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Manufacturing is not an easy industry to work in. Many companies will operate around the clock, at grueling paces and with high demands on workers, both mentally and physically. 

It can be tricky, then, to keep your employees engaged and their morale high, but it’s not impossible! 

Seven Ways to Keep Your Employees Engaged and Excited 

  • Keep their eyes on the bigger picture. It’s so easy for workers to feel like what they do doesn’t matter in the overall scheme of things. If they feel disconnected from the company’s larger goals and objectives, they can feel like another cog in the wheel instead of someone making a meaningful contribution. Remind your team that what they do is vital to the company’s success. Have shift meetings to let them know what’s going on and reiterate that, without their work and dedication, the company’s goals, and their own success, is in jeopardy. They are important and their work matters! 
  • Listen to their ideas and concerns. Workers who feel like their thoughts are valued and taken seriously will feel appreciated and invested in their workplace. People who don’t feel like they can speak up, that their concerns will fall on uncaring ears, will keep their thoughts to themselves as they look for new opportunities. This doesn’t mean managers have to acquiesce to every worker suggestion, but it does mean keeping time available for employees to come to managers and speak their minds, listening to what troubles might be happening on the manufacturing floor and making an effort to correct little annoyances before they become big problems. 
  • Learn about your team. This goes hand-in-hand with listening to worker concerns. Get to know the people you’ve hired! Learn about them, their families, their workplace history. Take the time to get to know them and what they’re all about. Find out what motivates your team and incorporate those ideas into the workplace. Have conversations with each employee individually, as a person, and build that relationship. Invest your time in your team. 
  • Implement a coaching program. If you have some veteran employees working alongside brand new team members, encourage them to talk to and learn from each other. This will build cohesion among them but can also facilitate the sharing of ideas, knowledge and techniques. The veteran employees can act as mentors to the new ones, helping to explain the law of the land and offer help on how things work; the younger ones might bring in new ideas or techniques they bring from other jobs, all of which might help things run more smoothly. Everyone has something they can teach and everyone has something new to learn. 
  • Have some fun together. Most people spend 40 hours together, if not more, every single week, all year ‘round. That’s a lot of time! And it could be a lot of stress too. Coworkers who get to know each other outside of the workplace, or in a more relaxed setting, tend to understand each other better and create stronger relationships, even if it doesn’t get too personal or deep. Have a company picnic each summer or throw the occasional pizza party on each shift to give people a chance to relax, put down their guard, have a little fun and talk about something other than that day’s responsibilities. Be sure to join them and lead by example in loosening the tie and unwinding a little. 
  • Say thank you. Much like listening to their concerns, employees want to know their work is seen, valued and appreciated. People who feel like their manager is aware of what they do, of how they go beyond what’s required and asked of them, who know that their contributions are noticed, will be far more willing to keep working hard. People who feel invisible, like they don’t matter, feel no guilt in picking up and going elsewhere. It doesn’t need to be a big, formal thing, but thank your team for their hard work. Call out people who have done something exceptional, or the ones who always show up and give everything they have. This can be done publicly or privately; what matters is that people are recognized for their work. 
  • Pay them more. This might not always be an option; salary increases across the board might not be in the budget at this time as the economy is still recovering from the pandemic and supply chain issues. But if you can provide the occasional bonus, do it. If you can offer raises, do that  too. Money isn’t everything and might not be enough to keep dissatisfied employees from leaving, it can be a powerful motivator and is a nice gesture of appreciation. 

 

Whatever you decide, show some gratitude and respect to your workers for their contributions. Keep them happy and you’ll keep them focused and engaged with the work at hand and less likely to leave. 

If you need help filling open positions or are looking to expand your team, call Davis Staffing. We have strong candidates who are eager to come to work and ready to start soon! Give us a call and let us help you fill out your team.