MyWorkChoice

Happy #ManufacturingDay! And while we're celebrating the incredible work this industry has accomplished, I can’t help but rant about the lack of innovation we've put into creating a better work-life for production workers.    How are we still in a place where some of the biggest manufacturers are firing 80% of their workers if they take off more than three days in three months?   How are we still forcing 12-hour shifts with mandatory overtime?   How are we still managing our workers the same way we did a century ago?    We’ve innovated everything else within manufacturing. The processes, the materials, the technology. All upgraded and efficient.    So why are we stuck in the past when it comes to how we treat our people?   So my hope for Manufacturing Day is this - let’s stop doing the same things over and over, expecting different results.   Let's put some effort into creating a better quality of life for hourly workers.    Let workers take unpaid time off. Let them adjust their schedules. Give them the same kind of breathing room the rest of us take for granted. It’s not just about pay—it’s about creating a better quality of life.   Let’s make these jobs something people love, something they want to keep doing—something that drives U.S. manufacturing forward.

What’s the biggest problem with hourly workers? They’re walking out the back door or we’re firing them faster than they are coming in.   Why? Because we’re not giving them a reason to stay. Here’s how we fix that. Give them flexibility and consistency. I know that sounds stupid. But it’s the #1 thing workers want.   So what am I describing… What if you offered the ability to shift swap? Workers could drop their Thursday shift and pick up Saturday to keep their hours whole. Or give them a bank of unpaid hours, allow them to take flex time when they need it. You can still have guardrails. You can still require minimum hours and penalties for showing up late, but stop with the crazy point systems that don’t work. This does one crucial thing—it keeps your workers from leaving. By offering more time off in a traditional full-time job, allowing shift swaps, and letting them choose overtime,you’ll create something these workers haven’t seen before in this kind of role. And when they have no excuse to leave, they’ll stay. Here’s why it matters: 38% of hourly workers today are juggling gig jobs—DoorDash, Instacart, Uber—to make ends meet. Why? Because those jobs offer flexibility. But you know what they don’t offer? Consistency. Gig workers want both: the flexibility to work when they need to and the consistency to know they’ll actually make money. They’re tired of picking up gig shifts, only to make a few bucks for the night. Change the game. Offer jobs that give workers the best of both worlds: flexibility to handle life and consistency to earn real money.

It’s almost Q4, and you know what that means... time to jump back into the temp game. But let’s be honest—are you really going to go through another fourth quarter where you order 50 temps, and only 20 last past three weeks? The temp model isn’t working and you know it.    How about something that works instead: Build a seasonal workforce that actually fits how people want to work—and for your facility.   Even for those folks just looking to make some extra cash for the holidays—guess what? They still want time off. They’re not looking to grind through your 40-hour + mandatory overtime job. They’re not looking for a 401(k) plan. They’re just trying to make money for the holidays and still have a life.   So why are we still telling these seasonal workers they have to work 40+ hours, and they’ll be fired for missing a single day? Because we don’t know how else to manage it.   So let's try something different. The flexibility route.    Take that workforce and stop putting them under your company’s rigid attendance and point system. Let’s manage them differently. Let’s give them the flexibility they want.   Here’s how I approach it: we hire different types of workers. Workers who want full-time? Great, but maybe that means 32 hours, not 40—and that’s okay. We’ll also hire folks who just want to pick up one or two days a week.    Both groups are valuable. Why? Because that’s how you build your new 40-hour worker. We’ll take a 32-hour worker, a 16-hour worker, and piece them together to give you the full workforce you need.   Am I saying not to give them any rules or guardrails? Absolutely not. Track their attendance, identify the reliable ones, and keep them!    Got thoughts on this? Let's chat.

It’s almost Q4, and you know what that means... time to jump back into the temp game. But let’s be honest—are you really going to go through another fourth quarter where you order 50 temps, and only 20 last past three weeks? The temp model isn’t working and you know it.    How about something that works instead: Build a seasonal workforce that actually fits how people want to work—and for your facility.   Even for those folks just looking to make some extra cash for the holidays—guess what? They still want time off. They’re not looking to grind through your 40-hour + mandatory overtime job. They’re not looking for a 401(k) plan. They’re just trying to make money for the holidays and still have a life.   So why are we still telling these seasonal workers they have to work 40+ hours, and they’ll be fired for missing a single day? Because we don’t know how else to manage it.   So let's try something different. The flexibility route.    Take that workforce and stop putting them under your company’s rigid attendance and point system. Let’s manage them differently. Let’s give them the flexibility they want.   Here’s how I approach it: we hire different types of workers. Workers who want full-time? Great, but maybe that means 32 hours, not 40—and that’s okay. We’ll also hire folks who just want to pick up one or two days a week.    Both groups are valuable. Why? Because that’s how you build your new 40-hour worker. We’ll take a 32-hour worker, a 16-hour worker, and piece them together to give you the full workforce you need.   Am I saying not to give them any rules or guardrails? Absolutely not. Track their attendance, identify the reliable ones, and keep them!    Got thoughts on this? Let's chat.

So, it’s almost Q4 - your busiest season, right? HR's scrambling to hire. You’re ordering double, maybe triple the workers, hoping a few stick around. You're left with a Hamster Wheel of Chaos. And for what?   Because you’re still running your seasonal workforce like your regular full-timers.   Come on - your turnover is CRAZY high because you’re doing it wrong. You think firing a seasonal worker for missing a day is going to keep everyone in line? Wrong. You’re pushing them out the door faster than they came in.   Today’s workers have options. They’ll DoorDash, Uber, or swipe through Indeed until they find something better. And guess what? They will. If you’re not offering flexibility, they’re fired on Thursday and starting their next thing by Friday.   So, here’s the hard-to-swallow truth: if you want to stop the bleeding in Q4, stop pretending these workers want your 40-hour-a-week with mandatory overtime job. Instead, build flexibility into their schedule.    Give them control of their schedules. Let them manage their time off, and watch what happens—they show up. They stick around.   Like the idea but don't know where to start? Lets chat.