I’m guessing your day started similar to mine: seeing the hundredth headline about inflation, a tight labor market, or both at once. Regardless of nationwide employment numbers, manufacturers know that the skilled labor shortages are not going away with a new jobs report. Energy costs and supply chain disruptions are squeezing margins already; throwing money into recruiting might not be an option.
How do manufacturers shield themselves from the cost of labor shortages? Hear me out as I explain what may be obvious…retain the skills you already have! This is easier said than done, so let’s explore a tool that can increase employee satisfaction through any type of challenge: empathy.
Case Studies: Learning from My Mistake
Something I learned early in my career is that logical decisions made without empathy can hurt your goals and your employee satisfaction. Let’s look at two different examples.
My Mistake (Job 1):
I was the scheduler for an engineering test department and was tasked with creating an overtime schedule. Since I wasn’t qualified to run the tests, I didn’t put my name on the calendar. When I introduced the overtime sheet, a skilled (and grumpy) technician used some very choice language to point out how nice it must have been for me to leave myself off the list. As if overtime wasn’t bad enough, the atmosphere became hostile.
Was my decision logical? Yes.
Did that skilled technician and I both think about not coming back to work because of my logical (and aloof) decision? Also, yes.
My Recovery (Job 2):
As an industrial engineer responsible for optimizing a production area, I suspected that a setup step was causing downstream inefficiencies. The skilled operator responsible for that step was suspicious of time study stopwatches, convinced that this step was unchangeable and adamant that she had to do it at 5:00 am. This time I took a different approach. I wrote an Excel macro to replace the stopwatch, showed up at 5:00 am to be part of the team (we had a video camera, this was not necessary), and implemented a time-neutral suggestion of hers along with my optimization.
A year after I left the job I had an opportunity to walk that production floor again. I didn’t see all the same faces, but the (formerly) suspicious operator smiled and waved when I walked by. In other words, she was still there and happy to see me despite the change that I introduced to her routine.
Application: Practical Empathy in Manufacturing
Again, manufacturers can shield themselves from the cost of labor shortages by preventing them in the first place (or at least limiting future damage). No two employees have the same reason for staying in a job, but empathy is a versatile “soft” skill that can help you lean into a group that has diverse priorities. Remember that what’s logical at your desk doesn’t always translate to gains on the production floor. In fact, my own mistakes have shown that logical actions made without empathy can make a tough situation even worse. I was also fortunate enough to see better results from a more empathetic approach that put a (tolerable) burden on me.
Here are a few practical tips for exhibiting empathy, focused on involving your skilled workers in problem-solving:
Implement or Renew a Continuous Improvement Program
Make a visible effort to collect suggestions once a week for continuous improvement, and roll them out regularly. I think it’s better to implement a small neutral change than go more than a month without addressing employee suggestions (obviously don’t introduce waste). Give an option to keep it anonymous, and offer incentives when they explain how their suggestion can reduce waste. Keep in mind that a reward doesn’t have to be extravagant to be rewarding. A designated parking spot for “Improvement of the Week” costs you a laminated sign and buys you an everyday reminder of why it’s good to work there.
Make Problem-solving a Two-way Street
This can be done by performing tasks outside your job description that will help you reach your ultimate goals. If you demonstrate a willingness to experience the challenges of their job, they will be far more likely to reciprocate the favor when you bring your challenges their way. Disruption is bound to happen, so a key to retention is to build a pattern of leaning into collaborative solutions.
Reduce the Tension of Change Management
Ask for your team’s goals and suggestions before you fully roll out a new plan. Wherever possible, incorporate their feedback into strategic points in the implementation to create positive associations with change.
Update Your Systems
Data entry that’s necessary for the business to run on all cylinders can have a bad reputation with end users, and often it’s understandable. Think back to the size of your phone and the quality of its camera 10 years ago compared to today. Your workforce is now used to getting technology upgrades in their hands every 1-2 years. Employees come to expect that rate of improvement at work too; the good news is that they’re practiced in rapidly adopting technology change. Getting and keeping your systems up-to-date with adaptive SaaS solutions can flip the perception about software, from being an annoying barrier to being a valuable driver.
Conclusion: An Analogy
The common theme is making the workplace a more personally rewarding environment.
To your operators, the difference will be like going for a jog on an outdoor path rather than a treadmill. The body is going through the same motions, but the mind is so much more engaged when it can link movement to the change in scenery.
As a parting thought, I want to be clear that I am not suggesting a dismissal of competitive pay. This is about giving your employees assurance that you’re doing everything you can to keep the grass green on your side. At some point, that includes asking yourself if you could cover daily living expenses in your locality with the wages your workforce are able to earn. The power of empathy is that it can take any form and, when extended correctly, usually results in a win-win outcome.
