Randy Heisler, VP of consulting firm Life Cycle Engineering chatted with Control's Amanda Del Buono about how manufacturing leaders can, in this digital age, prepare for the oncoming wave of retiring workforce and the incoming new workers with new skillsets and new workplace expectations.
Question: What should the long-term view be for companies when it comes to workforce turnover and managing new incoming workers?
Randy: Well, I think it's in the question, of sorts, is companies need to take the long view, anticipate what that turnover is going to be, right, measuring that. And, most companies do, they know their turnover rate, but they don't always take it down to the individual to anticipate that, like I mentioned before. Today's workforce changes jobs multiple times, manage that reality, it is going to happen. They're not going to walk in and stay here. So, it becomes where, you're not just dealing with folks that have been there a long time that are retiring, you're dealing with folks that have been there for a shorter period of time but leaving, right, and, their knowledge is walking away. And, in many cases, it's a frustration for folks that say, "Gosh, you know, we trained them and then they left," right? But, you know, you don't have that choice, you have to train people. And, you know, you have to market your workplace, I think I mentioned that already, as great place to learn and stay.
