Think, Share & Learn

Your source for Human Resource trends, news, and information to help you build a more connected workforce.

The Impact of Absenteeism on Manufacturing Productivity

Unplanned absences hurt production more than you think. Here’s how absenteeism affects OEE, how to measure lost productivity, and what manufacturing leaders can do about it.

Shift Coverage Planning Manufacturing: Ensuring the Right People Are on the Line

A practical, step-by-step guide to building a manufacturing staffing plan that reliably covers every shift, skill, and line position while controlling overtime, compliance risk, and fatigue-related safety issues.

The Operational Risk of Unpredictable Attendance in Manufacturing

Absenteeism drives production risk. Understand its impact on throughput, quality, delivery, and safety, along with practical ways to reduce staffing instability.

Manufacturing Flexibility: What It Is and Why It Matters More Than Ever

A practical, operations-first guide to manufacturing flexibility, with clear types, examples, metrics, and an implementation roadmap that connects shop-floor capabilities to business resilience.

Overtime Management in Manufacturing: Strategies to Keep Costs Under Control

An overtime management, action-oriented guide to reducing overtime spend without harming throughput, quality, compliance, or safety by combining demand planning, scheduling discipline, staffing flexibility, and timekeeping controls.

Minimizing Downtime: The Plant Manager’s Playbook for Smooth Operations

A step-by-step, plant-manager-friendly system to prevent, detect, and respond to downtime using reliability fundamentals, standard work, and measurable KPIs.

Why “Call a Manager” Is the Weakest Link in Call-Off Management

“Call a manager” works... until it doesn’t. See why this absence-reporting approach fails at scale and what manufacturing teams do instead.

How to Reduce Overtime Without Burning Out Your Crew and Regain Control of Labor Costs

Tips to help reduce overtime in manufacturing by improving scheduling, managing attendance in real time, and building staffing plans that prevent burnout and runaway labor costs.