Human Resources

How Diverse Employees Help Your Job Shop

diverse

Many people are familiar with the phrase, “If you always do what you’ve always done, you’ll always get what you’ve always gotten.” The same is true with the makeup of your workplace. If all your employees have the same general experiences, your shop will keep running in about the same way. If you want to…

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Make Employee Performance Management Easier in the Job Shop

employee performance

One of the greatest resources of any job shop is its employees. You wouldn’t be able to finish any jobs without them. So, just like any resource, you want to manage it well. Making sure your employees know what to do is the easy part. Employee performance management is the hard part. You may have a gut…

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Paycheck Protection Program from the SBA: What Your Shop Needs to Know

paycheck protection program

The Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) provides loans to businesses during the COVID-19 crisis to keep people employed. The government can forgive some of these loans, giving these small businesses a leg up during this unexpected, global event. Your shop may qualify for a PPP loan, even if you’ve already gotten one. Check out the PPP section of the SBA…

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How Strong Human Resources Can Improve Your Job Shop

Human Resources

The Human Resources department in a job shop can often be overlooked. However, with all of the changes that 2020 has brought, it’s become more important than ever to handle employee changes smoothly and understand what employees are thinking about their jobs. If you want to keep your employees, get great new employees, and improve…

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4 Reasons Trade School is a Better Option than College

trade school

In the US, most high school students are told they need to go to college to get a good career, but that isn’t always true. Trade school is an excellent way for students to begin a great career in manufacturing. A manufacturing career can take a person up the corporate ladder, let them grow their…

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4 Things Potential Employees Want to See in Your Job Shop

what potential employees want in a job shop

When your job shop is looking for potential employees, it can be hard to know what to tell people about your shop. Do you focus on the industries you work in? How many new machines you have? The answer, as it turns out, is at a more basic level than that. Industry Week did a…

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How to Have Difficult Conversations with Your Boss

conversations with your boss

This has been a tough year for everyone, and that provides more opportunities for difficulties to crop up at work. Some people are having new or stronger mental health issues, while others are just doing their best to make it through a pandemic. Whatever the reason, there are more circumstances that could mean you need…

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How to Keep Top Employees in Your Machine Shop

keep your top employees at your shop

Every shop wants to keep its top employees for as long as possible. However, since these employees are so good at what they do, they’re the ones who will have the easiest time getting a job somewhere else. With this in mind, it’s helpful to make sure your shop checks in with your employees periodically….

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OSHA and CDC Guidelines about COVID-19 for Manufacturers

OSHA and CDC Guidelines

Manufacturers are familiar with OSHA guidelines. OSHA exists to keep shops and employees safe. Now that there’s a new problem, OSHA and the CDC have come out with guidelines for employers to follow. Not all of these guidelines apply to manufacturers and it can be hard to sift through all of the information to find…

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Preparing Employees to Reopen Your Shop

Whether your shop needs to hire more employees, or it’s reopening, you’ll want to prepare for some changes. The best way to make sure your employees succeed in their job is if they know what they need to do. You’ll need to teach new employees what your shop expects and returning employees might need a…

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Back to Work: 3 Tips to Reopening Your Shop

Depending on your location, it may be time to reopen your business. Reopening your shop probably feels like things are going back to normal. While some things will be familiar, other things in your shop will have to change. There are several principles that shop owners can apply. By keeping these things in mind, you…

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Training Manufacturing Employees: A Complete Guide

training manufacturing employees

Manufacturing is in the middle of a change. The Silver Tsunami has already begun as more and more Baby Boomers are retiring. Manufacturers are also dealing with the skills gap, where it’s difficult to get new employees with experience. Manufacturers are getting squeezed from both sides, so training has become even more important for new…

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How to Keep Your Shop Running During the Coronavirus Crisis

preventing the spread of coronavirus in your shop

COVID-19 has caused a never-seen global response, so it’s difficult to know what your shop should do. You want to make sure your employees and customers are safe, but you also want to keep your shop open as long as you can. How do you balance these things? Below are four questions with possible solutions…

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5 Ways to Be a Better Job Shop Boss

job shop boss

Being a great boss is difficult anywhere, but working in a job shop has its own set of challenges. However, the more effort you put in, the more payoff you’ll see. Having a great boss makes it more likely that an employee will be engaged. According to a Gallup study, businesses that have the most…

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4 Point Checklist – Hiring Qualified Manufacturing Employees

qualifications

It’s hard to find employees for manufacturing jobs today. Hiring qualified employees is even more difficult. However, there are a few things your shop can do to make it easier. The following checklist lays out what you can do to give your shop the best chance of getting qualified manufacturing employees. Check Your Job Posting…

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3 Strategies to Motivate Employees

Motivated employees

While hiring new employees is a big challenge facing manufacturing today, one thing that makes it worse is when current employees leave. According to a cost of turnover report done by Tooling U-SME, “voluntary turnover costs organizations hundreds of thousands and up to millions of dollars.” Obviously, this is an expensive problem that needs to…

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Shop Productivity: Could an Employee Wellness Plan Benefit Your Shop?

shop productivity employee wellness plan

With an aging workforce and health care costs continuing to rise, it’s no wonder why many industries are looking for proven ways to save on employee health benefits. Since healthy employees cost you less, increase shop productivity, and statistically stay with their current employer longer, why not consider a wellness plan? A company wellness plan…

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