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Real ACTION
Are Your Audits and Inspections Leading to Any Real Action Today? What does your company make or process? Natural resources, automobiles, commercial buildings, complex machinery, something else? You have compliance responsibilities to manage and a vast host of audits and inspections for your workers on the frontline. New hires understand this if they have any experience in your industry. It’s part of the job. Part of the territory. Nothing to see here, move along.
 You’ve probably noticed something different about new workers coming into your workforce, and it has nothing to do with the tropes about being lazy, living at home or avocado toast.
Younger workers you are hiring have something in common that separates them from your older workforce: Technology is integrated into every aspect of their lives. Literally EVERY part of their lives is touched by technology in some way.  Who is Dan? Dan’s been around for a long time and he isn’t going anywhere soon. He possesses a keen power of foresight - which is to say that he knows what is going to happen before it happens, evidenced by his most common refrain, “I told you so.” His experience is quite valuable, and could do wonders for some of the newer workers who recently arrived on the team. Unfortunately, Dan isn’t the best communicator, and interactions with him often end with a frustrated, throwing-my-hands-in-the-air type of gesture.
 There's a challenge facing every industrial application worksite - a challenge no one wants to talk about. This challenge is faced across all Construction and Manufacturing sectors, across all disciplines from Safety and Quality to Human Resources and Operations. The challenge can't be answered with a piece of PPE, or a sensor, or an employee survey. The risks of not meeting this challenge range from increased frequency and severity of safety incidents, to reduced efficiency and productivity.
The biggest challenge facing industry today is: Given the wide range of experience levels, temperaments, and personalities that exist in the industrial workforce of today, how can companies engage with ALL of their workers regularly, efficiently and effectively? The benefits of direct transparent engagement with workers are significant. A Gallup study determined that compared with business units in the bottom quartile of engagement, those in the top quartile realize improvements in the following areas:
The most common response we hear when talking to leaders in industrial applications about engagement is some form of, “We completely understand the benefits of engagement, we just have no idea how to measure engagement or even where to start.” This is an understandable position to have, especially when looking specifically at your own workforce. Industrial workers span a wider range of ages, experience levels and backgrounds than any other segment of the workforce. The good news is that modern technology and communication tools have made engagement more attainable than ever before. Over the next few weeks, we’ll be going on a deep dive to illustrate why and how you can transparently engage with your unique Cast of Operational Characters. As a preview here is a sneak peak at how you can leverage engagement to get more out of one of your workers, Paul the Pencil Whipper.  The statistics are everywhere, but if you work in manufacturing and construction, you don't need statistics to confirm what you already know: frontline workers are not engaged. The downstream effects of disengagement are significant, quantifiable and avoidable. The first step in addressing engagement problems is to define the term - What does it mean to say Workers are engaged?
The most important aspect of engagement (and the one most often overlooked) is its bi-directional nature. The essence of engagement is an ongoing give and take of information. Put more simply, engagement requires both a voice and ears to hear that voice. When evaluating engagement within an organization, it is important to take both the perspective of the manager and the worker into account.  5S - Principle so Basic it’s Brilliant
Lean manufacturing efforts have been around for more than a century but perhaps there are none quite as simple and effective as the 5S (five-step) method. 5S was designed to eliminate waste, improve cleanliness and enhance quality control at a manufacturers’ most basic levels. According to the Environmental Protection Agency, when executed correctly the 5S lean manufacturing system will enhance productivity and minimize the use of excess material. By following the five-step process and using its visual cues, leaders and workers at manufacturing facilities can experience a more orderly workplace and improve operational performance. The 5S method is reported to have made its manufacturing debut post WWII as part of the Toyota Total Production System process and has been implemented at manufacturing facilities around the world. The root of this methodology came from Kaizen – the system of constant improvement and a key part of lean manufacturing. Kaizen is actually a Japanese term that means “the real place” so it’s no surprise the rally cry for 5S is “a place for everything and everything in its place.” It was implemented with the notion that most improvement and competitive success will come from efficiencies created on the factory floor. What Each S Pillar Stands For So, what do all the “S’s” stand for?  In part 1, we shared some initial ways manufacturers can build out a more positive EX for workers. Now let’s take a closer look at how you can master a stronger EX using data and analytics.
The EX consists of many different components that when combined create true value to your staff, and ultimately enhance a company’s productivity and profitability. Resources suggest using focus groups, surveys and manager input to gather information and insights into how employees perceive their work. Be mindful though that employee experience is about everyday life on-the-job and because it’s not always clear cut, can sometimes be hard to measure unless you have the right tools.  In this two-part series, we’ll dive into the EX, or employee experience, and the numerous ways it can drive your business forward. Part 1 will look closely at what it is and questions you should ask yourself in key areas of your organization. Part 2 will address how analytics can help enhance today’s EX by creating a richer, more robust experience for all involved.
EE is out, EX is in While employee engagement is a fundamental aspect in ensuring satisfaction on the job, the reality is it’s just one of several elements that should round out an entire employee experience (EX) for today’s workers. |
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