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The automotive industry is one of the most rapidly growing ones in Australia, with nearly half a million people working in this highly competitive industry. This means that maintaining employee satisfaction is a crucial factor for this sector. This important task usually falls to the HR team. There are several things to consider in order to boost employee satisfaction in the automotive industry. However, there are two most prominent factors. The automotive industry requires operating heavy machinery which makes it easy to have a lot of injury cases. That is why ensuring a high level of workplace safety is one of the important factors for keeping the workers satisfied. In addition, employee engagement is another important aspect of conducting work as a member of the HR in the automotive industry. Here are a few important points about keeping employees satisfied in this industry.
Find possible risk factors
Day to day work in the automotive industry requires full focus and attention. This is because this work revolves around the use of heavy machinery which has been shown to cause extremely high rates of hand injuries. This is especially true for the automotive manufacturing branch. This in turn reduces worker engagement as they have to take time off work in order to recuperate. In worst case scenarios this can result in workers not being able to come back to work at all, which brings about a host of other problems as well. That is why it is essential to identify the types of risks in the first place. Familiarizing the workers with the potential risks that come from using individual pieces of machinery is a great initial step. In addition, industries like automotive manufacturing play an important role in providing products that help with transportation services for seniors, ensuring mobility and independence for the aging population. Other things to consider are setting up emergency protocols in case of fires, gas leakages, and even exposure to corrosive fluids.
The underlying principle in this industry is ensuring that everyone is safe. This is because keeping the automotive workers safe makes it possible to create safer vehicles for people to drive.
An employee-centric approach
One of the biggest concerns of the HR members in the automotive industry lately has been acquiring the right talent for the entire organization. This is because one of the biggest factors for boosting employee engagement has been found to stem from a single major consideration; choosing people who are the right fit for a company’s culture. It is crucially important to both make the workers feel like home but also choose workers in the first place who are more likely to easily get onboard. Meeting workers halfway like this, yields notable benefits for boosting employee productivity and engagement over the course of medium to long-term period. In the automotive industry this is especially the case since the work that the core employees have to perform directly influences the client satisfaction. Adopting a more employee-centric approach in the HR department can help create this win-win situation for both your employees and clients. Keeping the traditional workers’ role is important but only if their satisfaction and engagement can be provided to a sufficient extent as well.
Use good equipment
One of the best ways to deal with problems is to not create them in the first place. This is especially true for the automotive industry where the safety of your workers depends on the safety of your equipment. Investing into personal protective equipment (P.P.E) has been shown to yield a fourfold return on investment. This includes getting high quality protective boots, helmets, gloves, high-visibility vests and clothes that can endure cuts and tears.
Giving rewards
Unfortunately, it is sometimes easy to underappreciate the work that the frontline workers do in a business domain such as the automotive industry. As a member of the HR department, you can do a lot for the general boost in employee satisfaction by optimizing employee recognition and incentives. This goes hand-in-hand with the employee-centric HR approach, where even the smallest details can make a huge impact on the entire industry. The rewards do not necessarily have to be monetary, but rather a few good words of encouragement and appreciation. This makes the workers feel more human and respected. This can only engender significant increases in motivation, productivity and good work ethics. As an additional benefit your workers will be able to approach the HR team in order to make important requests or express their concerns such as; adding new safety practices and finding ways to make their work easier and more efficient. This truly eliminates the line between the managers and the workers and opens more channels of communication.
Encouraging communication
None of these principles are possible if there is no proper communication. Different job titles should not make a division between people in a company. That is why HR managers should proactively encourage all employees to communicate. This is a great way to resolve issues and improve employee satisfaction.
HR teams play a really big role in the automotive industry. However, their most important task should be to recruit and maintain satisfied employees. This can be done by; ensuring safety, taking an employee-centric approach, providing protective equipment, incentivizing workers and promoting open communication as this is the underlying principle of everything.