Getting creative with your workforce

People mistakenly believe the skilled workforce shortage in manufacturing was triggered by the pandemic. However, it has been an issue since the turn of the century. Here are some tips to help you stand out from your peers and push through this seemingly endless issue.

First, make sure you’re not stuck in the 19th or 20th century. To do this, you must overcome the three Ds — dull, dirty and dangerous:

• Reduce dullness by eliminating or automating boring and repetitive work. Automation is a key tool to reduce dullness. Have robots complete repetitive work. Upgrade equipment and adopt advanced manufacturing technologies like VR, AR, 3D printing and hard milling.
• Clean up your business. When you drive to your location, what do you see? A gravel or pothole-filled parking lot? Dark and dirty workspaces? How are the bathrooms and general housekeeping? Facility maintenance, 5S and other Lean manufacturing tools, good lighting and climate control are necessary to attract good employees.
• The threat of danger can exist in manufacturing. Make your workplace as safe as possible by removing any potential physical and health threats. Consider automating dangerous processes and tasks, adding engineering and administrative controls, and providing additional training. At a minimum, ensure the correct PPE is available.

Once you change the perception of your business, it’s time to brush up on what workplace psychologists, philosophers and experts tell us employees need and want. You have to offer your employees more than a safe place of employment, pay and benefits. Ask yourself how your business compares to others in and out of the industry. What is your value proposition for employees? Put yourself in a potential employee’s shoes — would you want to work for your company?

• Provide employee surveys to solicit honest feedback. Listen to what your employees have to say.
• Reach out to industry associations to learn what others in your industry are offering.
• Connect with consultants, experts and peers who have been successful.

According to U.S. Census data from 2017-2021, women make up 56.1% of the U.S. working age population of 16 and older. Does your employee demographic reflect a similar breakdown? Does your leadership team? If not, consider strategies to improve the balance, such as engaging with schools that get women involved in STEM programs, holding open houses that target parents and caregivers, or implementing an apprenticeship program.

Middle school and high school students could be future employees. Do you have a year-round presence at your local schools? Have you offered tours to teachers or counselors? Do you sponsor or support any of your local school’s STEM or tech education initiatives?

Have you engaged with local veterans? What about workers with disabilities? Have you considered retirees? If you don’t know where to start, don’t worry. Many states have a department to help aid you in this task. For example, the state of Wisconsin has a variety of resources at the Department of Workforce Development, including the Division of Vocational Rehabilitation and Veterans Affairs. They can help you connect to workers, will review job openings, and can assist in job carving — a process by which they break down the job tasks to allow a worker who is disabled access to do the work.

Look at what other companies are doing to recruit in your space. Analyze their strategies and consider adopting any successful tactics. Here are some examples:

1. Join and be involved in industry associations. Women in Manufacturing is an association in which Acuity is actively involved. It provides plant tours, educational content and examples of what other companies have implemented as effective ways to attract women to the workforce.
2. Partner with and support organizations that work with manufacturers. One program Acuity supports is GPS Ed, which provides high schoolers with an opportunity to work at its facility, gaining hands-on experience, certifications like MSSC and more. The program allows students to truly experience the job and gives employers the opportunity to hire graduates who are a good fit.
3. Look into providing reliable transportation for your employees. One Acuity customer hired a third-party transportation company to shuttle employees. This strategy reduced late and no-show attendance so much that the transportation cost was offset by the improved production and reduced overtime.
4. Utilize technology in training. Another Acuity customer found success training with tools like VR and AR. This kind of training has resulted in employees starting at a higher level of productivity, reducing the need to slow down production and assign trainers.
5. Provide child care options. Can you set up or partner with a daycare or afterschool program? Consider providing supplementary support or developing schedules that fit with local child and elder care providers. Create a relationship where your employees get first dibs on openings for their children to attend.
6. Work with retirees and develop job sharing schedules. Retirees might not want to work 40 hours a week, but you might be able to find two or three who will each work 15-20 hours.

Old methods of job fairs and hiring recruiters will no longer give you an edge in a super competitive market for talent. Think outside the box, make changes to become an employer of choice, separate yourself from the rest, have a value proposition for your team, and use a positive “we can do this” approach rather than looking for reasons why it can’t be done. F

Mike Schlagenhaufer has more than 40 years of experience in manufacturing, starting with an apprenticeship in Germany and working his way through the manufacturing field before becoming Acuity’s manufacturing consultant.