millennials can take over manufacturing

by Desiree Schnoor

Did you know that by 2025, three quarters of the workforce will be made up of millennials? Everyday 10,000 baby boomers are retiring everyday. As the labor workforce gap widens, it seems like more bad news for manufacturing. Even though the general perception is “manufacturing as vital to the domestic economy”, , millennials ranked manufacturing last on list of career preferences.  So, if millennials are to be the workforce of our future, what can manufacturing do to attract and retain them?

In 2018, 3 million manufacturing employees quit their jobs, yet a reported 77% of those who quit said they could have been retained. How? Millennials need informal learning and job rotation. Younger workers are most receptive to informal learning, in fact 53% reported that on the job training was the most effective training and development method. 

Millennials are among the group who leave their jobs because the want more career development, opportunities for growth and security. Or because of job characteristics, meaning they want more ownership and confidence in what they are doing. Video Work Instructions give them both. A recent study showed that millennials are driven by career development, which means they seek positions they like and can grow in, they are willing to change jobs often, and sometimes go back to school for specific skills training. Essentially, they want to grow and perform well. Video Work Instructions are designed to give millennials what they need to be successful because training with Video Work Instructions is 10 times faster than traditional work instructions, and almost immediately levels the playing field between new and seasoned workers.

“Millennials are accustomed to instant access to information, so companies should consider on-demand digital microlearning that’s available via desktop and mobile to better engage their employees.” A successful retention strategy for deterring the average millennial from job hopping every two years, is job rotation. Video Work Instructions make cross-training both experienced and novice employees easy, and is a benefit wise employers will use to keep millennial workers engaged.

Finally, What could a mentoring relationship between lead technicians and millennial new hires look like? Mentoring millennial workers is of great importance. Not only will providing direct input, attract more young workers to your company, but it will also retain more of them.

The opportunities for connection and learning are endless. For example, senior techs can show their diverse skill set while work with millennials by cross-training them at new stations for new challenges, and understanding why task illegibility is important for them. How could your veterans and new hires learn from each other’s patience and perseverance, and fast, changing and creative work preferences?