportunities that are afforded by the large, organized chemical company. Perhaps we can best do this by giving you a picture of how new things are developed in the chemical field. Let's trace the route follo~edfrom the original idea for invention to fullscale manufacture in the chemical plant. Esterificetion Equipment Used in t h e Pilot P h n t
highly essential to its future growth. Research was formally begun a t the Niagara plant in 1911 but in 1919 was moved to the Cyanamid plant a t Warners, New Jersey, where it remained until centralized in 1936 a t the Stamford Research Laboratories at Stamford, Connecticut. Cyanamid research today is big business; the annual budget for research and development throughout the company and its subsidiaries amounts to more than $10,000,000. The total research personnel numbers around 1600, approximately one-half of which are technically trained graduates. Since research is big business it must accordingly be organized along lines that promote maximum efficiency. Attempts on the part of management to formulate plans for research are really attempts to provide better and more perfect environments for the technical worker so that he is free from many of the menial tasks and can devote a greater part of his time to more creative work. There are also ~rovisionsfor the orderlv transfer and development of the fruits of research, because in order to "pay off" research must be utilized. An atmosphere of freedom is a fundamental requirement for successful research. This is true for the industrial laboratory as well as for the academic research laboratory. What the researcher does is assigned to him, but how he does it is left pretty much up to him. COOPERATIONAND WORK TEAMS
Whenever a problem is urgent and so complex that it
FROM IDEAS TO AUTOCLAVES IDEA SOURCE RESEARCH DEPARTMENT 1. Check Jaurnd and Patent Literature 2. Exploratory Research 3. Research on Product or Process DEVELOPMENT DEPARTMEST 1. Application Research 2. Market Investigations 3. Field Trials
Electron Microssopee in the Physics Research Laboratory
On t h e right is the first instrument inptnlled in an indurtrial researoh laboratory.
,At the Stamford Laboratories more than 400 technical college graduates and approximately an equal number of supporting personnel are employed in the 1 seven research divisions: Research, Basic Nitrogen Chemotherapy, Technical Service and Development, Analytical and Testing, Mineral Dressing, and Chemical Enpineering. Accounting. Personnel, and Plant ~ a n a g k e n 6visions t operate as service'divisions for the entire laboratory, while the PatentDepartment with its headquarters here serves all the units of the comDanv. Technical em~lovees " . " in the Patent Denartment are trained in patent lam as well as in science. In addition to basic research in the organic and physical fields, work at Stamford includes: research on resins, plastics, surface coatings, industrial catalysts, high-pressure reactions, nitrogenous compounds, chemothera~euticagents, . mining - flotation reagents; and extensive synthet,ic programs on new chemicals for various industries such as paper, petroleum, rubber, textiles, leather, and agriculture. Application research and product development are done by Technical Service and Development Division where specialists develop uses for Cyanamid products. The Chemical Engineering Division studies the production of chemical products in pilot-scale equipment, collects data, and establishes procedures upon the basis of which full-scale plants may be designed.
1 '
3
P1
A
..
.
;r
.
..
. ..... T.
..a;
. ., . ...
Organic Re!search Laboratory in t h e Chemotherapy Division
PROCESS DEVELOPMENT 1. Pilot Plant Operations 2. Manufacturingof Materials for Field
Trials CENTRAL ENGINEERING 1. Designand Construction 2. Large-Scale Plant PRODUCTION 1. Manufacturing Scheduling and Plant Opertttions
LIFE WITH CYANAMID
What would your life he like outside of the plant and
COMPANY LABORATORIES
The Calco Chemical Division, which is Cyanamid's largest single division, maintains a staff of about 425, including supporting personnel, engaged in research and process development on coal-tar hydrocarbons, dyes, pigments, and pharmaceuticals. In addition to the Research and Process Development Departments, Production, Engineering, Technical Service, and Sales afford opportunities for technical employment. Production, Engineering, and Process Development employ primarily engineers, while Research and Technical Service employs mostly chemists. At the Lederle Laboratories Division in Pearl River, New York, there is a research staff who, in addition to their work in the chemical field, are especially active in the biological field, such as bacteriology, biochemistry, nutrition, virus diseases, allergens, antigens, antitoxins, sera, liver concentrates, antibiotics, and diagnostic reagents. Smaller laboratories are maintained by the Cyanamid units, Davis and Geck, Incorporated, manufacturers of surgical sutures, and the Explosives Department at New Castle, Pennsylvania, to study their specific prohlems. Chemical Construction Corporation, the unit which designs and constructs chemical plants throughout the ~vorld, operates pilot-plant laboratories at Linden, New Jersey. In addition, the 38 plants in the Cyanamid organization have individual laboratories for q&Aty and g&eral manufacturing control.
ore~ 1 . t ~ t iwith 0 ~ F~~~~~~~~ hi^^
JOURNAL OF CHEMICAL EDUCATION
laboratory walls? Calco, Lederle, and the Stamford Laboratories are all located in suburban areas which are ideal for residential living-well served by schools, churches, hospitals, and shopping centers. As a matter of fact, many people choose to make their homes in these sections and commute to their jobs in New York. Each of these areas is conveniently located to New York with advantages for culture, education, and amusement. This is a popular locale for winter and summer sporttiskating and skiing in the winter and boating, fishing, and swimming in the summer at the nearby lakes and the Atlantic seashore. At each location are social and athletic clubs to which
nearly all employees belong. Occasional dances, bridge parties, picnics, and social meetings are held throughout the season. The members participate in intra-company athletic events, bowling, softball, tennis, basketball, and golf. Picked teams from the clubs engage in local industrial league competition. I t is apparent that not all of the science graduates will choose to work for any one company, and this is in line with the American tradition. But no matter what company you choose for employment, we hope that your association with it will be a mutually attractive one and that it may contribute as much to your success as an individual as you can to it as a company:
