Does Gen Z want to work in factories? Are training programs worth the investment?
Find out what Lisa Rathburn, Vice President of Operations at The Marzetti Company, thinks in this game of Fact or Fiction.
Learn more by watching her full conversation on filling the food production workforce gap with Bryan Griffen of Griffen Executive Solutions at ProFood World.
Bryan Griffen: Let's do a quick intel sweep here. I'm going to toss out a belief, either about hiring or training. And I want you to tell me in your experience, is it fact or is it fiction, myth or reality?
So the first one that we hear all the time: Gen Z doesn't want to work in factories.
Lisa Rathburn: I think it's fiction, that's a myth. I think with the right workplace and set up some of the things we talked about with the marketing. Modern technology driven, purpose driven, that there are definitely Gen Z workers that have the skillset and the desire to work in factories.
Bryan Griffen: Good. So, the next one training is too expensive to prioritize; We don't need that.
Lisa Rathburn: It is definitely fiction from what we've seen. It is always hard to put a dollar amount on cost avoidance, when you do it right. What costs are you avoiding? We have seen through the numbers that the cost of turnover is higher than the cost of the training program.
Bryan Griffen: Yeah, I would agree with that. So, pay is everything. You pay them right, they stay.
Lisa Rathburn: Pay gets discussed a lot, but I think that's fiction too. It's important, right? We have to make sure that the pay is right for the job. But we see more and more that culture and career growth are also factors of discussion when people talk about their job satisfaction.
