According to a recent report from Deloitte and the Manufacturing Institute, manufacturers could have a 1.9 million-worker shortage by 2033 if the talent gap isn’t addressed. Against this backdrop, the rise of the connected worker has been pivotal in meeting this need by bridging the gap between human expertise and technological advancement. As companies move towards digitalization, Bill Blank, Product Marketing Manager at Poka, explores the career lifecycle of the connected worker to show how digitally connecting workers can improve the employee experience and create a workforce that is constantly evolving, adapting, and contributing to organizational success. Working in manufacturing is not just a job, it’s a career.
There are four key phases of the career lifecycle of the connected worker that form a continuous loop: recruit, retain, retrain, and retire. Each employment phase has unique challenges and opportunities, and when supported by connected worker technology, organizations can optimize the lifecycle of every worker to enhance performance, retention, and overall operational excellence.
Phase 1: Recruit – candidates need to be a cultural fit
Recruitment is the first phase in the lifecycle model, as it not only sets the tone for long-term retention but also for job satisfaction. At this stage, it’s not just about finding candidates with the right qualifications; it’s equally important to identify motivated individuals who align with the company’s values and culture. But how can this be put to the test?
A real-world view of life on the factory floor
During the screening process, which extends to the first week on the job, companies can leverage connected worker technology to set realistic job expectations and demonstrate their commitment to employee development. Digital work instructions, for instance, can outline typical examples of expected tasks and showcase factory safety protocols to prospective candidates.
This use of a key frontline-focused technology signals the company’s investment in its workforce and helps candidates feel confident that they would be valued and supported in their potential role. These factors are particularly critical in today’s competitive labor markets, where a company’s ability to position itself as forward-thinking and employee-centric is a key differentiator.
Phase 2: Retain – make retention a priority to decrease employee turnover
Once hired, the focus shifts to employee onboarding and retention, which is important in the current skills climate. The retain phase aims to ensure new employees feel supported from day one and are able to develop the knowledge and skills necessary to meet performance expectations.
As new starters get to grips with tasks, digital work instructions can provide a digital record of task completions and interactions to help supervisors see where employees might be struggling and require additional training. But this approach doesn’t overlook the importance of worker autonomy.
A connected worker platform provides employees with the pull-based learning tools to find answers on their own or reach out for help when needed. If an employee encounters a problem, such as a machine malfunction, they can log the issue and request assistance from the company’s collective knowledge base that spans different shifts and departments. Unlike in a traditional setting, where the employee experiencing the issue might need to wait until the next day to seek help, they can instead troubleshoot in real time and benefit from a broader pool of expertise that would otherwise be inaccessible at the moment of need. This “lifeline” ensures that workers feel less isolated and intimidated when they hit the shop floor, helping them feel better prepared.
Uncover the silent superstars
But what about top-performing employees? According to a recent study, 71 percent of employees would be more likely to stay on at a company if they felt recognized. So, how is this possible with a connected worker? Digital work instructions can track skills and certifications to help managers easily identify reward opportunities, such as pay rises and shift upgrades, for employees who excel on the factory floor. This approach allows for a more tailored and continuous development process, which leads to better employee engagement and lower turnover rates.
Phase 3: Retrain – keep your talent, including the know-it-alls, at the top of their game
As industries evolve and technologies advance, it’s essential that all employees, regardless of tenure, keep their skills up to date. The retraining phase is more than just meeting baseline expectations; it’s about maintaining and improving operational efficiency by ensuring continuous improvement across the entire workforce. This can sometimes be hard for experienced workers to accept when they feel they already “know it all,” so it requires a strategic approach to engage workers in the process of learning new methods and adopting new technologies.
The path of least resistance requires an all-hands approach
Resistance is often a challenge during the retrain phase, but this is where a connected worker platform comes in. Instead of pushing new information onto the workforce, connected worker solutions allow for a “pull” dynamic, where experienced employees share their opinions, feedback, and suggestions in discussions about standard operating procedures and continuous improvement initiatives.
A Kaizen event is one such example of a structured, team-driven initiative that focuses on improving a specific area of production. It involves gathering diverse perspectives—from engineers, operators, and even sales—to analyze a problem and brainstorm the best possible solutions. When a new procedure is agreed upon and formalized, new work instructions and associated skill certifications can then be issued across the workforce to ensure everyone receives consistent information, and supervisors can confirm that all team members are not only aware of but also trained in the new standards.
These company-wide discussions ensure employees feel valued and directly involved in factory processes but also help to gather valuable insights from those who have extensive experience. Additionally, the collaborative nature of connected worker solutions can help build consensus around new standards, which makes it easier to implement changes without resistance.
Phase 4: Retire – don’t lose decades-long experience and knowledge to retirement
In the retire phase, employees have accumulated years of experience and expertise, which makes them hugely valuable assets for knowledge transfer. Instead of letting insights and lessons learned walk out the door when employees retire, it’s up to companies to add these to the organization’s collective knowledge base and use it to inform future recruitment and training efforts.
Capture employee insights to feed the continuous loop of learning
Connected worker platforms can play a crucial role in helping companies capture and preserve the knowledge of retiring employees. Interviews or knowledge-sharing sessions with these valuable employees can ensure insights are recorded and integrated into training materials. Connected worker solutions can also preempt this step by asking employees nearing retirement to document their best practices, insights, and personal experiences. This not only helps to retain valuable knowledge but also strengthens the workforce at every stage of the connected worker lifecycle.
Career building must be a dynamic non-linear process
The lifecycle of a connected worker may be described in sequential phases—recruit, retain, retrain, and retire—but in reality, it’s far from a linear process. Instead, it forms a continuous loop supported by connected worker technology that ensures the constant growth, development, and improvement of the workforce.
Workers may find themselves in different stages of the lifecycle simultaneously, depending on their skills, tasks, or the specific demands of their roles. An operator, for instance, might be in the retrain phase for a new process but in the retain phase for their expertise with a different machine. This dynamic flow between phases highlights the flexibility required for actual continuous improvement in the workplace.
A connected worker solution is uniquely suited to accommodate this non-linear progression, enabling workers to seamlessly access the resources they need, no matter where they are in the lifecycle. It also empowers workers to take control of their learning, while organizations benefit from a more agile, informed, and connected workforce.
A connected workforce is a stronger, more agile workforce
Forward-thinking companies that leverage connected worker solutions at each career lifecycle phase are in a strong position to enhance recruitment efforts, improve retention rates, foster a culture of continuous improvement, and capture invaluable knowledge from retiring employees. In this way, an approach that puts workers front and center of their own career path, supported by connected worker technology, helps bridge the gap between different stages of learning and the path to skills mastery.
