The manufacturing industry can be tough. It requires inbound and outbound sections working cohesively together to label, sort, pick, and send products off to their respective clients or customers, or even to unpack large shipments. Each day can be completely different but just as busy as the last with intense hours of manual labor, which often results in a high-turnover rate with staff.
There can be many reasons for a high-turnover rate with manufacturing employees, but often it comes down to building culture. Fostering a positive, safe, and supportive environment is crucial for the success of any business, especially those in the warehouse industry. By taking the steps to hear our staff, provide them the support they need, and recognize them for their achievements, it can be enough to make staff want to stay within the company longer despite the hard work behind it.
Digital signage can help to build culture through immersive and dynamic content on easy-to-see LED/LCD TVs. Consider these top ways to increase building culture within the manufacturing industry!
1. Recognize Staff For Achievements and Milestones
By simply congratulating staff on their success no matter how small or large, it can help to create a more positive, supportive environment!
Studies show that recognizing staff for their achievements can help improve retention rates in any industry and help to keep good employees longer. The more a staff member feels appreciated for their help and work they do on a daily basis, the more they are likely to stay working within the company. With high-turnover rates in the manufacturing industry, this is an essential way to keep and form a great team of staff.
Staff spotlights are essential within the manufacturing industry and can feature a staff member who picked up an extra shift from someone who unexpectedly called off, or simply for taking charge and helping to resolve an issue on the floor. Employee spotlights, work milestones, anniversaries, or even birthday shoutouts are a great way to show appreciation to your staff, boost engagement, increase productivity, and lower those high turnover rates.
2. Build a Safety-First Environment
Safety updates and reminders are a great way to show staff you are looking out for them, but help staff do the same for each other!
Building a positive culture in the warehouse industry is a must and is the most essential method to keeping a solid team of staff, but it also is crucial to have them properly up-to-date on their safety protocols. Safety is an absolute must in the manufacturing industry where one simple mistake can disrupt the operations of the day. Digital signage is a simple way to impact safety on the warehouse floors with little reminders, tips, or refreshers for staff to keep in the back of their mind as their shift progresses.
From respecting zones where forklifts are commonly used, using designated pathways, using proper lifting techniques, keeping aisles clear, following the dress code with proper steel-toed boots, and knowing the emergency action plan in case of a fire or other hazard is crucial for building culture in the manufacturing industry. These reminders can be posted on digital signage in the break room or other high-traffic areas throughout the warehouse that staff can visibly see and note as they’re continuing on with their day.
3. Create Pathways to Career Opportunities
Allow staff to advance in their career with opportunities for certifications and to interview for higher-up positions!
One of the biggest reasons why there is such a huge turnover rate in staff within the manufacturing industry is because of the lack of career opportunities that present themselves. Staff don’t want to feel stuck with the same job, the same responsibilities, and ultimately, the same pay. Advancing within the company should be made available to manufacturing staff as well because it can help to increase building culture and provide employee satisfaction.
For many companies, hiring new staff can be challenging as a lot of money goes into training them. Internally hiring staff members for higher-up positions can be a great way to combat high turnover rates in the warehouse industry and fill critical talent positions with staff that are already familiar with the company and its operations. Internal job opportunities and advancements can be something to display on digital signage for any employee to apply to and give them a potential higher pay raise and long-term stability, which will also make them want to stay with the company longer.
4. Quality Check Reminders
A great way to make sure that products are being received and sent out properly is with a quick quality check reminder!
Quality checks in manufacturing are extremely vital because it shows that the company has standards for how packages should be received and shipped out. Doing a proper quality check prevents defective or damaged products from reaching customers, which can prevent complications and negative reviews, plus it can help cut down on any expensive returns.
One of the most important things to remind your manufacturing staff of whenever they’re handling products is to follow the company quality check reminders. Digital signage can be a useful way to display these quality check reminders in vital locations across the warehouse. These reminders can serve as an essential tool that every staff member will have no problem seeing, plus it prevents mistakes that could cost the company, increase brand reputation, and even positively affect customer loyalty.
5. Display Key Performance Indicators (KPIs)
KPIs allow manufacturing teams to know where they sit for the day and can be a great motivator to reach the end goal before their shift ends!
