Reduce manufacturing turnover with better hiring practices

3 Keys to Rapidly Improving Your Talent Situation

It’s hard for manufacturers to fill shop floor positions and even harder to keep them filled. This is causing recruiters to work much harder than they should to keep lines staffed, keep production rolling, and meet rising customer demand.

Leadership Solutions Managing Director, Shannon Gabriel, looks beyond the headlines and into the real culprits causing manufacturers to feel so much pain in the talent department right now. In her latest article, she lays out three essential steps that manufacturers need to take to quickly turn around the talent situation. And she discusses how HR and operations must work together to address the bigger talent picture and to ultimately find, and keep, the right people for shop floor jobs.

3 Keys to Addressing Talent Challenges:

Address cultural issues that could be leading to high attrition and undermining your recruiting efforts.
Establish compensation and promotion practices that motivate people to join and stay on your team.
Go after overlooked pools of talents who can help you get the job done.

Download the article “Reframe Your Talent Challenge: Fix the Revolving Door First” to learn what’s undermining your recruiting and hiring programs and what you can do to quickly reduce open requisitions and high turnover rates.

Frequently Asked Questions

Why is employee turnover such a persistent problem in manufacturing?

Employee turnover remains a persistent problem because many hiring practices focus on filling roles quickly rather than finding candidates who can succeed in the actual operating environment. The article explains that when expectations, skills, and leadership behaviors are misaligned, new hires struggle to perform and disengage quickly. This creates a costly cycle of turnover that disrupts operations and weakens frontline stability.

How do traditional hiring practices contribute to higher turnover?

Traditional hiring practices often rely too heavily on resumes, interviews, and prior experience as predictors of success. The article highlights that these methods do not reliably assess a candidate’s ability to execute, solve problems, and work within disciplined management systems. As a result, companies hire individuals who look qualified on paper but are unprepared for the realities of the job, increasing the likelihood of early attrition.

What hiring practices help manufacturers reduce turnover and improve retention?

Manufacturers can reduce turnover by hiring for capability and behavior rather than credentials alone. The article emphasizes evaluating how candidates think, learn, and respond to real‑world challenges, then supporting them with clear expectations, structured onboarding, and strong daily management. When hiring practices are aligned with the actual demands of the role and reinforced by leadership, retention improves and workforce stability increases.

Meet the Expert

Shannon Gabriel

Vice President, Leadership Solutions PracticeEmail Shannon

Shannon Gabriel is Vice President of TBM’s Leadership Solutions practice where she leads the organization’s comprehensive approach to labor strategy, change management and leadership development that impact top-line growth and improve organizational culture.