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Resources to Weather Severe Supply Chain Shortages in 2022

Will Supply Chain Shortages Affect Your Company?

Supply chain shortages have made national headlines for several months now, and it doesn’t look like there’s an end in sight anytime soon. This national focus has led many, including the current administration, to ask “what’s causing the supply chain issues?”

The answer to this question isn’t simple. There are many issues that have led to the breakdown in transporting goods. The possible solutions are also complicated.

The big question on the minds of those in the transportation industry is, how will this shortage affect your company and your drivers?

Contributors to the Supply Chain Problems

Many people blame the COVID pandemic for the supply chain shortages, but the pandemic only highlighted issues that already existed. Some of these issues include:

  • “Just-in-time” inventory delivery
  • Foreign manufacturing being cheaper than domestic
  • Heavy transportation industry regulations
  • Driver pay scales

Ironically, the supply chain shortages have also led to further issues. Due to lack of materials, needed equipment can’t be produced, making it difficult to increase manpower to get through the crisis. Companies are on waiting lists at minimum six months for needed equipment.

Regulations on how driver pay is processed, coupled with a struggling economy, makes it difficult to pay drivers what they are worth, adding to an ever-growing driver shortage. The inability for drivers to purchase trucks also increases the driver shortage issues.

The Pandemic and the Supply Chain

With problems already creeping up, the pandemic led to increased online shopping when people couldn’t get out as much as before. Manufacturing companies had to shut down at this same time, leading to product shortages.

The shutdown also led to backups at ports and shipping containers unavailable in areas that needed them to ship more product. As shortages of certain products increased, the problems trickled down leading to further shortages for other products.

Shipping costs increased as shortages got worse, and delay times increased meaning drivers were unable to meet deadlines. At this point, without good solutions, supply chain shortages will likely continue through 2023.

Is There a Good Solution?Supply Chain Shortages with delivery, export, supply

The current administration is attempting to step in and provide different means of recruiting new drivers and increasing labor time at major ports. They intend to target veterans for transportation jobs as part of their solution.

The administration also wants to create a task force dedicated to recruiting more women into the industry. These efforts are on top of the apprenticeship program included in the recently passed infrastructure bill.

The Department of Transportation (DOT) and Department of Labor (DOL) are also getting involved. Representatives are putting effort into a better understanding of delay times and how these delays affect driver pay.

Critics of these efforts are concerned that trying to deal with recruitment issues without fixing underlying problems will only make the problem worse. So, is there a real solution? That remains to be seen, but there are steps trucking companies can take to keep afloat.

Protect Your Company During the Supply Chain Crisis

Trucking companies are struggling to keep good drivers and struggling to access needed equipment during this difficult time. This makes it more important than ever to take care of the resources you have available.

Keep Up with Truck Maintenance

With material and equipment shortages, it’s more important than ever to keep the equipment you have, including your trucks, on the road and running smoothly. Truck maintenance will reduce your chance of losing one of your valuable trucks during this time.

Take Care of Drivers

Driver turnover has been a real issue over the years, but this is a time when you really can’t afford to lose valuable drivers. Make sure you are listening to your drivers and meeting their needs so they are willing to stick around. This includes making sure you bring in drivers who are a good fit for your company goals.

Ongoing Training is Essential

Industry regulations and trends can change rapidly. To protect your company and your drivers, you want to ensure they are aware of these changes. With supply chain shortages and driver shortages, you want to make sure you don’t lose a driver to CSA violations or accidents.

Online Training and Communication Solutions to Keep Your Company Moving Forward

Since it’s harder than ever to pull drivers off the road for training and meetings, you need an effective online training and communication solution. Infinit-I Workforce Solutions provides the tools you need to keep drivers up to date on regulations and needs to combat supply chain shortages.

Access 1100+ training videos to keep drivers safe and continuing to move product or develop custom content for training or awareness. Drivers can access training and communications from any device with an internet connection, so you’re not adding to their stress and frustration pulling them away from their source of income.

See for yourself how Infinit-I can keep your company moving forward through any industry concerns. Request a free demo today!

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Are You Sure You're Prepared for the Future of the Workforce?

What Does the Future of the Workforce Look Like?

As the COVID pandemic made clear, the future of the workforce is an ever-changing digital world. Some businesses caught on to this quickly, and began introducing digital tools, but many did this to keep business running like normal instead of meeting the changes necessary.

The changing workforce requires digital advancements to keep up. To find the right tools for your business, you need to have clear goals in place that everyone understands and has a role in. This will help you determine which tools will best fit the needs of your company over time instead of throwing things together as needs arise.

Why Does Digital Advancement Matter?

Studies show that 20-25% of the workforce is working from home and could effectively continue to work from home three to five days a week moving forward. This is especially true for employees that complete work on their computers they can perform alone.

This means, if businesses are willing to embrace digital tools, they can find talented employees without the need to focus on ties to specific locations. This would make the hiring process easier and less costly if done correctly. 

This also means less space and overhead costs are needed to run a business efficiently. To make the transition to the future of the workforce, automation tools are necessary to keep businesses thriving.

