We can No Longer Afford to be Foolish in Managing Welders

    According to many estimates, the average age of welders is currently 55 years old. More alarming still is the fact that only 23% of welders are under the age of 30! Obviously, as the older generation of welders retire and leave the industry, there is not a sufficient number of welders coming into the trades to replace them. We could debate the reasons for this dynamic as there are no small number of contributing factors but what is more important and what I want to focus on is what to do about the shortage of welders. A big determining factor in the success of any business that uses welding will be largely dependent on the organization’s ability to find and keep good welders. So how do we address this issue going forward? Welders will become increasingly harder to find and keep in the years to come so it is time for all of us in the industry to start preparing to meet this challenge head-on.

   I will only give an introductory look at some of the ideas and principles I intend to offer up to the discussion here and will introduce more in-depth explanations of my ideas in writing to follow as each of these ideas could lead to very lengthy discussions in and of themselves. But with all that been said here are some suggestions to start considering;

• Re-establishing a hierarchy of Merit and Competence.

As an unfortunate consequence of our insistence on “equality” as one of the highest moral virtues one could strive for, it seems we have flattened out hierarchies in many organizations. Given our increasing tendency to see people, not as unique individuals with individual strengths, ideas and ranges of ability, but as members of a larger group, many managers seem to believe that a welder is a welder. Welders vary greatly in terms of cognitive ability and temperament. By establishing an objective hierarchy of Class A welders, and B and C class welders, for example, we can reward the high achievers and incentivize those in the class B and C levels to work harder, learn more and move up.

• Refining the recruiting and hiring process.

When companies hire welders to fill an open position, what criteria do the hiring managers use to determine if the potential candidate would be a good fit and have the ability and mindset necessary to succeed within the organization? A weld test is only one small step in the larger process. The two greatest predictors of success are intelligence and trait contentiousness; that is discipline, commitment, work ethics, things of that nature. Welders vary greatly by temperament. Some welders are very production oriented, others are more detail oriented. Which type does your organization need? What, if anything, is being done to assess these important considerations? I see many companies pour endless amounts of time, energy and capital into hiring welders that never stood a chance of succeeding within the company.

• Authoritarianism

If your culture is full of would-be managers who delight in kicking around workers under their authority, look no further for the cause of your welder shortage. You just found it. Most healthy, productive workers do not care to be barked orders at and demeaned by an authoritarian’s desire to show that they are important and in charge. The welders capable of good quality craftsmanship and productive ability will not put up with excessive and arbitrary shows of power and authority. The welders who would put up with it are likely not capable of producing high-quality workmanship. If they were, they would go somewhere where they are treated with respect and appreciated for their efforts. It is for this reason that Authoritarianism is an inherently destructive ethic and will doom an organization to failure to the extent that it exists within the company’s culture.

More on these topics and many more to come. Thanks for reading and considering. Please leave a comment below and let me know what you think.