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Drishti recently convened a panel of experts to discuss the challenges of attracting, training, engaging and retaining the workforce in manufacturing.
Led by Drishti’s CEO, Gary Jackson, the panel consisted of:
Rebekah Kowalski, Vice President of Manpower Manufacturing: Rebekah’s work focuses on developing solutions that help organizations and leaders deal with the implications of both the shortage of rightly skilled workers, and the evolution of roles and skills.
Luke Monck, Senior Manager in Deloitte's manufacturing practice: Luke has a background in human capital. Luke designs and delivers the operating model/organizational design, talent, and change management solutions that business transformations require to be successful.
Arthur Wheaton, Director of Labor Studies at Industrial Labor Relations School Co-Lab, Cornell University: Arthur’s expertise includes workplace training, negotiations, costing out a contract and conflict resolution. He has previous experience in auto and aerospace industrial relations.
Dr. Prasad Akella, Founder and Chairman of Drishti: Dr. Prasad Akella is a serial entrepreneur. Prasad has created three massive categories by envisioning and commercializing deep tech products that empower humans in three very different areas: robotics, business social networks, computer vision/AI. Prasad is a Fellow of the SME and ASME.
Click here to view the full webinar.
In the first part of the discussion, the group tackles the challenges of attracting new talent and the perceptions surrounding manufacturing presently and historically. With the competition higher than ever, it is becoming apparent that manufacturing needs to upgrade its image.
In fact, in a survey conducted by Drishti of 500 entry-level workers both inside and out of the industry, 33% said that “nothing” was appealing about manufacturing work to them. According to Deloitte, there will be a shortage of 2.1 million skilled jobs by 2030.
How does manufacturing change this perception? How does it differentiate from other markets and turn the tide?
Rebekah said that manufacturing needs to think about its messaging to prospective talent in the same caring manner that it markets its products. Specifically, manufacturers need to become better storytellers and hone in on the things that are important to talent.
The newer generations of workers are very comfortable with the latest emerging technologies; in fact, they crave it. This statement is corroborated by Drishti’s survey results where only 16% of respondents disagreed that “Having new technology in a factory, like artificial intelligence, augmented/virtual reality, etc. would make me more likely to take a job.”
The younger generations (Millennials and Gen Z) care greatly about the meaning behind a job. At its core, manufacturing is about making things. Manufacturers need to see this messaging and harness both the desire to make things and also recognize that their company mission matters. Initiatives like promoting sustainability and the knowledge that your product makes the world a better place are important to new workers.
Additionally, feeling like there is an opportunity for growth and upskilling is incredibly important when seeking talent for a long-term career.
Luke mentionedthat manufacturing is often spoken about in a pejorative manner and can be referred to as “dumb, dirty and dangerous.” This stigma hurts the prospects of attracting new workers. But new technologies give manufacturers an opportunity to represent the industry in a new light. The job is becoming less repetitive, includes new technology and prioritizes people through the whole process.
Prasad described the operations on the factory floor as a “beautiful ballet” happening to get all of those moving pieces to manufacture products, noting that it takes a lot of skill and strategy to make it all work.
According to Arthur, 10-15 years ago there was a falling off where manufacturing was looked down upon by guidance counselors. It’s important for the up-and-coming workforce to be proud of their jobs when telling people what they do. He noted that people need to have more flexibility and pride in their work — they need to be able to “sell their job” to others.
Rebekah circled back to Prasad’s point and brought it back to the storytelling idea. It may be important then, for manufacturers to lead with the “how” she suggested — “show the ballet.”
Luke, who has a Ph.D. in industrial psychology, added that task identification (ownership of tasks) is very important in the minds of workers. New technology is changing the way manufacturing is done. Instead of repeating the same task, workers are more involved in the whole process. They have ownership over their job and production, and this ownership leads to the feelings of pride that are desperately needed in manufacturing.
How then, does manufacturing showcase itself in order to capitalize on its innate purpose of making products and inspire value, purpose, ownership and pride in its workers? Drishti has built technology specifically designed to both better engage and train workers, while allowing them to reach new levels of productivity and increasing their ownership of the process.
In one example of how to showcase new technology, Deloitte has partnered with Wichita State University to create The Smart Factory at Wichita, which displays the latest technologies (including Drishti’s action recognition) and its potential impact on manufacturers. Efforts like these help to show manufacturers the power and potential of the future of manufacturing through new tech, but manufacturers need to align and adopt these ideas in order to capitalize.
Manufacturing, by its very nature, presents the opportunity to make the most out of the convergence of the makers’ movement and new generations’ comfort and desire for high tech careers. Taking control of this narrative is essential for manufacturing to bring a new workforce into the industry and keep them there for the long term.
As Luke noted, there is the possibility of allowing a worker not just to do mindless work but to become the “conductor of the ballet.” Poised with this messaging, and by crafting a compelling company mission, manufacturers can stay competitive with other industries when it comes to hiring.
For more information about the challenges related to attracting, training, and engaging workers as well as how Drishti can help, watch the full webinar. You can also download Drishti’s comprehensive guidebook filled with even more strategies on how to deal with workforce challenges.
