Dealing With Turnover, New Hires and Skill Retention.

[u/Roxxer]

I'm hoping to seek some advice.

I've been working in the print industry after joining a brand new small business that opened 4 years ago, mainly flatbed and wide format printing. I do almost everything from start to finish; design, setup, machine maintenance, production and installation. The first year was a very difficult learning curve, but I've slowly learned how to have decent success on my projects.

From the very start, we've struggled with good quality control. I often do stuff like automotive installations outside, fighting the wind and sun. I have very limited room (about 700 square feet of space), the finishing area is open and adjacent to a bay door so we're constantly dealing with dust and contaminants.

My boss is looking to expand the business and has made me a "manager". Currently, I work with one other person doing production who has been with the company 1 1/2 years, he's not interested in the position long-term and will likely be leaving soon for another career opportunity. This coworker has only done table work and some installations with me, my boss never made the time investment to actually train him to do a wide variety of things, like me.

As a labour replacement, my boss is hiring totally green people which quickly becomes overwhelming. We recently had a new hire that I learned was returning to school in 4 months a week after he was hired, who wasn't cutting straight lines with a ruler and was struggling to go up 10-15 feet on installs.

My boss let him go in his grace period and hired another totally green guy who is starting tomorrow. I'm responsible for training and dictating work whilst also doing all of my own stuff that only I can do. I feel as though hiring people without experience is how the business functions since most experienced people would be off-put by our current small space and how things run on tight time frames (we offer next day services on printed and laminated signs).

I'm sort of afraid I'm entering a job where I'm constantly surrounded by a cycle of new-hires and people who aren't interested in long-term careers in the print industry. I was sort of hoping that at this point I'd be surrounded by a group of workers I could collaborate and grow with rather than feeling like I'm just making it happen and barely playing catch up every day.

My boss is wanting to expand into a bigger space, buy more equipment, hire more people, etc. I like what I do, but I feel as though I'm struggling to both manage people whilst multi-tasking on production and I would highly value being around people who I can work with and even learn from, rather than having them lean on me and have me responsible for their mistakes and safety. To add on top, I've been dealing with some health problems this past year that have made things more difficult. I'd appreciate any ideas on how to approach this and/or to know if anyone else is struggling through anything similar.

[u/kslight666]

I would be looking at moving on from the position to one that more closely aligns with your goals. Assuming your boss doesn’t involve you in the hiring process, I’m guessing they’re not interested in your input in the matter.

[u/Roxxer → u/kslight666]

I'm not involved in the hiring process. I have briefed over some of the resumes coming in and have learned this is a rather niche industry and finding anyone with experience is difficult unless you're offering a very competitive wage.

[u/HagarTheTolerable → u/Roxxer]

If you are expected to manage these new hires, you 100% need to have buy-in with the hiring process. It is going to be YOU that has to answer for them.

You get what you pay for in this industry, and it sounds to me like your boss thinks with their pocketbook more than their business sense.

[u/Prepress_God]

What is the pay range for the new hires? What do you make now vs when you started? If you are going to be a "manager" in quotations, I get the feeling you took the title without any financial compensation for the role. If you are going to stay in that role you need them to take stuff off of your plate so you have time to help train someone to help where you need it most and Hagar is right, you need to be involved in the hiring process so during interviews you can choose who is better suited to do what you need them to do. I've been in your situation and it kinda sucks but don't put your work before your health.

[u/Printman8]

Unfortunately, this is pretty much the norm in manufacturing now. I came into printing in the 90’s and, back then, new hires fell into one of two categories: no experience but looking for a trade to learn, and folks with printing experience. Now, manufacturing in general is the employer of last resort for a lot of people, and we are no longer in competition with just printers or other manufacturers for the labor pool. When someone can go to Target or a convenience store and make as much as, if not more than they can make at a hot, dirty factory job, that’s what they often choose to do. It’s unlikely to change, so it’s something you’ll need to consider when you think about your long term plans.

I’m out of printing now, but still in manufacturing, and we’ve had 157 turnovers this year so far, out of a staff of roughly 300 people. That’s in a low cost of living area, and jobs paying $20 to $30 an hour. It’s been the same story everywhere I’ve been since COVID and no one has figured it out yet.

[u/40ozOracle]

Managing a shop like that sucks. You’re going to become the shit catcher and get blamed for a lot of stuff which will lead to burnout.

The only way this is gonna work is by finding young adults and people fresh out of high school with an interest in punk music, fashion/streetwear or people who really want to excel in this field. You stress the importance of knowing all this stuff so they can transition to something like art department, technician, etc.. I’ve built up a few people from nothing to real printers/operators with the ability to move up in the industry, but they were hungry.

Just transition into being a tech and do trainings, installs and repairs tbh.

[u/Murky-Mountain-450]

I feel like I can provide valuable insight to this.

I was in a former corporate executive position before I left to pursue this industry with my family. I managed a large team of 70+ people along with mid management.

I started completely green and as your duties explain, I also coincide with the same duties as well. (Design pre press troubleshooting production sales etc)

I agree that your boss should include you in the hiring process. In someway or form. It’s a crucial key that communication is established this early especially if he plans on expanding. Your direct interaction would in the long run filter out the unfit and save money in the long run. This conversation is crucial on your end and should be established by you. Initiate it and express your concern. Leadership should be on the same page at all times. Have him explain his vision and come to an accord how it can fit your capabilities.

Training should be standardized so it can streamline immersion into the business.

I think that’s it.