SBWire

Job openings in the manufacturing industry have increased significantly; possibly signaling high turnover rates according to the July 2014 Bureau of Labor Statistics Job Openings and Labor Turnover. People Driven Performance (PDP) Solutions is a software development company providing manufacturers internal and interactive communications. According to Louise Dickmeyer, President of PDP Solutions, “These labor statistics on turnover are part of a serious ‘perfect storm.’ Meaning specifically that turnover, boomers retiring en masse with skilled knowledge, and lack of engagement will all converge to wreak havoc on manufacturers.”

PDP Solutions President, Louise Dickmeyer suggested, “Employee retention comes from employee engagement.” Too often manufacturers fail to take a long-term view of employees.

The ever changing world of technology means to communicate. PDP Solutions is helping manufacturing leaders bridge an obvious and painful communication generation gap. Manufacturing businesses are challenged with older leaders learning communication technologies of the younger generation. The mean age of a manufacturing CEO in North America is 54. The world of texting was not around when these leaders started their manufacturing enterprise, yet to reach the best candidates of a younger generation to help with communication is not optional. North America's manufacturing sector is on an upward trajectory, but troublesome trends call its continued growth into question. A shortage of young talent, compounded by Baby Boomers' negative perceptions about Millennials, pose threats to the industry's expansion, It will take the concerted effort of every manufacturer to reach across generational lines, and bring in the people who are critical to the industry's continued success.

In business today, effective influence is essential. Manufacturing executives want their ideas implemented yet lack skillsets to influence others to act on them. To be an effective leader manufacturers must be able to influence others. In all respects, being able to influence others is the ultimate power tool. Corroborated in "Influence: The Ultimate Power Tool," Dr. Robert Cialdini of Influence at Work provides the six proven universal principles of persuasion that can influence others to change their behavior: Reciprocity, Scarcity, Authority, Consistency, Liking, and Social Proof.

Employees work harder when they know the boss is trustworthy. PDP Solutions' president, Louise Dickmeyer discussed how manufacturing executives can gain the trust of the employees in the company blog.

President of PDP Solutions, Louise Dickmeyer was recently interviewed by Todd Schnick of IntrepidNOW regarding manufacturing leadership communication. The interview series is called, "Effective Communication in the Workplace." The fourth part of a six part series stresses how time is a valuable asset that can be increased with effective communication.

PDP Solutions supports various certification programs, yet recognizes that workers much return from these program and be supported with encouraging communication on the part of the C-level executives.

Manufacturers' Pain Points, a weekly e-newsletter, sponsored by PDP (People Driven Performance) Solutions shares methods, modes, and tools used to inform manufacturers' of the pain points that they face on the manufacturing floor, or with their employees, or just best business practices.

President of PDP Solutions, Louise Dickmeyer was interviewed by Todd Schnick of IntrepidNOW regarding manufacturing leadership communication. "Effective Communication in the Workplace," is sponsored by Dickmeyer's firm and in the third part of a six part series emphasized the necessary shift from process to people to increase communication effectiveness and productivity.

President of PDP Solutions, Louise Dickmeyer was recently interviewed by Todd Schnick of IntrepidNOW regarding manufacturing leadership communication. The interview series is called, "Effective Communication in the Workplace." The second part of a six part series stresses the often overlooked return on investment (ROI) of effective communication at the workplace.

PDP Solutions' president, Louise Dickmeyer discussed why manufacturers need to outsource communication in the company's recent blog. Dr. Marvin Marshall shared in Reliable Plant magazine that without trust in the workplace, communication and teamwork will erode. Additionally, morale decreases while turnover rises. He suggests three approaches to build shop floor employees' trust in management, thereby making the workplace an environment filled with innovation, creativity, and ultimately higher profits for all.

According to Louise Dickmeyer, President of PDP Solutions, there are effective ways to on-board a plant floor worker without them feeling overwhelmed and it starts with leadership communication. From the first day every new employee joins a manufacturing company is an opportunity to the C-level executives to build rapport, connection, and communication both what is expected and the value of the employee. From the first day new manufacturing employees start on the job, they begin to make judgments about the company, their manager, their peers, and the job they have been hired to do. Too many first days are wasted days with new employees sitting around doing nothing while they wait for their managers to pay attention to them. Often they are funneled into half-hearted orientation programs & bombarded with information overload.

Manufacturing CEOs face myriad staffing issues today: a lack of skilled workers, concern over succession planning, and "building a strong bench" so that the company can continue successfully when current management retires. Communicating about succession planning with employees encourages employee engagement according to Louise Dickmeyer, President of PDP Solutions.

