Over a third of employees working in the manufacturing industry feel that they are fully engaged with their company. These employees are enthusiastic about what they do and committed to their work and workplace. But what about the rest of the employees? The majority of them don’t feel engaged (53%) or are disengaged (13%) from the company. That means that most of the workforce is not engaged with what they are doing, which could have major implications for quality and safety.
Elements of an Engaged Worker
What does an engaged worker look like? They are cognitively and emotionally connected to their work:
- Motivated
- Hard Working
- Show Attention to Detail
- Continually Improving
- Thoughtful
- Goal-Oriented
Simply put, they enjoy what they do and continually learn how to do it better.
These employees will go above and beyond their required duties. They don’t just show up to work and do the minimum. They make improvements by pointing out inefficiencies and flaws in production. Engaged employees are focused on producing quality products that are dependable and safe to use.
Connect with Non-Engaged Employees
The ideal conditions necessary for quality and safety are greatly diminished when half of the employees at a company are not engaged. They are not motivated by organizational goals. On average, these employees work for a paycheck and perform just well enough to retain their job.
What if companies could connect with these employees in ways that would change their motivation? Arguably, they can through instilling a sense of ownership, setting clear guidelines, and investing in their growth. And, it all starts with positive internal communications.
Reaching out to Employees
The way we communicate today has significantly changed from only ten years ago. People would rather receive a text or email over taking a phone call. The availability of new technology and relative ease of use has wide-spread implications on how employers should communicate with their employees.
Unfortunately, employees are participating less with their company’s intranet and reading fewer internal communications sent via email for the following reasons:
- Not enough relevant information on the intranet
- Don’t work at a desk
- Email is no longer personable
- No longer appealing
- Feels like spam
To engage with employees, manufacturers need to change how they send out internal communications.
Capture Their Attention
Nearly every worker in a manufacturing facility owns a smartphone. They use it throughout the day to talk to family, text friends, and order groceries. Management needs to take advantage of this because it’s a perfect opportunity to communicate with employees. Using text messages and keywords can significantly increase engagement with internal communications.
On average, people’s attention spans are about 8 seconds. Text messages are perfect because they are brief and get to the point quickly. Links embedded within a text will point them toward more information. It’s exactly what they want and expect.
Almost everyone has texted a keyword to a shortcode to enter a contest or get exclusive coupons at a store. People are familiar with this technology, and they like how easy it is to do. This is a great way to get employees on board with safety initiatives and quality control, especially if it’s a themed campaign. The keyword is a simple reminder of the initiative and becomes a symbol, like a brand name or a memorable phrase.
When communicating with employees, the manufacturing industry is at a disadvantage because most of their workers are physically active and not at a desk. And that’s a big challenge when trying to communicate quality and safety initiatives within the plant. The best way to overcome issues with manufacturing employee engagement it is to embrace how the modern workforce communicates.