Redzone, a connected workforce technology solution, released its inaugural Frontline Workforce Engagement Study, quantifying the employee engagement increases at a sample of 50 U.S. manufacturing plants where Redzone technology is deployed. At a time when manufacturers face significant labor and inflationary challenges, the results reinforce the business benefits of improving the frontline employee experience; treating workers with dignity, giving them purpose in their work, recognition and the opportunity for skills progression and career growth.
Key Findings:
Overall, the plants averaged a 74 percent increase across five engagement metrics.
- Ownership of performance: An increase of +112 percent, reinforcing how frontline workers desire empowerment to own the results of their production line, including understanding what “winning” means for their company, focusing on improving processes, and hearing real-time feedback.
- Autonomous problem solving: A 50 percent increase, meaning a significantly larger portion of workers have agency for both simple and complex problem solving, rather than waiting for management requests for corrective actions.
- Connection to others: A 71 percent increase in communication and connectedness since physical, language and organizational barriers are digitally eliminated.
- Cross-team collaboration: An 81 percent increase as workers now have the data, time and skills to connect with other teams on the floor on a common platform.
- Feeling competent and recognized: A 73 percent increase now that employees’ skills are noticed by both peers and leadership, leading to regular recognition, mastering new skills and earning well-deserved promotions.
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Business Impact:
Redzone found an increase in employee engagement correlated to two major impacts on each plant:
- Reduced employee turnover: The factories in Redzone’s study experienced a 32 percent reduction in employee turnover, compared to the rest of the industry that saw a 50 percent increase in turnover.
- Increased productivity: After the 90-day onboarding period for Redzone solutions, these plants reported a rise in overall equipment effectiveness from 50 to 62.8 percent – a 26 percent increase in productivity on average.
“Not only did we see individuals take ownership of their portion of the process, but collectively we have seen a team that is owning the entire process and focused on success holistically instead of just in their silo,” said Crest Foods Operations Manager, Jared Stumpenhorst, a Redzone customer.
“The employee/employer relationship is changing across all industries, and frontline workers, who make up the majority of people employed in manufacturing, are no different,” said Ken Fisher, vice president of Product and Solutions at Redzone. “Employees want to have dignity in their work and recognition for a job well done. They want the opportunity for career growth and financial gain. But more than anything else, they want to do work that has a purpose – more than a paycheck. We believe the Great Recovery will be fueled by engaged frontline workers and this study quantifies these benefits for the first time – underscoring the direct line between motivated employees, decreased turnover and improved productivity.”
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