Loving where you work can take on many forms. This week’s NEW Manufacturing Insights podcast guest Raisa Ramos, founder of the HR consultancy and coaching firm Find Joy Off the Path, knows this firsthand.
Ramos started as a mechanical engineer in the manufacturing sector before pivoting to HR, where today she works side-by-side with Wisconsin manufacturing firms to create better workplaces, retain top talent and build a culture of trust and knowledge transfer.
“There a specific type of whiplash I think that happens when an engineer is asked to transition from being a technical expert to leading people, and really that’s where Find Joy Off the Path and that story of our company really begins,” Ramos tells co-hosts Kate Bruns of Insight and Ann Franz of the NEW Manufacturing Alliance on this week’s episode, sponsored by Stoke RGA.
Employee retention has been a hot topic among NEW Manufacturing Alliance members and the subject of NEWMA’s most recent “Future of Work” Summit, at which Ramos was a featured speaker. Like she did in her NEWMA presentation, Ramos on episode 137 unpacks six pre-boarding touch points she recommends for retaining an employee before that person even starts. It can be as simple as a can of Diet Coke on a workstation or a quick phone call, Ramos shares.
Some of her pre-boarding advice sounds almost too simple, Bruns points out in the interview.
“Listen, there’s no ill intent here. We live in the age of automation, HR information systems, email. Managers are busy and people have 20 different plates spinning around, right?” she says. “Let your system do the process, but remember that there is no substitute for a quick phone call to … say, ‘Hey, we are so excited … and we can’t wait to have you join us.'”
In addition to offering her pre-boarding insight, Ramos also shares tips for working with employees before retirement to do knowledge capture and concludes the episode by answering the signature question of NEW Manufacturing Insights: What is your personal best leadership insight?
Listen for the answer and more with Ramos by downloading NEW Manufacturing Insights anywhere you listen to audio podcasts. New episodes are released weekly thanks to production support from Woodward Community Media.
