Manufacturers continue to report that employee recruitment and retention are their greatest challenges, according to the most recent annual NIST MEP survey. These concerns have heightened during the COVID-19 pandemic and subsequent workforce disruptions, and the market forces driving these challenges are not likely to improve soon.
In the content that follows, you will find practical advice on how you can improve and enhance employee recruitment, retention and engagement.
Build Your Workplace Strategy With a Systems Thinking Approach
Systems thinking focuses on how different parts interrelate and how systems interact through various connections and feedback. This helps you see connections holistically through feedback loops, direct and indirect relationships, interactions and influences, and systems within systems. When a manufacturer experiences a higher attrition rate in one department than others, you might naturally assign blame to the hiring process or failure of the talent pipeline. But there could be many other factors that influence the negative outcomes, such as:
Informal onboarding process
Are too many shortcuts taken, missing opportunities to engage new employees early in their career journeys?
Vague goals during interviews
Is the definition of what makes a good employee vague, leading to the interview process failing to identify good matches?
Bland job postings
Are job postings not compelling enough to attract the raw talents that the training program can transform?
A systems thinking approach must be holistic. Systems thinking helps you grapple with both operational and strategic challenges.
It’s Time to Approach Recruitment Differently
Every job posting and interview is a chance to tell prospective employees why they should want to work at your company. With a shrinking talent pool and more competition for skilled workers, how your company is perceived by job seekers is more important than ever.
- Cast a Net
- Sell It
- Career Paths
- Recruiting
- Awareness
Rethink Your Hiring “Rules” to Boost Your DEIA
Diversity is a key ingredient for better decision-making. Homogenous groups may be susceptible to groupthink, while diverse teams draw from a greater variety of perspectives and consider information more thoroughly and accurately. Research also shows that diverse teams solve problems faster, produce more and higher-quality intellectual property, manage group conflict better, and maximize creativity among team members.
Training and Development Will Improve Retention and Business Value
Employee turnover is a reality for every business. However, intentional employee training and development practices help minimize the impact of turnover. At the same time, these practices help make your company more profitable and your managers less stressed.
Employee Development
Career Development
Apprenticeship Program
Development Starts on Day 1
The first 90 days are the most vulnerable period of the employer/employee relationship. Give your onboarding program a structure that provides useful milestones, mentoring and maybe even wage progression.
Employee Development
Career Development
Apprenticeship Program
Have a Career Development Plan in Place
From certification programs to associate degrees, there are many affordable options for providing educational opportunities for your employees. The first step is asking each employee how they want to grow professionally. From there, develop a personalized plan aligned with the organization’s goals. Finally, match that plan with both internal and external training opportunities.
Employee Development
Career Development
Apprenticeship Program
Start an Apprenticeship Program
Apprenticeships help create new streams of talent while adding much-needed bench strength. Collaborate with high schools that can identify students with good problem-solving skills and interest in relevant subjects.
How to Become an Employer of Choice
An employer of choice is a company that candidates seek out for employment opportunities. The defining characteristics of an employer of choice are strong leadership, competitive pay, engaged workers, and a company culture that employees believe in and are excited to be part of.
Conduct Cultural and Engagement Assessments
Gathering the information to build a great company culture involves collecting both quantitative and qualitative data. Surveys are important, but you may find even greater value comes from the qualitative data you get from focus group interviews, where facilitators can dig into the responses.
Meet Employees’ Personal Needs
Five key principles to meeting your employees’ personal needs include:
- Esteem: Focusing on facts, respect and support will help employees with their sense of self-worth, enabling them to be motivated.
- Empathy: Acknowledging people’s feelings of success, failure, pride and frustration defuses negative emotions and encourages positive emotions.
- Involve: Show you value your people by asking for their input.
- Share: People work best with leaders they trust. Leaders should appropriately disclose thoughts, feelings or rationales.
- Support: Providing coaching, training, guidance and mentoring builds people’s sense of ownership and confidence.
Provide and Receive Meaningful Feedback
Just as you can measure overall equipment efficiency, there are now tools for collecting “people analytics.” Consider supplementing annual performance reviews with frequent coaching/feedback sessions—companies that encourage one-on-one sessions are more likely to create organizational alignment with performance goals.
Prioritize Your Actions Around What You Can Control
What’s in your control? Create a culture of learning where training is foundational. Create development pathways so employees see themselves on a journey and feel confident that there is a role for them.
5 Tips for Building a Positive Workplace Culture
Values
Articulate your core values: Involve your employees in selecting your top core values. Make the top five a part of your performance review process.
Recognition
Recognize employees: Regularly acknowledge employees whose actions or behaviors reflect your core values and make it part of companywide or shift meetings.
Leadership
Lead by example: It’s important to live by the ideals you promote and acknowledge when you don’t. Ask your team to hold you accountable.
Values
Articulate your core values: Involve your employees in selecting your top core values. Make the top five a part of your performance review process.
Recognition
Recognize employees: Regularly acknowledge employees whose actions or behaviors reflect your core values and make it part of companywide or shift meetings.
Leadership
Lead by example: It’s important to live by the ideals you promote and acknowledge when you don’t. Ask your team to hold you accountable.
Ambassadors
Identify your cultural ambassadors: Engage team members who are amplifiers and influencers to win the hearts and minds of fellow employees.
Relationships
Treat your people right: Walk the floor and talk to your team members. Simple gestures go a long way.
Ambassadors
Identify your cultural ambassadors: Engage team members who are amplifiers and influencers to win the hearts and minds of fellow employees.
Relationships
Treat your people right: Walk the floor and talk to your team members. Simple gestures go a long way.
Additional Resources
The Manufacturers’ Guide to Finding and Retaining Talent
Many manufacturers are struggling to find and retain employees. It’s time to approach employee attraction and retention differently. Find out how in The Manufacturers’ Guide to Finding and Retaining Talent.
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