You Cannot Recruit Your Way Out of This │ Manufacturing Recruiting │ Ep. 190

You Cannot Recruit Your Way Out of This │ Manufacturing Recruiting │ Ep. 190

Author: Trevor Blondeel August 26, 2026 Duration: 15:09

What if the reason nobody applies has nothing to do with what you pay? In new research across the United States and Canada, concerns about physical safety ranked as the number one barrier to even considering a job in manufacturing. Pay came in fourth. Trevor assumed that was a perception problem, an old black-and-white picture nobody had bothered to correct. So he went looking for proof, and could not find any. The people closest to the industry name safety right alongside everybody else. What he found instead was a gap inside the plant. Employees named physical safety at forty percent. Managers, forty. Executives, thirty-three. The people who approve the capital are the least likely to name the barrier keeping people off the floor, and it is not because they do not care. An executive learns about the floor through a report and a recordable rate. An operator learns about it through their body. Same plant, two completely different pictures. Trevor tells the story of a hundred-person meeting where somebody raised a hand to say he could not get gloves, and what it took to find out why. Then three questions to take back to your plant. A practical look at manufacturing recruiting, the manufacturing labor shortage, and manufacturing team leadership for plant managers, operations leaders, and frontline supervisors.

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Connect with Trevor: 

LinkedIn 👉 linkedin.com/in/trevorblondeel 

Website 👉 manufacturinggreatness.com 


Trevor Blondeel hosts Manufacturing Greatness, a series built on the belief that the most valuable insights come from real-world experience. Each episode features candid conversations with leaders from the factory floor and beyond, focusing on the human side of industry challenges. You’ll hear stories that tackle the pressing issues of retention, skills gaps, and labor challenges with a sense of transparency rarely found in business discussions. This podcast digs into practical strategies for continuous improvement and workforce development, connecting them directly to productivity and safety outcomes. Rather than abstract theory, Trevor and his guests explore how to leverage existing resources and people to build a more resilient operation. The dialogue naturally extends to what Industry 4.0 means for frontline supervisors and plant managers, framing technology as a tool for human empowerment. It’s for anyone who believes that sustainable profits are built through authentic leadership and a relentless focus on developing people. By listening, you gain access to a community focused on pragmatic solutions, where the shared goal is to cultivate excellence from the ground up in a constantly evolving manufacturing landscape.
Author: Language: English Episodes: 50

Manufacturing Greatness | Productivity | Retention | Profits | Continuous Improvement | Safety | Workforce Development | Labor Challenges | Skills Gaps | Industry 4.0
Podcast Episodes
Nobody Inspects the Culture │ Safety Culture │ Ep. 188 [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 11:31
You inspect for hazards every single day. When did anybody last inspect the culture? In new research across the United States and Canada, a toxic or unhealthy work culture ranked above unsafe or hazardous working conditi…