Industry Week reports, “Last year [2013] saw a renaissance for much of the [manufacturing] industry. Production as measured by the Institute for Supply Management averaged well over 50 during most of 2013, signifying expansion.”  As this trend continues into 2014, floor managers will be the first to feel the impacts of production growth.  John Mills of Industry Week provided these great tips to get more from your floor operation:

• Revisit: review your 2013 performance metrics, what went well, what didn’t. Where do you see opportunity and where do you see challenges to overcome? Then write it down and determine action steps.

• Train: why did your best performers do so well? What processes are working best? What best practices can others learn – document and share. Also how might job requirements change in the current year? Are there larger training initiatives needed for workforce development?

• Invest: determine your best performers and invest in them. This could be additional job or industry training or time spent with leaders learning more about the business.

• Recognize: we posted earlier this year about Harnessing the Power of Gratitude at Work to drive better employee performance. Again in Mr. Mills’ article recognition is called out as a key to job performance. Remember to think big AND small and tailor to the individual.

• Reward: make sure your workers know their performance is valued. Make rewards tangible and personal.

A great working environment and culture not only impacts your floor operation’s performance and production, but can also be key to attracting high-potential candidates to the company overall. [caption id="attachment_513" align="aligncenter" width="296"] Source: industryweek.com[/caption]