Understanding How to Maximize Employee Care within the Manufacturing Industry
This article appeared in the Sep/Oct issue of MiMfg Magazine. Read the full issue and find past issues online.
For more than two decades, MetLife’s annual U.S. Employee Benefit Trends Study (EBTS) has tracked important shifts in the workplace, employment relationships, workers’ holistic well-being and best practices for benefits programs. In 2023, MetLife’s EBTS study noted the concept of Employee Care, a holistic approach to care that prioritizes the wellbeing of employees across the whole employee experience. The key pillars of the model that drive Employee Care include compensation, purposeful work, supportive culture, flexibility and work-life balance and wellness initiatives.
In 2024, MetLife researched the impact of Employee Care within the manufacturing industry, revealing a largely positive story for manufacturing employees. Record private investment in 2023 has reignited growth and innovation across manufacturing, stoking demand and creating jobs across the industry. Employers have made strides in care for their employees, and the metrics back up this finding. Among manufacturing employees, 81 percent feel productive, 74 percent feel successful, and 63 percent feel valued and appreciated at work. Overall, manufacturing job satisfaction increased from 69 percent in 2023 to 74 percent in 2024, and 64 percent of manufacturing employees claim they feel cared for by their employer, up from 60 percent in 2023.
While these changes create exciting opportunities for manufacturing companies, they also present a challenge. Increased demand for skilled labor has heightened the war for talent, forcing employers to compete harder than ever to attract and retain the skillsets they need. And although feelings of care amongst manufacturing employees is on the rise, 91 percent of manufacturing employers believe they exemplify care to their employees, presenting a 27-point disparity of manufacturing employer beliefs of showing employee care to what the manufacturing employee recognizes as care.
A tightening labor market means highly skilled talent have more options than ever. And for today’s empowered employees, continuous care has increasingly become a baseline expectation. This means employers are tasked with demonstrating care for employees, both inside and outside of work. Doing it well requires a multifaceted approach that ensures employees have access to the support they need, when they need it — what we’ve dubbed “always-on care.” It also requires a deep understanding of where today’s employees expect more care than they’re currently receiving: The moments when they expect employers to step up.
MetLife’s Maximizing Employee Care Across Manufacturing report illustrates how manufacturing employers can bolster employee loyalty and satisfaction with “always-on” care. MetLife examined 55 work and life moments that were most meaningful to manufacturing employees — from taking on a leadership role within a company or receiving a promotion to assuming caregiving responsibilities for an adult family member or buying a first home. The research also shares three specific strategies manufacturing employers can “meet the moment” and support employees when they need it the most — both in and outside of the workplace. These strategies include:
- Looking for opportunities to provide more flexibility during key work and life moments
- Investing in mentorship and training
- Leveraging wellness programs and benefits to support employee well-being
Maximizing Employee Care Across Manufacturing offers further insights and advice for manufacturing employers to implement always-on care. Download the report using the QR code at left.
MetLife is an MMA Premium Associate Member and has been an MMA member company since April 1995. Visit online: metlife.com.
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