The impact of the workforce is often overlooked when it comes to supply chain risks. In today’s environment, nearly all industries struggle with attracting and retaining top talent. This emphasizes a few important topics to discuss when it comes to recruiting and training for the supply chain industries.
Finding and Retaining Talent
As workforces in all industries face staffing issues due to the “great resignation,” advanced planning has never been more important. This is especially true for supply chain companies already stricken by the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Finding new employees to monitor and maintain today’s complex machinery continues to be a tremendous challenge. Due diligence is needed to prepare for potential staffing losses. One way to achieve this is to collaborate with external partners to form a strong talent pool. This allows for a more streamlined hiring process, thus reducing short-staffing periods.
Training
For the supply chain industry, there is no room for error when it comes to employee training. The following information has been adapted from a write-up from Travelers.
According to Travelers, nearly one-third of workplace injuries occur during the first year of employment. Emphasizing workplace safety training during the onboarding process is essential. Additionally, creating a culture of safety is also necessary to maintain this focus on safety. This means routinely recalibrating and re-emphasizing workplace safety protocols.
As technology continues to advance, broadening your organization’s training programs will be paramount in quickly adapting to new tools and resources. Every employee is different when it comes to the need for training, proper programs can help to ensure that employees can operate and maintain equipment safely.
Cross-training employees is another important topic of emphasis. Not only can your organization help prepare the next generation of your workforce, cross-training can also help alleviate staffing shortages by creating a more well-rounded staff ready to step in for departures when the need arises.
Finally, as the threat of cyber attacks grows daily, training and empowering your workforce to recognize cyber threats has never been more important for a training regimen. Connected machinery can expose competitive information to data breaches and must be protected. New hires and existing employees play a key role in protecting this data and should be trained accordingly. In the same vein, fostering a culture of innovation of change can help employees embrace new technologies and be aware of the risks present within them. Empower your employees to embrace change and new ideas for completing manual tasks to help your workforce feel more fulfilled and satisfied in their roles.
Want to Learn More?
Turning your supply chain risks into advantages is key to staying ahead of the curve. Adapting strategies for the future of work, supply chain resilience, and digital maturity can help companies keep pace and drive performance amidst economic demand. Talk to your trusted RCM&D advisor today for more on supply chain risks.