These automation tools will replace some of the current employee roles, but that leaves room for growth into other career paths. Businesses need to prepare for regular upskill and reskill training to help employees meet the changing needs.

Reports estimate that 85 million jobs worldwide will be replaced by automation over the next couple years, but this will open the door for 97 million new roles to support these changes. This creates opportunities for potential employee training and development for these new skills.

Preparing Companies and Employees for the Future

Much of the focus of these new roles will be on data analytics, digital expertise, and automation of processes. Beyond the expected roles in the future of the workforce, some of the top skills necessary to meet the needs of the changing market center around innovation and creativity.

Employers have embraced employee development programs to prepare employees to move up to executive roles, but these programs need to prepare for more than this. The focus should be around preparing employees to meet changes in technology and business needs. Employers need to prepare them for digital initiatives to reduce failure of these innovations due to lack of ability and support.

For an employee development program to thrive, you need open conversations with employees about their career goals. You also need to share opportunities that are developing in your company and what skills they need to meet those opportunities. You can plan employee development programs around these mutual needs.

How do You Meet the Changing Needs of the Workforce?

COVID opened the door for remote work, and many employees embraced this opportunity. This means employee expectations have changed, and businesses that want to thrive need to meet these changes.

One aspect of the future of the workforce is giving employees space to complete their tasks and manage their own time whether they work in the office or remotely. This means you need tools that will allow employees to complete tasks from anywhere. You also need better ways to connect employees together from different locations, time zones, and even devices.

Employees want to be measured on the value they provide, not the volume to determine their productivity. They want space and trust to complete their work, and many want options to work from home at least part of the week. This means providing tools with secure access to their workspace from any location.

Employees are looking for leadership that will listen to their needs and desires for a positive workplace. This includes listening to needs for employee development and remote work options. Employees also need a workplace that is willing to embrace emerging technologies that can help them be efficient no matter where they are located.

This means employees need access to training that will help them increase their skills, especially digital skills to meet the needs for the future of the workforce. You need to make sure you’re helping employees incorporate new skills and behaviors that will help them be part of your business growth. They need to feel connected to the success of your company.

You also need to provide digital tools that are easy for everyone to use. Tools must be integrated based on the needs of the workforce, not just for the sake of providing digital tools. If you are able to meet the needs of the future of the workforce, you will find employees able to boost your company creativity and productivity.

Online Training Management to Optimize Employee Development Needs

One of the best tools you can use to help meet the digital needs of your workforce is to implement an online training management system like Infinit-I Workforce Solutions. This allows you to provide training to employees no matter where they are located. They can access their training from any device with an internet connection so they can keep up with the skills they need to thrive.

The Infinit-I Workforce Solutions platform allows you to add custom content so you can keep all your training in one place. With reporting and tracking tools, you can see how employees are doing with their employee development with a push of a button. You can see for yourself how the Infinit-I system works by requesting a demo today. This will give you a glimpse at the tools and features that help simplify employee development without disrupting workflows.

15 Focus Areas in Soft Skills Training for Employees

Soft Skills Training for Employees (and Other Non-Job-Specific Training)

According to a study by Harvard University, soft skills training for employees can increase productivity by 12%. This same study found that this non-job-specific training can increase your ROI by 256%.

Combining soft skills training for employees into your onboarding, ongoing, and corrective action training program will help you get the most out of your employees while showing them you value their time and effort.

It can be difficult to decide which skills to focus on as you try to develop your training program. While this will be different for every company, there are some areas that can benefit any industry.

15 Skills Focus Areas

One study found that careers that rely on soft skills training for employees will account for two-thirds of all jobs by 2030. This is because, despite increased automation in the workplace, soft skills are difficult to automate.

Soft skills are the non-technical skills that help you in the workplace. These deal with your abilities to work with others, manage your work, and solve problems.

Skills training outside of focused job training will help your workforce be better and more well-rounded, meaning increased productivity and communication across departments. While there are many areas you can focus training on, there are 15 areas that are profitable for almost every employee.

1.      Time Management

Some people seem to have natural time management abilities, while others struggle in this area. Even people who have natural abilities can learn new tips to help better manage their time. Time management is one of the most important areas for soft skills training for employees.

Time management isn’t just about being on time. It’s also about learning to prioritize projects to increase their overall productivity. Providing training on understanding the difference between busy work, important work, and crucial work can benefit all employees.

2.      Communication Skills

Communication skills is another key area that all people can work on. This can involve training employees to understand the different communication styles across generations, to improving communication skills within and outside your company, to teaching active listening skills.

Make sure employees are comfortable communicating in all situations, including email, online, or in person. These skills will help open communication across departments and help employees better represent your company outside of the office.

3.      Conflict Resolution

Conflict resolution is closely tied to communication skills, but this skill takes it a step further. With different types of people working together, you will have conflict in the workplace at some point. If employees learn how to manage conflict, you can keep these issues from disrupting productivity.

Help employees learn the best methods to deal with and even avoid conflict whenever possible. If your employees understand how to handle conflict and how to get down to the real issues, you can keep business running smoothly, and you can help employees relate to each other better for a more peaceful workplace atmosphere.

