The manufacturing industry has been turbulent for some time. Experiencing a skills gap; labour shortage; competing with rapidly evolving technology; and struggling to find and retain talent.
Four years ago, at the start of the pandemic, manufacturing production levels dropped 13.7% according to the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve. This became the greatest monthly decrease for the sector in more than 100 years. Furthermore, across the US, 1.4 million manufacturing jobs were lost in March and April of 2020. (Society for Human Resource Management)
While there has been progress, the road to recovery is still not over. And while it’s a big undertaking, there are ways to overcome the struggle. In fact, many manufacturing companies are looking to frontline leaders for help.
How can frontline leaders help?
There was a time when frontline leaders were only expected to be efficient and get their work done in an orderly manner. But now, businesses are leaning on these leaders to keep employees, teams and at times an entire workforce engaged, motivated and fulfilling company goals.
What’s staggering however is that many frontline leaders are often the least prepared to take on this enormous task. Some are promoted because of their technical expertise but have had little or no training in leadership. They struggle to fully understand the needs of an organization and how they play a crucial role in its success. Some lack basic communication skills preventing them from implementing goals and initiatives from the top down and from establishing a consistent process to redirect behaviour with their teams.
Frontline leaders supervise 80% of company employees in a typical organization (Clark Schaefer Hackett). Since they have such influence, proper training and investment in their growth is crucial so that leadership practices are consistent, fair, and equitable with all employees. More than 90% of employees said that well-planned training programs positively affect their level of engagement (Axonify), and close to 95% said they would stay at a company longer if it invested in their learning and development (LinkedIn Learning Report, 2020).
Therefore, the right training and investment in frontline leadership development could make a monumental difference not only for an employee’s personal success but also for business growth. It can also help solve the larger, industry-wide issues such as the skills gap; labour shortage; and finding and retaining talent.
What can frontline leaders do to address the skills gap?
As mentioned, technology is advancing more rapidly than ever before. It is affecting all industries – manufacturing included. To adapt to and embrace new systems, automation, AI tools and platforms, companies should focus on preparing their workforce by cross-training and retraining current as well as new employees. Though leaders intellectually know this is needed, a structured process may not be in place to readily implement this training requirement.
Consistent training – not only within the realm of adapting technology – but across an array of skill sets keeps frontline leaders at the forefront of an organization’s objectives and gives them the ability to adequately communicate those objectives to their teams. It also keeps companies agile; builds a strong, inclusive environment; secures workforce relationships; and ensures employment when employees are readily trained to adapt to different roles.
SaaS company Vector Solutions also suggests companies administer the following:
- Increase diversity, equity, and inclusion efforts to retain different ideas and innovative solutions.
- Assess the current skills of your workforce and update them as required.
- Provide a relevant and consistent learning and development program and road map for leaders and employees to know their career path.
- Develop proper onboarding. Gone are the days of side-by-side on-the-job training – this now requires clear templates to ensure tasks are adequately covered.
- Move away from hierarchical leadership structures so that employees can develop a wide range of skills and adapt to any role required within their circle of influence.
What can frontline leaders do to address the labour shortage?
Construction, technology and manufacturing industries have traditionally been dominated by men. A way companies can overturn this outdated practice and address the labour shortage is by bringing in more women, veterans, and underrepresented groups.
“While roughly half of the overall U.S. labour force is female, just 29% of the nation’s nearly 13 million manufacturing jobs are filled by women,” says the Society for Human Resource Management.
The way frontline leaders can help is by collaborating frequently with Human Resources to craft job descriptions that not only outline the specific skill requirements of a position but also target applicants who aren’t typically considered for the roles. Frontline leaders can assess the language used in a job posting and adapt it accordingly. They can also create short video messages to share with potential candidates expressing why they work in manufacturing and the benefits it has brought them. This can attract people within other industries who have relevant skills that can be valuable to a manufacturing business.
How can frontline leaders help companies find and retain top talent?
A study by the Manufacturing Institute found that employees stay with their current employers because they enjoy the work (83%) and have job security (79%). Close to 70% said that companies having a ‘family-oriented culture’ and work-life balance also influenced their decision to stay.
Therefore, encouraging frontline leaders to frequently and open-mindedly check in with their teams is vital. It allows them to assess employees’ impressions of the company, their role and potential problems that can be caught and solved early on. Also, matching up longer-term employees with new ones can help with the integration of work and generational acceptance across cultures.
Other ways frontline leaders can help:
- Partnering with and attending job fairs at local high schools and colleges to promote manufacturing careers, apprenticeships, and co-op programs.
- Hosting factory tours for students and potential applicants and highlighting ways manufacturing is a fulfilling career.
- Being a company ambassador and emphasizing values such as inclusion and diversity, work-life balance, and family benefits.
- Enforcing flexible working hours – this prevents burnout and promotes wellbeing, engagement, and productivity.
Frontline leaders are representatives of an entire organization. They strongly affect whether employees are motivated, dedicated, or inefficient and disengaged. This influence can either have a positive or negative impact on an organization’s success. Preparing frontline leaders and investing in their development will make all the difference.
We often say that the front line drives the bottom line. Developing high-quality leaders can not only help companies achieve standards and deliver results but exceed them. Through relevant training and management support, there is potential to reignite frontline leaders with a sense of loyalty and pride. They’ll be more inclined to rally together and take an organization to a new level of growth. Plus, potentially solve some of the issues continuing to plague the manufacturing industry.
By: Nancy Priest
Bio: Nancy is a published author, multiple award-winning program designer and speaker, who has researched, developed, and facilitated learning solutions for a wide variety of organizations worldwide, specializing in manufacturing. She has 30 years of experience and is a Certified Training & Development Professional (CTDP), Certified Virtual Facilitator (CVF), and currently certified Canadian Learning Practitioner.
Image by <a href=”https://www.freepik.com/free-photo/labor-union-members-working-together_94956265.htm#page=10&query=frontline%20workers&position=52&from_view=keyword&track=ais&uuid=4c071c5b-b202-40c2-ba61-388882dc638c”>Freepik</a>
