Top 10 Ways to Keep Machinists over 10 Years
Why are only 1.5 million machinist positions of 3.5 million getting filled? Could it be the lack of female presence on the machine shop floor? Are programming skills and automation the new answer for manufacturers?
Top players in manufacturing and recruitment have dropped a list of 10 ways to retain CNC machinists long-term.
1. Pay well. Most manufacturing machinists will find a 30% salary increase by moving to another company.
2. Make manufacturing jobs secure. Change the negative perception of manufacturing from closing plants to employment security.
3. Run newer fleet. New technology means a cleaner, safer and more comfortable work environment.
4. Invest in training. Discover ways to generate an organizational structure that ensures career and professional development.
5. Make your mission and purpose clear. Show your machinists that their work matters.
6. Promote creative thinking. Creative thinking leads to critical thinking which leads to talented machinists.
7. Encourage innovation and problem solving. Develop an innovation lab for your machinists to grow and challenge themselves.
8. Reward and recognize machinists. Find ways to inspire your machinists through appreciation and motivation tactics.
9. Build a collaborative culture. Building a shared sense of belief and purpose in your mission attracts and retains workers.
10. Leadership. Workers don’t quit their companies…they quit their bosses.
As a machinist, what aspects of a job do you value most from the list above? Comment below your top three, and tell us why.
Read the full article here.
1 Comment
10, 4, & 7
In that order. I retired from the US Army and have been a machinist for over twenty years. It amazes me how many people ,soldiers and civilians, move on because of a bad boss. Leadership is KEY. I hated college. I earned my Associates of
Applied Science in Machine Tool Technology while I was on active duty. I swore I would never take another class. But here I am, several courses later having studied advanced CADCAM and Parametric programming. I am also an Adjunct Instructor at our community college. How is that for never taking another class? As a machinist, you can never stop learning. Technology moves to fast. Keep up or you will get left behind. I’ve never met a machinist, a true machinist not an operator, who didn’t love to tinker. Constantly trying this and that to speed up or gain efficiency. We must encourage that. Remember that idea that 20 year old kid just had? It might save your company thousands of dollars. As for the rest, well, its the little things. We don’t need rewards, a pat on the back goes a long way! Knowing somebody up chain is watching and pleased with your work encourages more of the same. We are a culture in the world of machining and manufacturing and I for one like it that way.