142 | Career pathspath. The frst step is outlining ‘all the core “If you have a lapse in knowledge on equipment competencies required for each career path and identify potential cross-departmental you see it in your throughput. You have movements’. Once the core competencies are defned, create benchmarks for each extended lead times and unhappy customers. position and clear progression steps. Once the plans are solidifed, share them Being able to move people around is particularly with the organization. This can be done with important for us to stay agile as a company”new hires during the interviewing process, so potential employees ‘know from day one that your company is invested in their what we could offer to new hires as well. keeps the company agile by protecting growth and wants them to have a long, ‘Our VP of production, Brian Hurst, against knowledge gaps. ‘If you have a successful career with your organization,’ reviewed all the equipment within our lapse in knowledge on equipment you as Glassdoor states. ‘For existing employees, facility and created different levels see it in your throughput; you have make sure the information can be easily according to operating diffculty from extended lead times and unhappy found so employees can chart their own start to fnish. You are being paid for your customers. Being able to move people career paths and identify personal growth knowledge here and that is extremely around is particularly important for us opportunities.’attractive to a lot of people, especially to stay agile as a company.’ Ultimately the Society for Human in the trade world.’ Resource Management found that Introducing this type of structure has Implementing career paths creating career paths may have ‘a direct also led to better quality hires, according Creating a career path structure can have impact on the entire organization by to Yerecic. ‘In our industry right now, with signifcant benefts, so how can a company improving morale, career satisfaction, so many changes not only in digital but in start creating these paths? St John advises motivation, productivity, and fexo too, technology is always improving asking your employees for help. ‘As responsiveness in meeting departmental so we’re happy to refect that in the way employers, we often feel we need to have and organizational objectives’.we pay people. Creating a clear career all the answers, but often the people who If your company has not started creating progression path was a natural step toward have answers are the ones doing those jobs. defned career paths and investing in attracting the right type of people into If you don’t know how to create a career succession planning, now is the time our environment that truly want to learn progression within your company, ask the to start. more and are willing to grow with us as people who have done it. Ask them what a company.’ they needed and how they grew. If you For more information about Affnity This has not only helped recruiting, but have someone who is now a vice president, HR, visit: affnityhrgroup.comalso retention. ‘Retention is where we are what did they need to learn and how did going to see some of the biggest impact,’ they learn it and who taught them? Build says Yerecic. ‘It is great to bring people that career path intentionally from that.’on but, specifcally in our industry, the Glassdoor has outlined some training is so important that when you lose tips to creating a clear career someone, it really hurts.’She continues: ‘Having an impact in saying: if you cross train here, here and here, then we are going to pay you for all of that effort, goes a long way towards A) showing respect to the employee and what they are doing for you by furthering their education and B) it helps them want to stay because they have the opportunity to earn more money and grow their career.’For Yerecic Label, this program labelsandlabeling.com