In the manufacturing industry, learning isn’t just important for employees to hone their skills and be able to deal with change. In high-risk environments, increasing knowledge literally saves lives. How can you reduce risk by grasping opportunities for learning, and eliminate blame? Let’s discuss how an emphasis on knowledge and sharing reduces risk and enhances employee performance.

Lead by example

This one sounds simple, but the effect is often underestimated. If employees see you learning, taking courses, reading (we have some book tips for you here), they’ll realize that constant development is encouraged. There is no point at which people know everything there is to know or are expected to. Complacency kills, and if you get lax about learning, your employees certainly will too.

Think outside the box

When you think of the kinds of training that you might offer to your employees, think beyond their current positions or skillset. Provide courses which may not be directly linked to their function, but general skills like language, communication, stress reduction, … anything that will help their general well-being, and creates more opportunities for growth. This shows that you’re expecting your employees to grow, rather than staying the same position for years on end. A skill like communication is also crucial to promote sharing between employees, and therefore minimizing incidents due to conflicts or miscommunications. Less stress likewise ensures people work more attentively, are less rushed, and make fewer errors.

No one left behind 

Even in the most repetitive jobs, which can be a crutch of the manufacturing industry, there needs to be learning and development. New tech emerges, new equipment arrives, procedures get honed, … If you don’t include everyone in those developments, but just impose change, they won’t be motivated to progress with the company. Often, even small changes necessitate a mental shift on top of a practical one, which employees will resist if they’re not involved from the start or already learn new things often. Train proactively to reduce general complacency, provide training continuously (not just in periods of change), and revel in the positive effect of having a curious, motivated team with a varied skillset.

No training for the sake of training 

Don’t just organize the training and leave it at that. Make sure employees can apply what they’ve learned. Training not for the sake of training, but for the ability to jump in in another department at the drop of a hat, for having more responsibilities, advancement opportunities, and increased awareness and efficiency in their current positions. 

When things go wrong, frame it as an opportunity

Getting things wrong is how we learn to get things right. Don’t let teams be disappointed when they don’t meet targets or when a project goes awry. If you emphasize this as a learning opportunity, and thoroughly investigate the cause of whatever went wrong without pointing fingers, employees will make progress.  They will be less afraid of failure, and therefore be less afraid to be creative and come up with better solutions.

How do you facilitate learning, and how do you incorporate learning in your busy day? Let us know, and subscribe for more industry news.