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By 2025, two thirds of the workforce will consist of millennials who bring a new set of demands for their employers. For them, being valued and working under competent leaders ranks among their top requirements.

As we count down the days to spring, commercial drivers face weeks of dangerous roads and unpredictable winter weather. Wintertime is one of the busiest and most stressful times for medium-duty truck drivers.

Bad weather brings a range of troubles for drivers as they struggle to maintain control of their trucks in parking lots and on slippery roads. They have to navigate around unpredictable and panicky drivers. And they’re forced to take extra precautions to avoid injuries every time they step outside their vehicles.

To help prepare drivers for the road, we asked Thom Schoenborn, vice president of marketing for Instructional Technologies Inc. (ITI) for some recommendations. When drivers are mentally prepared to deal with winter hazards, it lowers their stress levels and improves their ability to handle common problems. Here’s what he had to say.

Q: As we finish out the winter months ahead, what can drivers do to prepare for unexpected weather hazards?

A: When we think of tips to handle winter road conditions, everyone usually thinks of special driving tips or techniques to avoid dangerous conditions. But the best safety tips start long before drivers hit the road. We think the best way to ensure drivers don’t overlook the most common causes of winter weather breakdowns, DOT violations or accidents is to remember that safety starts with a thorough pre-trip inspection. Taking 10 extra minutes to prepare for bad weather can prevent hours of misery on the road.

We suggest checking the basics like making sure your battery will hold a charge, that your brakes are in good condition, that your chains are solid, and that your tire treads are above the required minimum standards.

Refrigerated & frozen foods are more readily available than ever. Their popularity has grown as consumers have become busier and look for more quick, convenient meals and snacks. Whether it's pre-chopped vegetables or ready-made meals, your customers are well accustomed to frozen and fresh foods being a staple part of their diets. As food demand continues to rise with population growth, the cold food manufacturing market will increase by $262.3 million according to Cold Planers Market Report. 

The beverage industry is undergoing significant changes as it strives to keep up with evolving consumer demands. As millennials become the largest generation cohort of the population, they have significantly impacted the trends of the beverage industry. Beverage manufacturers must understand millennials’ values, behaviors, and preferences to get ahead of their competition.

Are you a manufacturing company? If so, the likelihood that you are using a training platform designed for the average, college-educated office worker is pretty high. Almost every employee training program is built using the same techniques, methods, and philosophies of training developed for a corporate, sit-down-at-your-desk-and-work-on-your-computer type environment.

But for workers on the production floor, this is not only impractical, but dangerous. Those suit-and-tie DVDs (and even VHS tapes!) don’t resonate with production team members.

Nobody likes an awkward conversation. Nobody really wants to tell a friend, colleague, or direct report that they are causing other people discomfort, especially when it’s related to personal hygiene. But we’ve all been in the company of someone with foul breath or an unpleasant body odor.

Knowing how to successfully onboard a new frontline worker can mean the difference between employees staying with you for the long run versus having a high turnover rate. In fact, Glassdoor reveals that companies that have efficient, robust onboarding processes tend to improve their retention rate by more than 80%. As an added bonus, employee productivity is about 70% higher at manufacturers with an effective onboarding process.

The COVID-19 pandemic continues to upend the traditional manufacturing environment. As mandates require organizations to practice social distancing in their facilities, many manufacturers are struggling with how they can safely provide critical workplace training to their frontline employees.

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, cities and states have shut down their restaurants, bars, and entertainment venues to help slow the spread of the coronavirus. Despite all of this, consumer demand for medical supplies and food continues to increase and truck drivers are crucial for maintaining the supply chain and keeping the economy going. 

The key to high production and efficiency is automation. But did you know automation can also be used to optimize training in manufacturing? Many companies have seen success automating their training programs, but that doesn’t mean “set it and forget it.” Rather, using automation for training can enable continuous learning, where important safety and knowledge concepts get reinforced every shift, every day, to every worker, for a greater impact.

As a member of the National Safety Council (NSC), I was excited to attend NSC’s annual Southern Safety Conference & Expo. We got to showcase our newest workplace safety products that feature what we’ve been working on — and where we’re headed in the future. It was a fun chance to catch up with industry partners and show Alchemy’s support to the safety industry!

Food safety training has made great strides in the last several years, especially in onboarding, as more companies recognize the role strong employee engagement plays in successful training programs. Yet, a big opportunity still exists to increase engagement and ensure initial training is applied long after onboarding is finished: refresher trainings. These reinforcements can be delivered in several ways, and should be designed to maximize effectiveness and minimize time off the floor. 

What do people mean by “clean label?” The industry refers to "clean label," but the reality is consumers don't often use that term. What consumers are looking for in food products is transparency, and that includes simple ingredient lists with recognizable ingredients. After all, how many of you have heard this advice in health magazines and lifestyle blogs: "Don't eat it if it has something in it that you can't pronounce."

An effective food industry training program is the cornerstone of a high performing food production or manufacturing facility. Providing the basic knowledge and reinforcing concepts for frontline workers are just two critically important facets of a well-thought-out training system. Here are ten ideas to round out an integrated training program and fully engage your workforce:

It may not be edible, but packaging has a major impact on keeping food safe and displaying to customers the care with which your product is produced. Comprehensive food safety training is just as important for employees in the packaging industry as it is for those in food manufacturing facilities.