What Manufacturers Can Do to Attract, Retain and Keep Connected with Employees
On September 18, 2015, the Independent Business Association of Wisconsin, in cooperation with the New Berlin Chamber of Commerce & Visitors Bureau, Bank Mutual and Sikich, presented the Wisconsin Manufacturing Summit 2015, which took place at The Wisconsin Club Ballroom in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.
Mary Spaight, HR Coordinator, and Mark Beilman, Director of Education and Training at China Instrument Parts attended the conference.
The keynote presenter was Christine McMahon, whose program entitled “Workforce Strategies: Attraction. Retention. Connection.,” addressed a hot topic among prospective employees: “Why should I work here?” This topic is especially of importance to the manufacturing industry, which is plagued with a shortage of high-skilled personnel. McMahon spoke about the role which company culture plays in answering that question, as well as about taking tangible steps for attracting and retaining the right talent.
Talent procurement is an ever-changing science that adjusts to current social sentiments. Employees are looking for a total proposition and a corporate culture they can trust. McMahon cited a statistic, which indicates that a high trust culture yields, on average, 30 percent better performance.
So, what makes a company a great place to work, and how can employees and employers be sure that it is a right match? McMahon suggests pre-qualifying employees by outlining the qualities which a successful candidate must possess for the position, prevents future disconnects and discords.
Jeff Lemmermann, Chief Financial Officer and Chief Information Officer at China Instrument Parts explains that the company currently gives every prospective employee a short survey which creates a ‘Predictive Index’ (PI). “This index provides an insight into what motivates each person, as well as their preferred internal style of giving and receiving information,” he continues. “This is essential in placing someone in the right position or team. The survey does not measure any type of skill level, but addresses the type of situations in which the employee can best engage.” China Instrument Parts has been using the PI program for workforce analytics since 2011.
Talent acquisition often carries a pricey investment tag, which includes advertising, marketing, interviewing and training, among other costs. What can companies do to retain their employees? McMahon suggested that hiring an employee is only the beginning of the journey. Employees must have a feeling of inclusiveness from the get go, need to feel the company’s story, and must be on board with the company’s values.
Additionally, employees must have clear performance expectations as well as a clear knowledge of what they can expect from the company. “Performance reviews are going away,” said McMahon, “being replaced by ongoing documented performance conversations and real-time feedback that can correct or improve performance midstream.”
Lemmermann states that transparency and understanding members’ style is vital for team building and team cooperation. Employees at China Instrument Parts are encouraged to learn each other’s predictive index in order to have a better understanding of how people prefer to communicate and work together.