4.      Giving and Receiving Feedback

Every employee will have to receive feedback at some point during their career, and most will have to give feedback at some point. Being able to give and receive feedback is considered soft skills training for employees because it goes back to how people communicate with each other.

It’s important for employees to learn how to accept feedback without getting defensive. They need to distinguish when people are trying to help them improve, so they can take in beneficial notes. Likewise, those giving feedback need to learn how to give feedback in a way that adds value for the other person.

5.      Critical and Creative Thinking

Critical and creative thinking skills aren’t the same, but they go hand-in-hand when it comes to developing solutions in the workplace. Critical thinking is about analyzing the data in front of you. Creative thinking is about getting outside of the traditional ideas to develop new ideas.

Learning how to implement and combine these skills will help employees get out of their comfort zone, so new solutions can be presented. Stepping away from traditional methods can help move your business forward, if done correctly.

6.      Goal Setting and Deadlines

Every employee should have goals for their jobs. To put these goals in place, they first need to understand the importance of goals and how to develop realistic goals that will help them grow.

Part of goal setting is learning how to break those goals up into manageable parts and attaching deadlines to these smaller goals. Employees need to know how to implement these goal setting strategies into their individual roles, as well as developing goals that help move company goals forward.

7.      Stress Management

Stress is a part of life, especially when dealing with deadlines and increased demands on your time. It’s important for employees to learn how to manage this stress so it doesn’t cause burnout or affect their overall productivity.

Making stress management a part of your soft skills training for employees will help them learn how to manage daily and work stress. This will also show employees that you value their mental health. Both of these goals will help you have happier, more productive employees.

8.      Good Stewardship

Some people shy away from environmentalism, but we can all be better stewards of the resources we have. This is an area of soft skills training for employees that is often overlooked.

Train employees on the best methods to conserve resources and take care of their workplace surroundings. A company policy of good stewardship will help you save money while boosting your reputation in the community.

9.      Adaptability

Adaptability is a good skill for life as well as for the workplace. Everyone needs to learn how to adapt their approach to meet changing needs and demands. They also need to know how to adapt to working with different people and in different circumstances.

From leadership down, this is an important area to focus on. Help everyone learn the skills they need to recognize when changes are needed and to recognize ideas that could work better than previous methods.

10.  Business Writing

Business writing is another skill that is often overlooked. While not necessarily a soft skill, it is a skill that every employee will have to use at some point. Training employees with good business writing skills is important for the reputation of your company.

Whether it’s an email, a proposal, a report, or a claim, employees need to have the skills necessary to present clear information in a professional situation. Even those employees who have a good grasp of business writing can use refresher courses at times to keep them at their best.

11.  Ethics/Legal Issues

In heavily regulated industries, it’s essential to incorporate training on legal issues. The area of ethics and legal issues can also be beneficial in other industries and with all employees.

Issues such as bribery, honesty, respect for each other, discrimination, etc. are all important topics for everyone in your company. Make sure everyone from leadership down understands how important it is to maintain an ethical company.

12.  Customer Service

Customer service isn’t just for the obvious employees. Good customer service skills are useful to everyone in your company, including those with limited customer interaction.

Developing customer service skills will help employees improve their social skills, which improves interactions in all situations. Train on basic customer service areas in all departments, and you can work towards even better communication skills across the board.

13.  Safety and Health

Safety training shouldn’t just be about specific areas or roles in the company. Every employee needs to understand basic safety and health protocols to help reduce claims and other workplace incident issues.

Train employees about protecting against common work-related injuries or health issues. Train on proper procedures when employees are sick. Teach basics like good posture or tips to avoid chronic issues from repetitive motions.

14.  Product or Service Training

Product and service training is common in certain departments, but most employees will benefit from training about specific products or services. This will help them understand what it is you’re selling, what the value is to customers, and what they are part of.

Any employee that will be part of selling or interacting with your product or services should be trained to understand the features and commonly asked questions about them. This will help them understand how their job effects the overall company needs.

15.  Leadership Training

Leadership training is an obvious training area for managers, but it can also be a useful area for employees who show potential as leaders in the company. Developing a leadership training program with employees will help you prepare people for moving up and reduce costs in the future.

Teach them foundational leadership skills and build on these. These are skills such as communication, project management, strategy, etc. This training early on will help them prepare for a transition to leadership with less stress. Developing leadership training will also help employees feel more valued.

Putting Together a Training Program

For employee development training to be effective, you need an ongoing program that teaches new skills and refreshes employees on skills already learned. Traditional training methods can take up valuable time and money, but Infinit-I Workforce Solutions provides an online microlearning method that makes training simple.

Employees can access training anytime, and the short lessons mean less time to complete and better comprehension of the subject matter. You can track all employee participation in one place, so you have documentation whenever you need it.

From soft skills training for employees to job-specific training, Infinit-I Workforce Solutions provides the tools you need to develop good employee behaviors for a productive workplace. To see how the training system can help you streamline your training program, request a demo today.

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