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The plastics industry is a hotbed of innovation. Now, it needs to apply that mindset to the working environment.
Paul Sturgeon
February 14, 2022
2 Min Read
Image courtesy of Alamy/Dmytro Zinkevych
The plastics manufacturing industry has a lot of innovation and is vital to many of our emerging technologies, but let’s face it: When it comes to being a leader in workplace culture, we have not exactly been Silicon Valley. The good news is that we may be in the middle of a generational shift in how we look at a lot of things, and this can level the playing field for our industry.
A 2021 survey by insurance broker Willis Towers Watson found that more than two-thirds of employers plan to differentiate and customize their benefits programs over the next two years. That represents a sharp increase over recent years, and is driven by the war for talent; a focus on diversity, equity, and inclusion; and the rising cost of many benefits.
We may dive deeper into some of these areas in future blogs, but I will give a high-level overview here. These are what I am seeing as the three big areas that companies are looking at to keep their employees happy and engaged.
Remote and hybrid work arrangements. We all realize that this is not an option for many production roles, but for many other roles, it is. When employees have been forced to work remotely for a long time it’s hard to articulate why it’s necessary to herd them back into the office. From the employees’ viewpoint, they have seen firsthand the benefits of working from home, or at least to have that option from time to time.
Employee well-being programs. This is a big area that covers things such as their physical well-being (online and virtual medical services, for example); emotional well-being to address the stress, burnout, and depression that are on the rise; and financial well-being like HSA, retirement, and financial planning counseling, and employee loans.
Employee recognition and transparency. Recent McKinsey research on the Great Resignation has found that 54% of employees who quit felt that their employers didn’t value them. This could include simple things like recognizing an employee publicly or in a meeting, but also clearly identifying and communicating opportunities for career growth and development.
About the author
Paul Sturgeon is CEO of KLA Industries, a national search firm specializing in plastics, packaging, and polymer technology. If you have a topic you would like to see discussed, a company that is growing, or other ideas for this blog, e-mail Sturgeon at [email protected].
About the Author(s)
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