Is Your Bad Air Quality Causing Good Employees to Leave?

Attracting and keeping great employees has always been an important part of running a business, and recently it has become increasingly difficult because of a variety of reasons. One of the major reasons is the tight labor market, especially in the manufacturing space. One thing that manufacturing companies are doing to set themselves apart from their competitors, and attract and maintain top talent, is improving the working conditions for their employees.

Providing excellent working conditions can be difficult in many industries that create harmful or dirty conditions as a result of their manufacturing process. The best way to accomplish this is to address these problems at the root cause. Addressing air quality issues can improve the appearance and safety of the whole plant. Improving air quality will also improve the cleanliness of the machines, walls, and floors where the contaminant settles out.

Changing Attitude of Employees 

In the last decade, the mindset of employees has changed drastically. Job loyalty used to be highly valued, and job-hopping was looked down upon, but in recent years that has changed. A study done in 2018 by Robert Half found that 64% of those surveyed think that changing jobs every few years is beneficial. In 2014, that number was only 42%. Employees will change jobs for reasons including salary, work environment, and culture. It is important to monitor every aspect of the employee experience at a company to minimize the risk of losing valuable employees.

Advantages of Good Air Quality 

Great air quality has many advantages, but one of the most often overlooked benefits is its contribution to attracting and retaining employees. Creating a better environment that attracts and retains employees, is often a significant portion of the ROI of an air filtration system; however, it is hard to calculate and thus often overlooked.

First-Hand Examples of the Effect of Clean Air

1. We had a discussion with a maintenance technician at a cold-heading factory where we did work in. He mentioned that he was interviewed previous to the factory addressing their air quality problems, and the reason that he did not take the job was because of the poor air quality. When the company reached out to him later, they mentioned that they had invested in new air cleaners and ductwork that had improved the air quality in their plant if he was still interested in the job. He accepted the position.

2. We had a discussion with an owner that recently purchased a CNC machining shop, and when he purchased it, he surveyed his employees about one thing he could do to improve their experience at work. The answer that he got back was to Improve the air quality because they were concerned about its long-term effects on their health.

Cost of Hiring

Hiring and training staff is a large expense for any business, so retaining good employees is of utmost importance. The Society for Human Resource Management reported that, on average, it costs a company 6 to 9 months of an employee’s salary to replace him or her. 

With the average Cold Header operator making $37,000 to $55,000 per year, that is a cost of between $18,500 and $41,250 to hire and train new operators. The average CNC machinist makes between $33,000 and $54,000 annually, meaning the cost of replacing a CNC machinist is between $16,500 and $40,500. In a tight labor market, these costs will increase.

Need help improving your air quality? Bee Clean Specialties has 40-plus years of experience servicing industrial air cleaners. We have multiple brands and types of air cleaners available and service of any existing electrostatic air cleaners or mist collectors. Give us a call today to resolve your air problems. 888-451-0444.