Training and Control: The Need for a New Manufacturing Frontline Experience

U.S. manufacturing employment has finally rebounded to pre-pandemic levels, but challenges such as supply chain issues, economic conditions, and skilled labor shortages remain.

According to a recent Workday report “Training and Control: The Need for a New Manufacturing Frontline Experience,” almost half (48%) of manufacturing executives report turnover that is higher than the historical average. The report also revealed that, compared to the other industries surveyed, manufacturing workers are the most likely to leave for higher pay or a career change.

To mitigate these issues and meet rising employee expectations, manufacturers must invest in the frontline experience and ready their workforce for future innovation.  

Workday surveyed 504 senior executives for this report, including 128 from the manufacturing industry, to learn more about how industry leaders are attracting and retaining frontline talent by adeptly taking a worker-first approach.  

Create Flexible Working Options

Employees across all sectors, manufacturing included, are seeking greater flexibility. Flexible working, though, can mean different things depending on whom you ask. For frontline workers, it often refers to condensed hours and shift flexibility. Flexible scheduling gives workers control over their schedules, and it includes the ability to update scheduling preferences, swap shifts, or add more hours.

Providing employees with more control over when they work can help alleviate some of the current workload pressures and improve the overall employee experience through a greater sense of autonomy. With many employees redefining their priorities as a result of the pandemic, this will be key to retaining talent in the future.

Why does it matter? Half of organizations in manufacturing are displaying higher levels of burnout risk, topped only by the transportation and government industries. Where possible, providing workers with more flexible working options to balance professional and personal obligations helps with overall wellbeing, engagement, and productivity.

Our research found that just a small cohort of organizations—11% of those surveyed—are experiencing lower-than-historical-average turnover. What these organizations share in common is that they are much more likely to use employee-first scheduling tools with their frontline workforce.

Support Career Development and Training

Building a culture of learning in the workplace is another vital part of retaining talented employees. Providing employees with educational and career growth opportunities can help ensure they feel happy, fulfilled, engaged, and challenged. 

Yet, in the past two years, just 18% of manufacturing organizations have introduced formal learning and development programs to improve the frontline worker experience.

With skilled labor shortages, building a culture of learning and development may play a critical role in a company’s growth. The manufacturing industry is being transformed by technology such as artificial intelligence, automation, and robotics. By upskilling workers, organizations can maintain a vital knowledge base and remain agile in the face of constant change.

Reinventing the Frontline Experience: A Pivotal Opportunity

Forward-looking organizations are addressing what their employees really need and want by listening to them. A majority of these frontline leader organizations (60%) say that data helps them assess the worker experience, compared to just 46% of overall industry leaders. This knowledge helps them gain a better understanding of what employees truly value and break the costly cycle of employee turnover. And flexibility and career training are key components of a manufacturing workforce management strategy. 

Read the full report to learn how 128 manufacturing leaders are boosting retention and productivity by investing in flexible scheduling tools and offering new opportunities for growth.