There is good news: manufacturing is growing in the Southeast U.S. Sadly, manufacturing CEOs in the South have expressed real concern about their limited abilities to communicate with a fast-growing workforce. Factory employment was above average in Alabama (2.9 percent), South Carolina (2.4 percent) and Mississippi (2 percent). According to Birmingham's Brasfield & Gorrie, one of the largest privately-held construction firms in the U.S., has been on the forefront, and benefited from, the migration of the manufacturing industry from traditional strongholds in the Northeast to the Southern states like Texas, Alabama, Tennessee, and Florida. Major manufacturers like Nissan, Boeing, and Lockheed Martin continue to move new construction and operations to right-to-work states where unionization is less likely.

According to Louise Dickmeyer, President of Mankato, Minnesota-based, People Driven Performance, "Only now are manufacturing executives asking us to provide regular leadership communication strategies and content. Until now, they were embarrassed, uncomfortable, or unsure of the value proposition of regular, systematic, and deliberate communication. Without a culture of leadership guiding the way, employees gossip and create cliques, absenteeism increases, retention decreases, and great workers take positions with competitors."

PDP Solutions is helping manufacturing leaders bridge an obvious and painful communication generation gap. Manufacturing businesses are challenged with older leaders learning communication technologies of the younger generation. The ever changing world of technology means to communicate. The mean age of a manufacturing CEO in North America is 54. The world of texting was not around when these leaders started their manufacturing enterprise, yet to reach the best candidates of a younger generation to help with communication is not optional. North America's manufacturing sector is on an upward trajectory, but troublesome trends call its continued growth into question. A shortage of young talent, compounded by Baby Boomers' negative perceptions about Millennials, pose threats to the industry's expansion, It will take the concerted effort of every manufacturer to reach across generational lines, and bring in the people who are critical to the industry's continued success.

Manufacturing CEOs know better than anyone how important it is to have accurate, real-time visibility into the health and status of important company initiatives. Louise Dickmeyer, President of PDP Solutions shared that the CEO is responsible for outlining the strategy of the organization.

President of PDP Solutions, Louise Dickmeyer was recently interviewed by Todd Schnick of IntrepidNOW on manufacturing leadership communication. This first part of a six part series, titled, "The power of improved internal communications," explores the importance of effective communication at the workplace.

Manufacturers' Pain Points newsletter, sponsored by PDP Solutions, recently reported that the rationale of having a behavioral safety program can affect an organization's health and safety management. Many people misunderstand that behavioral safety is a system that can replace the current approach of the occupational health and safety management system.

If manufacturers have a plan for company growth, it often remains uncommunicated according to plant floor employees. People look to their leaders to help them understand exactly what they should do and when they should do it. Most modern businesses do not lend themselves to being planned out step-by-step in intricate detail. Much of the work done in modern corporations requires creativity and adaptability from employees to adjust to different customers and ever-changing business conditions. Louise Dickmeyer, President of People Driven Performance suggested that knowing the plan is step 1 and communicating the plan is step 2.

PDP Solutions is helping manufacturing executives manage a communication skills deficit. Manufacturing executives are afraid to confront plant floor workers.

Recently a new survey revealed that manufacturing leaders have little hesitation about hiring consultants to come and provide kaizen events to create lean manufacturing, best-practice process improvements. Manufacturing CEOs often outsource safety compliance to third party organizations, such as US Compliance Corp. (with more than 1000 firms using this service in lieu of hiring full-time employees to ensure OSHAand EPA regulatory elements are met to avoid fines).

Manufacturing CEOs often outsource safety compliance to third party organizations, such as US Compliance (with more than 1000 firms using this service in lieu of hiring full-time employees to ensure OSHA, FDA, and EPA regulatory elements are met to avoid fines).

Manufacturing executives admit lacking critical communication skills; as a result more manufacturing leaders are looking to third party vendors to provide employee communication.

Across the manufacturing technology sector there is a major disparity between jobs held by men and women. Louise Dickmeyer, President of PDP Solutions shared specific ideas about what can be done to encourage and place more women in manufacturing technology jobs. Twenty percent of chief information officer jobs (CIOs) at Fortune 250 companies were held by women in 2014. In 2012, although 57 percent of undergraduate degree recipients were female, women only accounted for the 14 percent of the computer science degrees at major research universities.

Manufacturing leaders have little hesitation about hiring consultants to come and provide kaizen events to create lean manufacturing, best-practice process improvements. Manufacturing CEOs often outsource safety compliance to third party organizations, such as US Compliance (with more than 1000 firms using this service in lieu of hiring full-time employees to ensure OSHA, FDA, and EPA regulatory elements are met to avoid fines.)

In a recent issue of Manufacturers' Pain Points, a weekly e-newsletter, sponsored by PDP (People Driven Performance) Solutions, it was suggested there may be a strong correlation between poor manufacturing leadership communication and sleep deprivation.