Opinions are subjective; this is my opinion based on many years on the shop floor at a local factory and from visiting other factories around the country where the same problems looked to be prevalent. I am not pretending that this is fully the reason why manufacturing businesses are in such turmoil but it certainly is one of the factors, and is often overlooked. The reason why it is overlooked? Because the people who either look at the problems, or pay someone else to look for problems, are themselves the cause.
There are good managers out in the UK, the kind of managers that earn the respect of their workforce and because of that they can get their shop floor to try that bit harder not only for their company but for their manager too. These types of managers are on the decrease though and they seem to be replaced by a growing band of people moving from one failing company to the next. They spend their budgets looking how to force the workforce to speed up and complaining about the sick levels causing such problems to their companies. They never seem to grasp that in many cases their actions of putting their men under the spotlight and making it a hostile working environment often cause such feelings of resentment and ill will that sickness and stress often follow.
Job happiness and satisfaction have been directly linked to absence from the workplace. The happier a person is at work the more productive they are and the less likely they are likely to be ill. Yet when answers need to be found and sickness levels need to be cut, how do most companies react? They often begin disciplinary procedures, tighten the sickness rules and never look at what the causes may be. Are our employees happy in their jobs? Do they feel a part of the business? Are we creating a hostile environment by our actions? It is understandable why they do not. It takes a brave man to come to the conclusion that the people in charge are a large part of the problem.
Are the shop floor people blameless? Of course not, there are many people on the shop floor that do not live up to the basic contract of a "fair days work for a fair days pay". These are the people that the managers should be able to try to get more out of at first by private chats (you never know what is going on) but if that fails then by involving union reps and taking the employee down a more serious path. Most people on the shop floor would be happy to see it happen, as it is often the good workers that are leaned upon to provide more work to make up for the poor workers, which again causes unrest and unhappiness within the work force.
A company that treats all its employees fairly and encourages its managers to earn the respect of its employees and not demand it will have a much improved chance to survive the financial turmoil we are in now. A Happier more involved workforce is a fitter more productive workforce. There is also a huge boost for managers. A manager that builds a successful team of people and has earned their respect so they feel comfortable coming to them with problems and suggestions will find his job a lot easier and less stressful. And in those pinch times when they really need to get the team on board for a big push will suddenly know the true meaning of a manager.
I am a 42 year old UK national trained as a household electrician that then went to work in a factory environment. After leaving my last employment due to psoriatic arthritis I decided to start my own company in a slightly more enjoyable and less physically taxing field.
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