Pet Food Processing - January 2025 - 62

OPERATIONS
RETENTION
is the key
According to People Spark
Consulting, the biggest labor
challenge is not in recruiting
new employees, but in retaining
existing ones. The top four ways to
encourage job retention are:
1. Focus on engagement
- Recent studies show that
only 34% of full-time American
employees are engaged at work,
and 13% of employees are actively
disengaged.
2. Coach your employees
3. Ask questions
4. Develop your leaders -
People Spark Consulting reports
that 70% of the variance between a
lousy culture and a strong culture is
the knowledge, skills and talent of
the team leader.
which bring in natural light
and fresh air. Collins suggests
employers consider going
beyond the basics to provide
access to mother's rooms for
nursing mothers, first aid and
nurse's rooms, a fitness center
and a break area to contribute
a sense of pride in one's
workplace.
" The workplace
is
often
a place where an employee
spends a majority of their
working hours during a given
week, " he continued. " Working
in a safe environment should
always be considered a first
priority in addition to the work
environment for temperature
The pet food
manufacturing
industry, like
many others, is
experiencing
challenges hiring
and retaining
employees.
©Tai-stock.adobe.com
control and natural light, as well as opportunities to the
exterior to help connect employees and humanize their
working environment. "
Acquire and retain
Beyond the consideration of amenities,
retention is
largely a matter of communication. Without this, employees
don't know the direction of the company nor
their role within the organization today and in the future.
An escalation in the number of mergers and acquisitions
makes good communication all the more important.
No one wants to learn their company has been
sold from the news or online media. Information should
come from the leaders first.
Companies looking to successfully hire and retain
must always prioritize good communication. This includes
clear hiring processes that don't stretch on for
months and keeping candidates informed of where
they're in the hiring process. Griffin recommends hiring
managers prioritize hiring as a human endeavor. Such a
process should emphasize looking at soft skills to ascertain
if an individual will be a good fit for the team and
for the organization. Bad fits and bad hires will likely
cause disruptions in the long term.
" Hiring the best person has never been an easy ask.
That is true no matter how old your company is or how
big your brand is, " Griffin continued. " If you're too busy
to hire, you won't hire well. To be a strong steward for
the industry, you want to have the right people for the
job and work to keep those people. "
People focused
Kristen Ireland, co-founder of People Spark Consulting,
is known to ask if a company is playing to win or playing
not to lose. Having clarity between the two can be an important
distinction when it comes to retention, productivity
and the profitability of the business in question.
Ireland shared that when looking at retention within the
context of Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs, engagement
and retention take place at the belonging level, where
someone is challenged to grow and be their best. In con62
PET FOOD PROCESSING | Jan-Feb 2025 | www.petfoodprocessing.net
http://www.petfoodprocessing.net
Pet Food Processing - January 2025

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Pet Food Processing - January 2025
