Day: May 25, 2021

Factors to Improve Manufacturing Employee Retainment

As you know and are probably experiencing for yourself, many companies, including manufacturing companies, are having a difficult time hiring employees. So, once you get someone onboard, it’s important to have the most inclusive and welcoming environment as possible to encourage retainment and hires to stay long-term.

1. Positive Work Culture

One of the most important factors that your company should always be trying to improve upon is the work culture. In order to build the simple enjoyment of coming to work each day, it’s important to develop teams that feel like family and truly work together to attack long term goals. It’s the “small” things like watching how blame is thrown around versus how working toward a problem-solving solution is approached. You can also look at the opportunities that employees have to communicate with one another and how mundane their everyday tasks are while taking note of where you can improve.

Additionally, try implementing non-work activities throughout the year that show your employees how much you care about them and their happiness. Whether it is supplying food, a fun activity, or a gift, the things that seem like a trivial expense, can mean a lot to the people who work in your company.

2. Appealing Work Environment

If it’s between your company and another, an employee is likely going to the choose the one that offers a better space to work in. Of course, everyone has a different idea of what this looks like and different factors they feel most passionate about, but a few things ring true no matter who you are trying to keep on your team.

First, make sure the lighting in every workstation is bright and has a natural hue. People feel significantly less motivated working in dark places and deep yellow tones can be a strain on your employees’ eyes. In addition, adding color on the equipment is a nice way to add another touch of energy. BUILT Systems’ products, for example, are available in a variety of colors for your preference or branding.

Second, make certain your facility is clean. This is in terms of both organization and actual cleanliness of the building.

Lastly, make sure your work areas have proper ergonomics! No one wants to go home each night with a backache and risk long term health problems! Make sure you provide quality anti-fatigue mats at each station and invest in height-adjustable workstations, machine bases, or assembly tables. Check out BUILT System’s solutions for these and more for ergonomics manufacturing equipment.

3. Proper Training

People want the chance to feel like they can be good at their jobs and are truly making a difference. It’s a big part of how they choose where to work and the positions they keep. If you leave them hanging without good training, then they feel alone and may end up frustrated and making mistakes. Put mentors in place for employees, make it easy for them to ask questions, and properly train them on your expectations.

4. Potential for Growth

As people train, learn, and grow, they want to feel the purpose behind their actions – not only in their current role but with potential for new positions. Many employees want to feel like their actions are taking them somewhere where they can have a new title and a pay increase.

Hard work should pay off in some aspect, so creating a space within your company where your employees recognize this, will help them see a long future at your place.

5. Encouraged communication

And finally, encouraging communication and having proper outlets to do so is a vital factor to have implemented in your business for staff retainment.  

If employees at any level have suggestions or ideas, there should be a way to communication those ideas to upper management so that they feel heard and understood. As the people who work most closely with the machines and equipment, these manufacturing floor employees will likely have feedback that is extremely useful for the company.

Once someone has contributed an idea that the company used, they should be recognized and given credit in front of their peers.

Overall, the times are rough for employee retention, so taking every step possible is vital to keep your business running successfully. Plus, these are never things you’ll regret having, as they all only work to make your company and your management team better.