Best 5S is More Than Just a Practice, It Is a Habit

As part of its continuous effort to increase corporate productivity, DOST-NCR, spearheaded by Regional Director, Jose B. Patalinjug III, conducted a 2-Day 5S (SORT, SET IN ORDER, SHINE, STANDARDIZE, and SUSTAIN) activity to eliminate wastages in its resources and deliberately save reusable items on its 4 division offices and 4 clusters namely; Finance and Administrative Division, Office of the Regional Director, Technical Operations Division A, Technical Operations Division B, CAMANAVA, PAMAMARISAN, PAMAMAZON, and MUNTAPARLAS.

Also, as part of DOST-NCR’s goal to maintain an efficient, productive, friendlier, more presentable, and comfortable working environment, the activity was set to upgrade the established 5S practices of the office towards a more efficient version. The activity also encouraged everyone to make the 5S a habit.

Through the combined efforts of the 5S committee and the Office of the Regional Director, the activity started at 8:30 in the morning of January 7, 2020. Ms. Aileen Villegas, the lead person, gave a brief recap of each of the 5S definitions stated as follows:

    Seiri/Sort-Identifying and sorting the materials or inventory needed for each task at hand.
    Seiton/Systematize or Set in Order-Creating an orderly workplace where everything has a place and everything is in its place to ensure easy retrieval of materials when needed.
    Seiso/Shine-Regular cleaning and inspection or inspection through cleaning for a functional workplace
    Seiketsu/Standardize-Establishing standards to ensure and encourage systematic and regular practice of the first 3S’s
    Shitsuke/Self Discipline to Sustain -Making the activities as a daily routine, a habitual activity.

As Director Patalinjug emphasized in his opening remarks, 5S should be about more than just counting the number of paper clips; it must be a daily habit. As his favourite saying goes, “I want you to be after quality more than quantity, I don’t want you to be mechanical employees”.

-By Reny B. Caspe Jr., Training Unit