If there’s one thing we’ve learned from the pandemic, it’s this:
Workers have changed, and workplaces need to change, too.
In 2021, there were 1,637,893 workers in Northeast Ohio, marking a five-percent decline in employed people since the start of the pandemic. Now, with an estimated two jobs open for every person looking for work, it’s becoming harder and harder to fill open positions with qualified trade talent.
What does that mean for your organization? In today’s post-pandemic workforce, you can’t rely on a cookie-cutter recruitment plan to hire your top picks. It’s time to stop gritting your teeth and keeping your head down. You already know that the recruitment game is evolving, and worker sentiment isn’t going to change anytime soon.
So, where are manufacturing workers going? What do they want? And how can you stand out as an employer of choice? Here’s how to fuel your organization and beat the talent shortage with a data-driven recruitment marketing strategy.
Why Is It Hard to Hire Good People?
If you’re struggling to attract and retain qualified workers, you’re far from alone. The war for talent is raging on, but most organizations couldn’t have anticipated the dramatic impact of the pandemic on the sheer number of workers who have left the workforce. Why are so many employees quitting? And where are they going?
Let’s get one thing straight: There’s no one-size-fits-all answer to why employees are quitting. But more than early retirements, stimulus checks, and the health impacts of COVID-19, worker sentiment is changing the hiring game. The pandemic didn’t just highlight the obstacles of working manufacturing jobs in a high-risk environment. It also transformed the long-standing structure of the workforce as we know it.
Workers are quitting their jobs in record numbers. In Northeast Ohio alone, 408,313 workers quit their job in the past year, and another 330,282 are planning to quit this year. Your employees want to work—but work differently. They want a living wage, flexibility, and investment in their professional development. And for the first time, they’re asking whether giving up life to take a job is really worth the sacrifice.
How Did the Pandemic Impact Recruitment?
These new changes in worker sentiment are reshaping recruitment, but they didn’t just stem from the pandemic. Even with unprecedented inflation and a looming recession, it’s hard to imagine this new worker sentiment changing anytime soon.
Why? Think back to your biggest hiring challenges over the years. You’ve probably already noticed that today’s employees act much differently than they did just a few years ago, and for good reason. The pandemic gave people more time with their thoughts—time to reflect on their life and whether their current career aligns with their professional goals.
Every hiring manager has their own theory on the talent shortage, but the data are harder to come by. Truth is, people aren’t quitting because of stimulus checks and unemployment benefits. According to a survey of 5,000 working-age Ohioans, 62 percent of respondents said benefits had no impact when it came to keeping them out of work.
Instead, these moments of reflection are impacting workers’ attitudes toward employment. About 454,672 people said that the pandemic led them to change career plans. Of the 40 percent of employed people planning to look for another job in the next year, over half said they plan to look in a different industry, while 60 percent said they’d look for a different position.
Your workers are rethinking what meaningful work means to them—and that means evaluating whether their current positions are fulfilling their evolving needs. And when they’re deciding whether to stay or search for a new job, the decision boils down to one main factor: the quality of your work environment.
How to Combat the Talent Shortage
You’re scrambling to fill open positions with qualified candidates, but you can’t find the perfect fit for the job. You’re no stranger to lost productivity and high churn rates, and you’re having a hard time keeping enough manufacturing workers on the payroll to meet your company’s daily needs.
If this sounds familiar, there’s good news: You don’t have to sacrifice blood, sweat, and tears to hire your top picks. Here’s how to combat the talent shortage and retain skilled trade talent with a winning recruitment strategy.
1. Money Talks, but It’s Not Everything
If you’ve been brainstorming ways to upgrade your recruitment strategy, you’ve probably already thought of increasing wages. Sure, better wages can be a powerful talent strategy, but they’re probably not going to help you win the war for talent.
What do workers say about money? A good wage tops the list of factors workers prioritize in considering potential jobs, with 80 percent of workers saying wage is very important. In fact, wages are so important that many workers want to see them in job descriptions before they even think about applying.
Think of wages as a foot in the door. If you’re not offering competitive pay, you’re going to send potential candidates straight to the competition. On the other hand, with competitive pay, employees are typically more satisfied in their roles, which means they’ll stay with your company longer. By reducing turnover, you can minimize hiring and onboarding costs. Sounds like a win-win, right?
Once you capture their attention with good wages, you can highlight your employer value proposition and guide them down the talent funnel with all the other things your organization offers. Your people are your most important asset, and you need to recognize their value and potential for future development. Competitive pay is the tool you need to attract your top picks—but you need to back up those wages with a winning workplace culture and benefits to take candidates to the next step.
2. Create a Flexible Work Environment
Contrary to popular belief, you don’t need a remote workforce to stay competitive. While more employees want remote or hybrid work, blue-collar workers still prefer to stay in the workplace. But how can you give your blue-collar workers the same respect as white-collar workers?
It’s simple: You need to offer flexibility, and that starts with communication. Start by asking your current employees what they want to get out of their job. Once you learn their preferences, you can take steps to boost engagement and productivity, whether that means scheduling workers for shorter days, offering more sick days, or creating a system for flexible shift changes.
Remember: Flexible work schedules might be new to your employees. Before implementing a new flex policy, take the time to train employees, provide the right tools, and lay out clear expectations. Make sure your workers are on the same page—and don’t forget to check in regularly to fine-tune your policies as needed.
3. Keep Your Employees Engaged
Your employees’ priorities are changing. It’s not enough to just earn a paycheck anymore; your employees want meaningful work to stay engaged and productive in the workplace.
What’s the best way to engage your manufacturing workers? Reward and recognize their achievements. When your employees feel like they’re contributing to your organization, they’ll show up more motivated and engaged—and that can make all the difference in your retention rates.
Not sure where to start? Try creating an incentive program with monetary rewards (think: bonuses, salary hikes, and other tangible rewards). According to a survey by Incentive Concepts, 62 percent of respondents prefer tangible gifts over recognition and praise.
Ultimately, the best reward is a mix of reward, recognition, and experience—but what that looks like will depend on your organization. You might celebrate employee achievements by letting them take part in key decision-making processes, inviting them to company events, or sharing an employee spotlight story on social media.
Take a Proactive Approach to Recruitment
The clock is ticking—and you can’t afford to wait around for the workforce to return to “normal.” It’s time to take action with a powerful recruitment plan. Download our self-audit checklist and schedule a discovery call with our team to start brainstorming your new recruitment strategy.
