How The Pandemic Brought Change To Blue-Collar Businesses

in September 25th, 2020
Employee working at a warehouse

Most people associate the pandemic with business closures and an economic crisis, but the blue-collar industry has grown in the background. Construction, manufacturing, mining, and logging has seen an increase in employment by almost 4%. We asked industry leaders about the positive changes they have seen at their companies in the last four months.

Finding New Strengths

“We found strengths in people that we haven’t explored before, and we’re not going to go back to the way we were. We like to be together; we have a family experience. We are learning new ways to adapt and be just as, if not more, efficient than before.”

Increased Applicant Response

“I hate to give the pandemic credit for anything positive, but I think people are paying more attention to their job applications these days. Our candidate engagement has been higher, and responses have been more timely! I find that with robocalls, it’s hard to get people to answer the phone. Written messages have been more effective for us, so we send emails or LinkedIn InMails to our applicants.”

Think Outside The Box

Spartech’s Paulding, Ohio plant changed their production from various colored thermoplastic polymer and high impact polystyrene materials to the high-demand clear plexiglass shields. They saw it as an opportunity to keep their plant growing, and the change has been a huge success for them, but first, they had adjust to the changes. 

“We had to change everybody’s mindset. If I told our team earlier this spring that we would be making clear plastics, they would have said it could not happen. To survive and thrive in a crisis, sometimes you have to think outside the box. Sometimes, in desperation, it makes us think about things differently, so don’t be afraid to try things you haven’t tried before. Push yourselves, and challenge each other, but again, do it as a team.”

  • Gary Buckland, Senior Plant Manager, Spartech 

How To Use These Changes To Your Advantage

  • Building Company Culture: Take the time to communicate with your employees and build on their strengths. Since your essential employees are working during this time, they can see what changes need to be made to better the company and work productivity. These changes don’t have to just be during the pandemic but can be permanent changes. 
  • Hiring: As the blue-collar industry’s employment rate continues to grow, more people are starting to seek blue-collar jobs. Use this to your advantage to hire high-quality candidates. You can use email or text messaging to quickly reach out to applicants and quickly move them through the hiring process. 
  • Try Something New: Whether your old process works or doesn’t work, there is always another way to do work quicker, cheaper, or more efficiently. Don’t be afraid to try something new, even if it might take some time to learn a new process. 

Use this time to your advantage so that you can grow your business in the future. If you’re interested in learning more about what other experts have been doing, check out our article on employee engagement: Expert Tips on Employee Engagement During a Pandemic.

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