Interesting Insights on Workforce Engagement at the NFPA Conference
We enjoyed a great lineup of presentations at the 2020 NFPA Annual Conference in Miami a few weeks ago. I stayed riveted to every word from the stage and took good notes. For the first time, I had the opportunity to hear speaker Don Rheem of E3 Solutions and his talk was great!
It would be difficult to capture and report all that I learned but I want to highlight some of my takeaways. Human beings are herd creatures and the dominant ecology for humans is other humans. If you consider how much time we spend at work, the ecology of our workplace is critically important.
Compensation and benefits are certainly important aspects for our employment but consider, based on the above statements how important workforce culture is for our personal satisfaction. All companies need to understand this fact as they attempt to attract and retain good workers. Don made the point that from the beginning of the industrial revolution until about 2 years ago there was always more people than jobs. That is not the case any more.
Since that is not the case, companies need to to deal with the possible shortage of good labor. According to Don, the era of labor abundance is gone and we will not be seeing it again for a very long time. How did we get to this point? Well there are two significant factors 1) continuous economic growth - 112 months of job growth, and 2) slower population growth - the U.S. reproduction rate stands at about 1.7.
The NFPA has made workforce development a priority for several years now. With the shortage of great candidates for fluid power jobs, this priority certainly makes sense. The NFPA has tried to get out ahead of the curve by nurturing workforce development for the entire industry. Through the many programs outlined by CEO Eric Lanke from the stage in Miami, it is clear that progress continues to be made in the area of workforce.
Don went on to discuss topics like worker identify as brick layer - wall maker - or Cathedral Builder. He talked about emotional velcro and attachment theory. For more information about Don Rheem, visit his website.
