Retention Tips for Managers
Forbes Magazine recently published “6 Reasons Your Best Employees Quit You” by Louis Efron. In his article he shares tips to help managers retain top talent. With our own local market tight for skilled employees, retaining the employees we have, especially the good ones, is very important. So what should managers know? Have and share a vision. Managers should not confuse financial goals with a long-term vision. Connect the employee’s work with the big picture. The Forbes article sites a Gallup employee engagement survey question, “The mission or purpose of my company makes me feel my job is important.” Their…
Strengthen Your Employer Brand with a Compelling Origin Story
How did your company get started? Why? What problem was the owner or founders trying to solve or what need did they wanted to meet? Are there any unique or personal elements to the start up? These are all questions that can be answered via a company origin story. Mr. David Lee of recruiting news site Ere points to a compelling origin story as a key to strengthening your employer brand when recruiting. Mr Lee writes, “What is an Origin Story? It’s far more than a fact-filled documentary about how and when your organization got started. It’s not the workplace…
Tips to Get More from Your Floor Operation
Industry Week reports, “Last year [2013] saw a renaissance for much of the [manufacturing] industry. Production as measured by the Institute for Supply Management averaged well over 50 during most of 2013, signifying expansion.” As this trend continues into 2014, floor managers will be the first to feel the impacts of production growth. John Mills of Industry Week provided these great tips to get more from your floor operation: Revisit: review your 2013 performance metrics, what went well, what didn’t. Where do you see opportunity and where do you see challenges to overcome? Then write it down and determine action…
New Tactics for Better Manufacturing Recruiting
“Today’s high-tech manufacturing jobs require employees to be computer savvy, able to multi-task, and able to transfer seamlessly between production processes. Recruiters for these manufacturing jobs thus need to revamp their mentality and methods in attempting to fill these positions” writes Michelle Benjamin for ThomasNet News. The article gives several tips for reaching high-potential, qualified candidates. Where is your talent pool? Today’s manufacturing jobs are high-tech, STEM heavy. If you do not already have a relationship or partnership with local community colleges and technical programs, you should. This is a great opportunity to not only interact with potential candidates right…
Events Around Town: Creating a Problem Solving Culture
In February, we had the pleasure of attending a seminar on “Creating a Problem Solving Culture” organized by the Manufacturers Alliance and held at Hennepin Technical College. The event featured local speakers with Lean Manufacturing, Six Sigma and Operations backgrounds. If you are maintaining status quo in any business you are likely falling behind. “Change” is incumbent upon any leadership team, even if its only goal is to sustain current market share. To actually gain market share in today’s business world is to embrace truly new ideas and to “give them legs.” No leadership team achieves change on its…
Solving the Skills Gap – MN Public-Private Partnerships
In February’s blog post Minnesota Manufacturing and Education we highlighted several examples of how Minnesota manufacturers, organizations and college and technical programs are working together to educate the future manufacturing work-force. Today, let’s take a look at a northern Minnesota example in Bemidji. Featured on MPR and in a recent Minnesota Precision Manufacturing Association journal is the public-private partnership of Northwest Technical College, Bemidji State, the Department of Employment and Economic Development and TEAM Industries as well as other regional manufacturers. It formed to educate potential and current employees through the Minnesota Innovation Institute. “As the manufacturing industry moves into…