Retain talent with training

Who has not heard of the “great resignation”? Probably not many. Initiated by the pandemic and fueled by worker discontent, the job market has been thrown into upheaval as millions of people ditch their jobs. Some never return to the job market while others change careers or find better jobs in their field. Labor experts admit we are in an unprecedented time of change.

The lack of skilled craftspeople has been a problem for manufacturing companies for a decade or so as they struggle to overcome negative stereotypes and perceptions while fighting to place talented people in critical roles. Many days, it feels like we are losing the fight. Now the great resignation is further reducing the number of skilled workers and devastating the knowledge base that supports the shop floor workforce.

Quite often, when a talented person is brought on to a team, we anxiously anticipate the day he or she resigns for a better job, for increased pay or just because the employee is ready for something new. All companies are going to continue struggling with this conundrum, but manufacturing companies will suffer more because the work is complex and manufacturing jobs are proving to be undesirable with the changing workforce.

So what can we do to overcome these difficult times?

Obvious answers are things like increased pay, improved benefits, better working conditions, automation, outsourcing and flexible schedules. We all know that these things are critical to attracting and retaining a skilled workforce, but pay and benefits are only part of a more complex fabric needed to provide a fulfilling career experience that gets people to come and stay.

Now more than ever, companies need to invest time and money in developing robust training and development programs

An online search will yield numerous articles published by respectable sources describing a workforce that is leaving for pay, benefits and, not surprisingly, career satisfaction. Most of these experts agree that pay is only part of the unhappiness-with-my-job equation — career satisfaction is driving the great resignation.

It is simple: People at all levels of an organization need to believe that their time and effort add value. Talented people also want to feel growth through increased responsibility, and they seek to experience diversity in daily job responsibilities.

Now more than ever, companies need to invest time and money in developing robust training and development programs for employees at all levels of organizations.

Robust training programs start with in-depth, comprehensive onboarding of new employees. This is the first time that a new hire will experience the organization firsthand and see the team in its true colors. Onboarding sets the tone and should be more than the compulsory safety and human resources training. Good onboarding includes information about how to access data needed to perform the job and details on using critical software like ERP and MRP systems. Most importantly, onboarding contains a definition and explanation of the role and responsibilities of the new hire.