associate

  • How to Handle Firing Someone: A Practical Approach

    • September 20, 2023
    • Posted by: Nanette Gregory
    • Category: Business, Leadership, Management, Manufacturing
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    Firing employees
    Firing someone can be a challenging and emotional task for any employer or manager. You often have empathy for the other person, you're worried about their future and their family, and some small part of you (hopefully) is concerned about their well-being. But as the leader, it's your job to protect the company. You have
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  • We’re Missing the Water Cooler Conversations

    • August 3, 2022
    • Posted by: David Marshall
    • Category: Management, Productivity
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    Two men talking in an office. Example of a water cooler conversation without the water cooler.

    The American workforce has been largely working remotely for the last two years, and for the most part, everyone has loved it. (Well, almost everyone. I’m not a fan of it.) They love working at home, they don’t miss the commute, and many people are even leaving their jobs (without another one in the wings)

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  • Don’t Overlook Older Workers In Your Hiring

    • August 11, 2021
    • Posted by: David Marshall
    • Category: Leadership, Management
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    Hiring older workers is a way to shore up the labor shortage

    We’re in a hiring crunch in the United States, especially in the manufacturing industry. Yes, there are issues in the fast food and service-related industry, as people aren’t going back to work even as states end their unemployment support of $300 per week. Many people blame the low salaries fast-food workers are getting (which is

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  • How Can You Solve a Worker Shortage Right Now?

    • July 28, 2021
    • Posted by: David Marshall
    • Category: Business, Management, Manufacturing
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    A metal worker working on a hydraulic press. If you cross-train your employees, you can avoid a worker shortage

    There are worker shortages right now in all kinds of industries, from the restaurant industry to office workers to manufacturing. There are a variety of causes, like the fact that we’re paying people more not to work than what they were being paid to work. Or that some people don’t want to return to the

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  • The Person Closest to the Problem Often Knows How to Solve the Problem

    • July 14, 2021
    • Posted by: David Marshall
    • Category: Management, Manufacturing, Measurement
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    A subway tunnel. I had to walk down a subway tunnel to help a customer solve their problem. Because the person closest to the problem often knows the solution.

    A recent article in IndustryWeek, Once Led Through Fear, a Small Manufacturer Reimagines Itself, got me to thinking about who I often relied on to solve problems in our manufacturing plant. Last week, I talked about how as a manager, I had learned early on to ask people to “show me” whenever they were dealing

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  • A Person Who Feels Appreciated Will Do More Than What Is Expected

    • May 12, 2021
    • Posted by: David Marshall
    • Category: Management, Productivity
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    Photo of a woman holding a broom in a factory. She looks like she is appreciated for her hard work.

    If you ever want to get extra work and effort out of someone, plus earn their loyalty and dedication, you should never do it through fear, intimidation, or even monetary reward. (Although that last one can be effective for a short while. And that’s as a bonus for their work, not their regular salary.) The

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  • Invest In Your Associates to Help Your Company Thrive

    • October 21, 2020
    • Posted by: David Marshall
    • Category: Innovation, Leadership, Productivity
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    Photo of a person welding

    A couple of weeks ago, I talked about how you can win your associates’ loyalty by involving them in the decision-making process when it comes to new technology and equipment. Another way you can invest in your associates is to give them an opportunity to participate in the business. For example, at Robroy, I instituted

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  • The Time There Was Nearly a Knife Fight on My Factory Floor

    • November 7, 2018
    • Posted by: David Marshall
    • Category: Leadership, Management, Safety
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    Safety signs from a steel factory.

    You run into all kinds of problems when you’re managing a factory and running a business. I’ve had to fire people for sleeping on the job. I locked my own son out of a meeting for being late. And I once had to talk a naked guy down out of the rafters. So it shouldn’t

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  • How to Earn Loyalty of Your Associates and Partners

    • August 22, 2018
    • Posted by: David Marshall
    • Category: Leadership, Management
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    A man extending his hand for a handshake. It's hard to find a photo that represents "loyalty!"

    I shake my head sometimes when I hear executives complain about the lack of loyalty from their employees, and yet they never hesitate to lay off a bunch of them just to keep their shareholders happy. They treat their employees like replaceable cogs in a machine but are surprised when their employees leave for another

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  • The World Shouldn’t Change for Millennials, They’re Going to Have to Change for It

    • January 24, 2018
    • Posted by: David Marshall
    • Category: Leadership, Management
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    Millennials working in a coffee shop with a laptop and an iPad.

    Okay, I’m going to say something that’s going to upset 75.4 million people in this country: I don’t think the work world should change for Millennials, I think they’re going to have to change for it. Maybe I’m being a curmudgeon, and I’m sure there are many people who will tell me that the world

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