Manufacturer Experiencing Difficulty Finding Candidates to Fill Manufacturing Positions
Background:
For over 50 years, the client has manufactured specialty chemical products. The client was having difficulty finding talent to fill manufacturing positions, resulting in significant operating and customer issues. Additionally, the client was struggling with a lack of available resources in the HR department and needed assistance evaluating and modifying certain processes
For over 50 years, the client has manufactured specialty chemical products. The client was having difficulty finding talent to fill manufacturing positions, resulting in significant operating and customer issues. Additionally, the client was struggling with a lack of available resources in the HR department and needed assistance evaluating and modifying certain processes
What Lauber Business Partners Did:
A value stream map had been developed by the client and it identified 75 days of non-value added time in the recruiting process. The client engaged Lauber Business Partners to identify and implement solutions to their problem.
Initial review by Lauber Business Partners identified an inefficient hiring process. The client was obtaining numerous resumes from job boards, sending them to supervisors and managers asking for their thoughts on the candidates, waiting for their response to schedule interviews, conducting interviews with candidates meeting with a panel of four, debriefing and then making offers to those they found to be a good fit. This process was taking too long and, in many cases, when the client extended an offer to the candidate the candidate was no longer available.
A value stream map had been developed by the client and it identified 75 days of non-value added time in the recruiting process. The client engaged Lauber Business Partners to identify and implement solutions to their problem.
Initial review by Lauber Business Partners identified an inefficient hiring process. The client was obtaining numerous resumes from job boards, sending them to supervisors and managers asking for their thoughts on the candidates, waiting for their response to schedule interviews, conducting interviews with candidates meeting with a panel of four, debriefing and then making offers to those they found to be a good fit. This process was taking too long and, in many cases, when the client extended an offer to the candidate the candidate was no longer available.
With Lauber’s assistance, the client implemented various changes in the recruiting process, including the following:
In addition to implementing a streamlined recruiting process, Lauber Business Partners assisted the client in creating an organized, efficient onboarding process. A single document containing all the onboarding information was created and rolled out. Instead of having numerous sign off sheets for the candidate to review and sign, which had been adding 2-3 hours to the onboarding process, a single consolidated signoff sheet was created.
- Created a clear line of sight and a tracking mechanism for staffing needs.
- Enhanced pre-screening via telephone of candidates was performed prior to supervisor involvement.
- Interviews were scheduled directly with supervisors.
- Introduced an “interviewing by walking around” process, which allowed candidates and supervisors to talk on the production floor about the machines and assess the candidate’s applicable experience.
- Supervisors were given the authority to decide on their own whether or not the candidate was a good fit rather than having a review by a panel of four.
- Once the decision was made to hire the candidate an offer was extended the same day.
In addition to implementing a streamlined recruiting process, Lauber Business Partners assisted the client in creating an organized, efficient onboarding process. A single document containing all the onboarding information was created and rolled out. Instead of having numerous sign off sheets for the candidate to review and sign, which had been adding 2-3 hours to the onboarding process, a single consolidated signoff sheet was created.
Once the new recruiting and onboarding processes had been successfully implemented, Lauber Business Partners assisted the client with the following:
- Benefit Benchmarking – Gaps were identified and recommendations were made.
- Compensation Benchmarking – Higher turnover jobs were evaluated to ensure wage rates were competitive for the position. Wage rates were adjusted for some positions.
- Evaluation Mechanism – Implemented an evaluation mechanism for performance and attendance. Criteria for a 10/30/60 day evaluations for new hires were created to quickly determine which new hire is working out and which is no. This allowed the client to intervene to improve the situation or remove the employee more quickly.
- Temporary Employee Scorecard - Set up guidelines to rate the temporary employees to more easily and quickly identify the temps the client wanted to convert to permanent employees.
- Worked with the temporary labor services to better clarify expectations and job descriptions.
- Hosted a company-specific job fairs using Facebook to advertise.
- Helped identify and evaluate fill-time candidates for their new HR position.
Results:
- Reduced the non-value added time in the recruiting process by up to 70%.
- Increased the acceptance rate and speed of hire significantly.
- Reduced the number of “lost hires”.
- Reduced turnover.
- Company-specific job fair resulted in several new hires.
- Client is now appropriately staffed and overtime is no longer needed to meet their production needs.
If your business is faced with these types of challenges, now is a good time to consider the help of a seasoned Lauber Business Partners, Inc. veteran who has been through it before. Contact Lauber Business Partners, Inc. today to learn more.