The human factor – part 2 Steve Sayer

High employee turn over rates continue to plague the food and beverage manufacturing industry.

Whenever an employee quits their job management should ask themselves, “Why did this employee terminate us?” Exit meetings should be held and documented for an objective management analysis in order to identify any trends that may warrant rectifications.

There’s a general lack of management commitment in the triad areas of hiring practices ,training and education. This leads to incorrigible problems that continue to be a self-inflicted challenge in the food and beverage manufacturing industry.

Training is educating the employee on how to do an assigned job properly, efficiency and safely. It is the giving of instruction so as to make the employee proficient, qualified and knowledgeable.

How people are treated, how they are trained, how management listens (not hears) to them, how management recognizes, rewards, and values them has more to do with a company’s success than any other single facet. Most people innately want to improve themselves.

It’s up to managers who hires them to provide the positive environment and the correct resources necessary to guide them through appropriate training, and to help them to succeed for the growth of the company as well as for themselves.

Familiarizing employees to their workplace and job is one of the most neglected functions in many organizations. An employee handbook and a plant evacuation map are not adequate when it comes to welcoming a new employee.

The most persistent complaints about new employee orientations are that it’s tedious and the new employee is left to sink or swim. The result is often a discombobulated employee who is not productive and is more predisposed to leave the organization.

Employers need to be cognizant that employee orientations aren’t just a gesture to look good. Orientations should indelibly evince that the organization values the employee and will provide the necessary tools to succeed. It serves as an important element of the recruitment and retention process. Some key values are:

• Reduce startup costs: Well-planned orientations can help the employee get up to speed much more quickly, thereby reducing the costs associated with learning the job.

• Condense anxiety: Most employees are, when put into a new environment will experience anxiety that can impede their ability to learn the job.

• Truncate employee turnover: Employee turnover rates will remain high or increase if employees feel they are not valued.

• Save time for supervisors: The better the initial orientation, the less likely supervisors and co-workers will have to spend time teaching the employee.

• Develop realistic job expectations, positive attitudes and job satisfaction: It’s important that employees learn as soon as possible what is expected of them and what to expect from others in addition to learning about the values and attitudes of the organization.

What has worked well/not so well in your organization?

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