Soar to Success October 2020

E ven in these times of high unemployment, the manufacturing sector continues to add jobs. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, in the last six months, 403,000 jobs were added. The good news is that the manufacturing industry is adding more jobs than it is losing. The bad news is that companies have to figure out how to keep their employees from being lured away by another opportunity. It’s been said that people don’t quit their job, they quit their boss. The relationship between supervisors and employees is a key factor in whether an employee decides to stay. Making sure that yourmanagers are trained in the art and science of managing people pays off – big time. Think about it. In manufacturing, workers are promoted to management because of their performance on the production floor. You’ve just By Lisa Ryan, CSP Supervisor Training istheKey to Boost Employee Retention inManufacturing madeyourbest lineworkerpotentiallyyourworst manager. Why? Because management takes a different skill set. Just like learning a new piece of equipment, new supervisors need training that is specific to their new responsibilities of leading and developing their people so that they can build an effective and productive work environment. Here are the key areas on which to focus your training programs: Feedback: One way of getting started is training your new supervisors to ask for and receive feedback. Feedback is more than a once-a- year performance appraisal, it’s an ongoing conversation. Not only will your new supervisors learn from the experience and opinions of their coworkers and subordinates, but the people providing the feedback will feel heard and valued by their manager.