Key performance indicators (KPIs) are an essential way to keep any manufacturing company within the industry running smoothly. Not only do they measure how well the company is doing in their daily goals, but it can also measure the quality of products, operational standards, and financial costs. These KPIs should be seen by staff members on the floor as they can be an influence in how they operate and even be a motivational tool to pick up the pace and reach the day’s end goal.
Digital signage can help make posting KPIs easier than ever before, and instead of just a stagnant screen, it can periodically update them in real-time to reflect the current goal and status instantly. Real-time updates can positively affect your team of manufacturers because they’re consistently working together to make sure that the number is hit daily, along with turning raw data into an immediate action on what needs to get done and at what time. Transparency is important when building company culture, and KPIs are a great example for a manufacturing team.
6. Days Without Incident
Listing the number of days since a major accident has happened can be great motivation for staff to keep it up!
There is nothing more important in the manufacturing industry than ensuring the safety of not only yourself, but those around you as well. With heavy machinery moving to and fro, people walking around, and stacks of packages, tools, and parts laying around, it can be difficult to maintain safety standards. What your team may need to boost their productivity and motivation within the workplace is to post “days without incident” content on digital signage that can automatically be updated with each successful day.
Part of building culture within the manufacturing industry is to also stay proactive in safety and the many ways to keep your staff on top of the protocols your company has set in place for them. Encouraging collective safety goals and awareness through “days without incident” can be a useful way to keep staff on their toes. It also helps to improve morale and accountability, along with driving continuous improvement to follow the steps, rules, and protocols in place to keep everyone safe. Not only does this prevent any injuries, but it gets everyone working together as a team and encouraging a collective goal of keeping that number up as far as it can go.
7. Update With Company News and HR Information
Keep your deskless manufacturing staff informed of essential news and updates to stay in-the-loop!
One of the best ways to build a positive workplace culture within the manufacturing industry is to keep staff in-the-know with important company dates, events, HR updates, and other day-to-day operations. Digital signage is among one of the best ways to go about this as it keeps staff informed with immersive and interactive screens in high-traffic areas that they will notice immediately.
QR codes are a great way to be immersive with digital signage and they can also give your manufacturing staff a voice too. Don’t let your staff feel as if their opinion doesn’t matter with important decision making within the warehouse. Want them to fill out a survey for job satisfaction or select an option in a poll for the next company picnic? Consider using this method as a simple way to make your staff feel valued and informed about crucial information within the workplace.
Choose Shift to Enhance Workplace Culture Within the Manufacturing Industry
Shift has a unique approach when it comes to building a positive workplace culture that every manufacturing company will want to take advantage of!
Your manufacturing team is important in the success of your daily operations, and while there are a lot of factors that go into this, creating a space and environment where they feel safe, supported, and valued is crucial. Digital signage is a great way to improve workplace culture and increase engagement and internal communications, but having the right CMS platform that can truly make a difference is key.
How Shift Can Reinvent Workplace Culture in the Manufacturing Industry
There are many different types of content management systems (CMS) that can truly reinvent and improve upon businesses despite the type of industry that they fall under. Using digital signage is a great way to get staff more engaged, improve communications, and overall boost employee satisfaction, and Shift is among the best to help make this happen.
Shift’s main mission is to work towards deepening relationships that managers and other higher ups have with their team. By engaging with them through employee spotlights congratulating them on achievements and milestones, improving high-turnover rates in manufacturing, lowering costs, and enhancing operational excellence, a simple screen can turn into one of encouragement and motivation.
From pre-made templates, to remote management capabilities using the Content Navigator, creating, editing, managing, and scheduling content for your digital signage screen has never been easier. Drag-and-drop tools can help create brand awareness with your company’s colors, font, and overall mission, plus third-party integration can be great for live KPI updates, local and company news, and even live weather reports.
Enhance Workplace Culture in Manufacturing With Digital Signage and Shift
Working towards building the positive and supporting workplace culture you want in your manufacturing business shouldn’t be as daunting as it may seem. With the help of digital signage, engagement, communication, and productivity can drastically change within your team of staff. Simple shoutouts, safety reminders, KPI updates, and company news can be a great way to keep staff informed and make them feel valued and seen in an industry so large.
Consider using Shift’s award-winning CMS platform with digital signage to build culture in your manufacturing business!
