Baking & Snack - April 2024 - 8

editorial
Taking a systems approach to labor
L
Labor is the conundrum facing the baking industry that
refuses to go away. And just like egg replacement or sugar
reduction, there's no one-size-fits-all solution. Every bakery
is different, and every labor force is different based on
geography and background, so each bakery must find the
right system of strategies to attract and retain a reliable
workforce. That's a lot to figure out in a country that has
experienced decades of eroding interest in manufacturing
and a labor force uninterested in long hours and a bakery
environment.
Yet labor challenges pervade every issue of Baking &
Snack, and in this issue, multiple features reference it: tortilla
and flatbread processing, snack packaging and even
the American Bakers Association (ABA)'s strategic plan,
which was announced last month and is being presented
at ABA's convention this month. One of the three pillars
of ABA's five-year plan is to make the baking industry a
destination workplace. As ABA President and Chief
Executive Officer Eric Dell pointed out on the
association's most recent episode of its podcast
Bake to the Future, millennials and Generation
Z are looking for good pay and career advancement
but also meaningful work where they
believe they are making a difference. The baking
industry is poised to fill that need as every
day the industry is produces nutritious bread,
delightful donuts and everything in between.
What does it take to become a destination workplace?
It's a place where people want to spend 40 hours
a week and feel like they are appreciated. For baking companies,
becoming a destination workplace is two-fold:
the physical workplace and schedule and then the people
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Contributing Editors
EDITORIAL
Charlotte Atchley
Dan Malovany
Keith Moore
Michelle Smith
Lucas Cuni-Mertz
Taryn Parker
Donna Berry
Allison Gibeson
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8 Baking & Snack April 2024 / www.bakingbusiness.com
side. We've seen more bakers in the past few years willing
to invest in automation to eliminate repetitive tasks
so that they can offer value-add jobs that require more
engagement from employees. Investments in improved
working conditions, like air conditioning, air management
systems and improved oven insulation have become
must-haves to entice employees onto the production
room floor. Baking companies are also getting creative
when developing their schedules that offer their employees
more consistency and work-life balance, but that takes
some serious out-of-the-box thinking.
Then there's the people piece. At the American Society
of Baking's BakingTech conference earlier this year, Bill
Benjamin, a performance and leadership expert, spoke
on the importance of emotional intelligence in today's
workforce. He noted that high-performance teams are
built on connection and courage. Those two principles
denote a team that is highly connected to each other, and
team members feel secure enough to speak their minds,
bringing new ideas or constructive criticism to the table.
This requires managers to self-regulate during intense
moments so they can remain calm, curious and prioritize
listening to their employees, which lays the groundwork
for a team that people want to show up for and bring their
best. Not only does the employee benefit but the company
also reaps the rewards of an engaged and committed employee
doing their best work nine times out of 10.
The destination workplace is one that believes its
workforce is the company's most valuable asset and acts
accordingly.
- Charlotte Atchley, Editor
catchley@sosland.com
CORPORATE
Chairman and CEO
President
Chief Financial and
Administrative Officer
Chief Operating Officer and
Executive Editor
Charles S. Sosland
L. Joshua Sosland
Staci Greco
Meyer Sosland

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Baking & Snack - April 2024

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Baking & Snack - April 2024