Leading the Way to Workforce Optimization

In a difficult hiring environment, investing in staff and fostering employee-focused cultures are essential.   

Employees are leaving jobs in record numbers, and meanwhile, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reports the highest surge in manufacturing demand of the millennium—a 58% increase over pre-pandemic levels.¹ This is forcing manufacturers to strategize regarding best practices for attracting and retaining a talented workforce.

As increasing digitalization creates a corresponding shift in employee expectations, manufacturers must provide appropriate solutions and environments to ensure success in today’s evolving professional world. Examples of this include options for remote work, interactive training, agile and rapid collaboration platforms, career development, work-life balance, and others.

Embracing Remote Work

Leaders must embrace a natural outcome of the pandemic: there are numerous arrangements for remote work. Though some job functions require time onsite, manufacturers can pull from a larger talent pool by reducing the need to hire based on location. This can simultaneously broaden organizational diversity, improving innovation and problem solving with multiple perspectives for input. Employees of different cultural backgrounds also often enhance an organization’s language and cultural fluency, extending global support and business opportunities.

In addition to communicating successes, sharing lessons learned provides opportunities to learn from failures, which are also part of development. Open discussions about both successes and failures enhance understanding among a group and can uncover additional insights.

Performance recognition and career development opportunities are just some of the ways to support a people-first team culture. By prioritizing the respect and care of individual employees, these team members are more likely to remain loyal to the organization.

Cultivating Strong Connections

There are numerous factors that contribute to a job well done, and it is critical for leaders to recognize the factors motivating and detracting from team performance. Many individuals glean a strong sense of motivation from outside the workplace. Maybe they are training for a race, volunteering to help the community, exploring the outdoors, creating art, or traveling the world. By understanding a bit about team members outside of business hours, teams can cultivate more personal and meaningful connections, providing a deeper sense of community.

Leaders can play an important role in developing this type of culture by encouraging employees to pursue interests outside of work, as this can help reduce stress and prevent burnout. These messages need not occur exclusively in a one-on-one context as they can be promoted in teamwide atmospheres. For example, leaders can sponsor company lunches — catered in-person or virtually with meal delivery gift cards — or interactive teambuilding activities, intentionally providing time for people to share individual interests and life updates with their teammates. This helps to connect those with similar passions, while celebrating companywide diversity. This can extend to creating employee resource groups or committees for employees with shared interests, further nurturing team connections, and it can be as simple as starting a new messaging channel or email chain.

1 Long, H. (2022, Jan 9), Why manufacturing workers are voluntarily leaving jobs at rates never seen before. Washington Post. https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2022/01/09/why-manufacturing-has-seen-biggest-spike-workers-quitting/