Creating Culture in Manufacturing
How to Create a Great Culture in Manufacturing
Company culture has begun to enter the forefront of many companies' strategies to boost their workforce. With the persistent labor shortages and the "Great Resignation," manufacturing companies that were hit the hardest have had to re-evaluate their company culture. Studies have shown that company culture can significantly impact retaining and attracting employees in the manufacturing workplace.
?In today's high-tech culture, employees and potential?employees can easily review the inner workings of a company's culture and make decisions based on what they can find on career sites such as Glassdoor or Indeed. If there is a negative company culture association, current employees are easily discouraged, less motivated, and often will call out to work, while potential employees will hesitate to apply. It may be hard for a manufacturing company to find new employees and retain the ones they do have.
?Creating a great culture can help increase the organization's productivity, leading to positive metrics across the board. It can generate loyalty among your workers, which in turn translates to loyalty among your customer base. In order to stay relevant and attract and retain your workforce, you need to evolve and improve your company culture. Here are a few tips that can help.
?Be Flexible?– Every employee has their own set of needs when it comes to thriving in the workplace. Being mindful of what they need in terms of management style, schedules, workload, and more can help make your employees feel like their needs are being met. There are some exceptions, such as deadlines and quotas, but ensuring your employees are comfortable can help increase productivity and production and help to boost the positive company culture.
?Increase Recognition?– Recognition is one of the primary factors that help drive employee engagement that contributes to positive company culture. Employees want to feel valued and appreciated, and even sending out a company-wide recognition email or awards can do wonders for boosting morale.
?Boost Benefits?– Many employees in the manufacturing sector are between the ages of 45-65. A robust benefits package will help encourage the older generations to stay on and entice newer generations to join the manufacturing workforce.?
?Boosting benefits can be creating more work-from-home opportunities, flexible scheduling, PTO packages, and more. Older generations are more likely to stay in the workforce for longer. With a strong benefits package, you will also begin to attract the younger generations looking for a more stable position that cultivates a healthy work environment.
?Include Active Participation in Process Improvements?– Manufacturing floors involve a number of processes. Keep an open door and an open mind for process improvements and suggestions from your team. When you hear their suggestions and actively work to implement them, your employees will feel heard and valued. It encourages loyalty and helps makes their jobs easier on the day today.
?Create a Platform for Open Communication?– Communication is one of the essential factors that creates a great company culture. When you openly communicate about changes and keep your employees in the loop, they feel like they are a part of the bigger picture.
?Communication works both ways, and you want to be sure your employees feel like they have a voice. Opening up communication for your employees includes:
?Incorporate Fun Team Builders?– Including team builders, especially ones that include cross-functional teams, can encourage building strong relationships within the organization. It can help with overall effective communication within the company.
?Train and Develop Your Employees?– Building talent by developing current employees can profoundly impact the company culture. You can work on cross training your employees and encouraging development that builds on existing talent and promotes and supports the goal of promoting from within.
?Creating a great company culture doesn't have to involve a major overhaul of your processes and procedures. Using these tips to create a great culture can help create a better working environment that will lead to happier and more productive employees and even increase your odds of attracting more top talent and keeping them on board.
Are you interested in learning more about the Manufacturing industry? Check out our podcast, The Industrial Movement, to learn more about the American manufacturing industry and the people, processes, and equipment behind it. www.theindustrialmovement.com