BY JEFF HAYES, Solution Consultant – Lifecycle Services, Van Meter Inc.

By 2025, it is expected that 2.7 million baby boomers will retire, and two million jobs will go unfilled. If this is correct, doing more with less will not just be a goal. It will be a necessity. To prepare for the workforce shortage, while still achieving your company goals, check out these three tips to do more with fewer people.

TIP 1: TRAIN YOUR PEOPLE

While there is strength in numbers, knowledge is power. Employees who are well-trained in their roles and confident in their skills will be able to do their jobs more efficiently by producing more in less time. In addition to improving employee retention, 48 percent of organizations see bottom-line growth from training—or reskilling—their employees, and 73 percent see higher employee satisfaction.

Training opportunities, like Rockwell Automation courses, custom courses and more, will allow your employees to learn, grow and retain knowledge. If an online learning option would work better, check out Rockwell’s Learning+, where you can learn at your own pace or attend virtual classroom sessions with instructors, labs and Q&A sessions.

TIP 2: SUPPORT YOUR PEOPLE WITH OUTSIDE RESOURCES

Whether it is remote or on-site support, utilizing outside support means you do not need to employ an expert in every area of your operation. Instead of paying an extra person’s salary to be available around the clock, use remote technical support and have access to experts via phone and chat 24/7/365. Why pay someone year-round to do a specific task when you can outsource that job only when it is necessary? For example, Van Meter offers on-site support services like drive startups, preventative maintenance, safety audits and more. By using outside resources to help with specialized tasks, you can do more with less.

TIP 3: UTILIZE TECHNOLOGY

Augmentation is about using technology to make your workforce more productive. Do your current operations require a lot of people to do a lot of repetitive tasks? Automating those tasks allows you to do more work with fewer people and lessens the risk of workplace accidents. For example, if the task is taking a product from a conveyor belt and placing it in a box, have a robot do it instead of a person. The result will be the same—the product will be in the box—but robots will not ask for a salary, they do not have to take breaks and they will not get injured.

Additionally, if a new employee is learning a task, Augmented Reality (AR) can help. Instead of asking another employee to instruct them and losing that person’s production, AR overlays digital content—like instructions or drawings—onto the real-world environment. In this case, new employees could see instructions and directions and perform tasks simultaneously.

Where could your workforce be more efficient? Contact us at  1-800-247-1410 to book a training, schedule a support service call or ask about technology that can help you do more with less.

Jeff Hayes View Bio