What’s in store for the manufacturing sector this summer? Our employment law and immigration experts take a deep dive into the various factors that may leave you scrambling around for staff.

Recruitment shortages are already rife within manufacturing. Now, with a combination of right to work changes, post-COVID fatigue, stress-related sickness and summer sickies to contend with, the next few months could seriously hamper productivity and put additional strain on already stretched teams.

Dealing with absences may have seemed manageable pre-pandemic, but if you’re operating on a skeleton workforce, can you really afford to take the hit? If not, having the right processes and policies in place to tackle these issues, deter bogus absences and maintain a healthy workforce has never been more vital.

Of course, hand-in-hand with preventing staff shortages comes retaining your top talent in a competitive job market where skilled workers are in high demand. Implementing best practices to improve retention levels and support employee wellbeing will ease the pressure on your already overextended teams.

So, to prevent a slowdown in your operations this summer, join our trio of employment experts for our first Quarterly Manufacturing Live Update. Co-hosted by Head of Team and Employment Law Adviser Angela Carter, Employment Law Adviser Danielle Scott, and special guest ESPHR immigration specialist Charlotte Ashton, this free 45-minute webinar will offer practical advice and guidance to help owner managers and people leaders stay up to speed with legislative changes and implement tried-and-tested people management strategies.

Key topics on the agenda include:

• Absenteeism – from putting a stop to repeat sickies to methods for managing more complex absences, we look at the processes and policies you need in place to minimise disruption and maintain a healthy workforce.
• Right to Work Update – our immigration specialist will provide an overview of upcoming changes and what checks will be required for new EU employees.
• Retention – following so many EU workers returning home during the pandemic, retaining your existing skilled workers has never been more important. Our experts will be sharing best-practice retention strategies to help you keep your workers engaged and on side. These methods will in turn better support those workers suffering with stress-related sickness and help to bring employees who are fed up following COVID-secure measures in line.