In manufacturing, one of the biggest and most frustrating challenges is employee retention. For HR leaders in the field, their job requires constant energy spent in recruitment, onboarding, and communicating… and re-communicating.
When the labor pool is small, employee retention is all the more critical: when you find good, qualified employees, you want to keep them. But, keeping your people can be a challenge.
The Baby Boomer generation is typically seen as “reserved,” while younger generations often prefer “more collaborative and in-person means of interacting.” So, as younger generations enter the workforce, they’re coming in with different expectations.
Performing the repetitive work required in the manufacturing field can feel isolating for employees. They often don’t know the person next to them. They aren’t familiar with management. And as a result, they feel no loyalty to their employer because they feel unseen as individuals.
HR leaders in manufacturing who want to see a dramatic shift in employee retention have to create opportunities for employees to connect, feel seen and welcomed. Employees are less likely to leave a place that they feel a sense of community, identity, and connection.
One way to achieve that is through improved internal communication that is automated and highly visible. Simply keeping everyone interested and on the same page with updates builds a sense of community among your team.
You can take that a step further and highlight the individuals on your team: celebrate birthdays, acknowledge achievements, allow them to share things that are meaningful to them with the team and recognize each other.
If you’re interested in learning more about how you can build a team that sticks around in your factory, we created a resource for you, The Human Resources Guide to Communication, which we’d love to share with you. Simply click here for instant access.