8 Tips to Improve Workforce Strategies

A workforce is likely the most expensive investment for a company, and the most time-consuming aspect of managing a business. As a result, it is important to evaluate what actions and enhancements can be made to continuously improve your workforce strategies. Paying attention to what is happening in your region will help prioritize what actions and enhancements might be appropriate this year. Here are some suggestions for protecting and growing your company and enhancing your culture.

1. Audit your I-9 forms to make sure they are properly completed.

This audit can be performed internally, but it’s advisable to hire an outside attorney or HR consultant, since the person conducting an internal audit may be the same individual who originally completed the forms. It can be difficult to catch your own mistakes. With the increase in attention from federal authorities related to immigration, the United States Immigration Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) oversees I-9 compliance.

2. Be sure your company is in compliance related to its human resources and safety practices.

The pace of regulation ebbs and flows, and currently we are in a flow of state and local governments creating laws and regulations. This is a reaction to the rollback and reduced enforcement of federal rules and regulations. While there are many ways to monitor new developments, the best way to stay compliant with state and local developments is to meet with a local employment attorney around twice each year who will keep the company current on its responsibilities.

3. Invest in training and career development.

Staffing is tight, and keeping your employees engaged and motivated will keep retention rates high. Workers want to know that they have a career, not just a job, and training demonstrates to employees that they are valued. Consider creating a strategic career development plan for employees so they can see how they can grow their skills and potentially move to other positions in the company.

4. Create relationships with high schools and technical career centers.

The printing industry offers a lot — interesting work, stability, good compensation and benefits, and a clean and safe work environment. The key to capitalizing on these attributes is to raise awareness with our future workforce.

Your company can help schools in several ways that will benefit them and their students and will simultaneously benefit the company by creating awareness of the company, the printing industry, and developing goodwill. Here are some suggestions for helping schools.

First, offer the schools materials that are left over from print jobs or discontinued. This sustainable practice helps reuse materials that might otherwise be considered waste. This can include paper and other substrates, envelopes, labels, and scraps that can be repurposed.

Second, invite the schools to come to your company for a facility tour. And when they do, make it interesting and fun. Highlight the technical innovations of your shop, display the finished products, and wrap up the tours with some refreshments and giveaways (ideally ones created in your shop).

Third, offer to speak to classes at the school. Be prepared with great visuals — videos are best — to talk about the industry and your company, and to show the students what happens in your facility. Some schools may also have clubs such as the Future Business Leaders of America, or Business Professionals of America. If so, offer to speak about the printing industry and your company at these clubs.

Come armed with data, too, to help the schools and students know what a powerhouse printing is for students’ futures. It is an impressive fact that the printing industry is the third largest number of printing establishments in the manufacturing industry. The printing industry alone is a $90 billion annual industry. Across the entire printing sector, the industry brings in $211 billion in annual revenue. Notably, the combined printing and mailing ecosystem supports 7.9 million jobs in the United States.

5. Create an internship program.

Once you have established a relationship with the schools in your area, invest in an internship program. This could be a paid internship or one that offers students class credit through their schools. Companies have success converting interns into employees, but there are other benefits as well. When a company becomes known in the area for its outreach — with internships being a part of that — others in the community may come to the company when they are looking for a new job or career.

6. Help your employees with financial literacy.

One trip to the grocery store or the gas station is a reminder that money is tight. The economy and the markets might be very resilient, but sometimes that does not seem to benefit regular folks. People are worried about having enough money for health insurance. They wonder if they can make their monthly housing payments. Consumer debt is at the highest levels in history — this includes credit card, auto loan, and mortgage debt.

Arrange to have someone come in to explain the basics of managing and saving money. Some areas are lucky enough to have not-for-profit organizations that will do this at little or no charge. Alternatively, bankers, savings and loan representatives, and financial advisors may also be available to speak with and consult your team.

7. Establish an emergency loan program.

While this might not be something that companies are familiar with, having a short-term financial emergency fund might help with retention and will almost certainly help with morale. Consider creating a fund for loans within a range that is within the company’s capabilities — maybe $100-$1,000, or more if the company can swing it. This might cover a medical deductible, essential car repair, or some other important expense.

The fund would need to be created in consultation with an attorney and/or tax accountant to make sure that the benefits do not create a tax burden for the employee. The loans would be repayable through payroll deductions for a period of up to 12 months. Structure, eligibility, and other details will need to be clearly stated in the policy.

8. Consider the caregivers.

The cost of childcare and elder care is exorbitant. So high, in fact, that it often will cost less for someone to leave the workforce (or never join it) than to pay caregiving expenses. With that in mind, consider changing your shift schedule to retain and attract people who are caregivers and want to also have jobs.

Changing the schedule to Monday through Thursday with 10-hour shifts, and all overtime scheduled for Friday might be better for your workforce. Also consider dividing the 10-hour shifts into two five-hour shifts. That way, caregivers can schedule doctor appointments and care responsibilities for the part of the day that they are not at work. And in the case of school-age children, an employee might be able to afford either before-school care or after-school care, but not both. A five-hour shift would solve that problem and consequently expand your pool of future job candidates to include caregivers.

The world is in constant flux, and our HR strategies should be nimble enough to respond to what workers need. We also need to be very aware of the employment law and regulation landscape affecting our companies. Making a few changes and enhancements every year can keep our companies current and create and maintain a positive environment for our workforce.