Recently we discussed some of the key challenges facing manufacturing organisations across Ireland. From hiring and retaining a skilled workforce to effective jobs costing and concerns around security. In our blog, we mentioned that in spite of the broad and complex nature of many of these hurdles, a common theme was how the existing systems and technologies which you rely upon for daily operations- particularly those embedded as part of your people management function, can play a massive role In helping you overcome these challenges.
One of the more fundamental requirements of manufacturing organisations is the need to embed and sustain a high level or productivity and engagement amongst their people. Manufacturing concerns often operate on 24-hour cycles meaning that there is little to no scope for downtime or to ease momentum.
Wider macro-economic challenges also heighten the need for a specific focus on driving productivity and getting the most out of your workforce. A recent CEO survey by PWC found that 82% of CEOs are aware of the need to enact change, largely supplemented by supporting the upskilling and growth of their workforce and the deployment of appropriate technology to support them.
We wanted to take a look at the role your HR systems and technologies can play in helping your manufacturing organisation overcome those key barriers to success.
How can HR Manager Help?
The role of HR is wide-ranging in scope, dealing with everything from levels of employee engagement, to rewards and programmes of learning and development, to the all-important recruitment cycle.
Manufacturing organisations in particular deal with large headcounts of employees across multiple sites and 24 hour work schedules. This can mean that traditional methodologies of employee review and engagement assessment might not be suitable. Furthermore, the demand for specific certifications and skillsets can make entering into the recruitment cycle a labyrinthine task.
We’ve created HR Manager with the goal of freeing HR professionals from the burden of admin tasks and helping them focus on what truly matters for their business. We also believe that one of the key factors in determining success is having the visibility of key metrics and data which businesses need to help inform ongoing strategy. HR Manager has been designed to allow businesses to gain a comprehensive overview of their organisation and its strengths, as well as identifying any gaps or potential roadblocks.
So just how can HR Manager help you overcome core manufacturing challenges?
- Recruitment- On top of the usual challenges presented by recruitment, manufacturing organisations have a distinct requirement to find skilled workers with specific qualifications to fill certain roles, such as forklift truck operators. Your HR systems should be leveraged to help you create a pre- interview stage completely devoid of bias and aligned with your ongoing strategy. Utilise your platforms to create pre- screening skills assessments, judging each employee specifically on the suitability of their role. Your HR systems can also assist your teams in generating interview questions which eliminate any irrelevant information, helping you to hone the process and focus on finding candidates which are the best fit for the role.
- Forecasting-The metrics and data regarding the existing makeup of your organisation will be an undeniable asset long before you even enter the recruitment cycle. Having a clear overview and understanding of the shape of your workforce, helps you to understand where there may be gaps in your hiring process or highlight instances where incidences of embedded bias may have played a factor. HR Manager allows you to get a comprehensive overview of all levels of your organisation, allowing you to understand where change should be weighted in order to be truly effective.
- Engagement- HR Manager allows you to stay connected with your people like never before. Pulse surveys allow you to gauge the mood of your workforce as well as offering a platform for your people to air any concerns or to provide feedback which can help influence your ongoing strategy. Advanced HR allows you to keep your finger on the pulse of your people’s moods and also helps you leverage their feedback in an intelligent way, bringing them into the conversation about how to transform your EVP.
- Benefits and rewards-.There is increasing evidence of the growing importance to have a clear structure around employee benefits and rewards in place within your organisation- a survey by Aviva found that 48% of people stated a desire for some form of wellness benefit when assessing an organisation. We designed HR Manager to enable you to gain an understanding of your people’s requirements through surveys and other reporting tools in order to help you create benefits and rewards packages that are truly meaningful for your people.
- Learning and development- The ability to visualise your journey within your workplace is a key factor in determining long term success and satisfaction with an organisation. HR Manager has been created to help you provide your people with a clearly defined pathway for employee learning and development and to position your brand as a forward thinking workplace. Our comprehensive platform allows you complete visibility of your people’s journeys through your organisation, giving you the confidence to know that any qualifications and accreditation will remain up to date.
What’s next?
At Advanced, we believe in the power of technology to help you achieve more. We appreciate that the challenges facing manufacturing organisations are broad and complex in nature but we also believe that the key to overcoming these hurdles and leveraging the time and skillsets of your people teams in order to enact real, positive change, begins with looking at the core systems and technology which you rely upon daily.
This is why our HR Manager software has been designed specifically to give you the oversight you need to not understand the challenges facing your people but to also understand what may be holding you back from a recruitment standpoint and to help you craft policy and procedure to overcome any challenges.
If you’d like to discover more about how HR Manager can help you overcome key challenges in the manufacturing sector, Get in touch today.
