As manufacturing continues to change, companies face the challenge of evolving or being unable to keep up with their more adaptive competitors. To successfully solve these challenges, HR managers need to adapt to changes not only in technology, but in workforce demographics, as well as. Here are five top tips for solving some of manufacturing’s HR challenges:
Retrain Your Workforce to Retain Your Workforce
Retraining is the key to ensuring that your workforce is equipped with the most current skills required for successful completion of their responsibilities. Keeping your employees happy and engaged is also an element in maintaining employee morale. This can be done by providing them with opportunities to learn new techniques.
Some companies offer courses and workshops as part of their benefits package. This helps the company, but it also helps the employee. It provides an opportunity for them to gain new skills at work that can help them advance within the company.
Recruit New Talent to Expand Your Workforce
Recruiting new talent can be a difficult task. Although companies previously depended on want ads and word-of-mouth to find new workers, now, they must be a bit more creative to find qualified employees.
Job placement platforms online can connect job searchers with recruiting companies. Another option is to promote hiring positions at high schools and colleges. Marketing your job openings in those two arenas will expand your applicant pool exponentially.
Train Supervisors to Respond to Worker Needs
Supervisors are often in charge of training their employees on their jobs. This is especially true for new hires. However, an increasing number of companies are realizing that this responsibility is not just the job of the supervisors.
Instead, employees should be trained by the company as a whole to ensure that they are getting the most out of their time at work.
Companies can train supervisors to respond better to workers’ needs by giving them an overview of what it’s like for employees on a day-to-day basis and how they can help them with these challenges.
It is important for supervisors to develop a strong relationship with workers. Company leadership and mentorship programs can assist with this.
Adjust to Evolving Laws for Workers Compensation and Leave
Staying current with evolving laws is a difficult process for any company. The greater number of on-the-job accidents requiring adequate leave and compensation for workers cause manufacturing companies to feel the challenges even more.
With the Americans With Disabilities Act (ADA) and the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA), the federal government works to make it easier for employers to offer paid leave and workers’ compensation benefits. Companies need to balance the individual needs of the injured employee with those of the companies’ overall objectives. This affects several dynamics.
Skilled HR teams strive to achieve that balance to better benefit everyone involved.
Outsource Work to Help Your Company Adapt
Although many tasks and responsibilities can be handled in-house, outsourcing work is a way for companies to adapt to changing markets and also cut costs. It is a strategy that many companies are employing to stay competitive in the global market.
Outsourcing work allows companies to assign some tasks to experts with the necessary skill sets while the onsite employees focus on the company’s core competencies. Not only can outsourcing be beneficial for companies by helping them save time, money, and resources, it also can be seen as a form of risk management because it helps companies adapt quickly to changes in the industry.