Today’s economy has presented many challenges to businesses, of which labor shortage may be the most difficult challenge for companies to navigate. The shortage of skilled labor is particularly problematic. Maintenance departments have been hit hard by this shortage, as there is often more work to do than man-hours available. Production goals have only increased, making it more critical than ever to keep equipment up and running reliably.
Having more work to do than hours in the day creates stress for technicians and managers alike. Stressed out employees are unhappy employees. Oftentimes, the most skilled employees are the most stressed because they are the ones who are called on most often to perform emergency work, which frequently occurs outside of their normal working hours. Unhappy employees are likely to look for a new job, especially when many other local companies are hiring. When employees leave, it creates additional stress on remaining employees, causing the cycle of resignations to continue.
How can CMMS Help?
Fortunately, CMMS has many features that can help support employee retention. Implementing a CMMS system or expanding the use of existing systems can help boost efficiency enough to save a substantial number of man-hours. Employees’ workload is lightened and stress is reduced. This results in content employees who have no reason to look for a new job. They may even tell their friends what a great place this is to work and help recruit new employees to your team.
Switch focus to preventive maintenance
Reactive maintenance is nerve-wracking and time-consuming. When you are constantly putting out fires, there is no time for anything else. When breakdowns occur, employees end up working overtime to get the equipment back into production. This takes a toll on their personal life and creates a huge amount of stress. Furthermore, the most skilled employees are often the most affected because they are called in for emergencies most often.
CMMS switches the focus from reactive maintenance to proactive preventive maintenance. Performing timely preventive maintenance reduces breakdowns and improves employee safety. CMMS schedules preventive maintenance tasks automatically so that your maintenance team doesn’t have to. It also ensures that your preventive maintenance is performed on time. The more preventive work that is done, the less reactive maintenance will be needed, lightening the workload on your technicians. A reduction in reactive maintenance tasks also creates a safer workplace, and safe workplaces make employees feel more valued and less stressed.
Create efficiencies with data
CMMS collects data on all of your maintenance activities as they are performed, including documents and diagrams. This makes historical data easy for users to reference. Employees can limit time spent doing research on complex tasks. All of the data they need to do the job is available at their fingertips. Technicians can get more tasks done in a day with good information in their hands. More completed tasks means less stress and happier employees.
Go mobile and paperless
Cloud-based CMMS solutions have made it easy to take your software and data into the field or shop with tablets or laptops. They also allow for paperless operation. No one enjoys completing paperwork after the job is done. Complete work orders in real time, at the job site; travel time back and forth to the office is reduced; wrench time is increased; technicians can get more tasks accomplished in a day, with less time wasted; maintenance backlog is decreased. Everyone’s life becomes a little easier.
Manage your inventory
Are you tired of waiting for parts to arrive? Does your team struggle to find parts that you know you have in stock? There is nothing more frustrating than searching for a part you know you should have. CMMS has built-in inventory management functions to help organize and track your spare parts. Making parts easier to find will save money by keeping you from reordering parts that you already have. It will also save your technicians the hassle of searching for parts. Making sure employees have the parts they need to get the job done results in more tasks completed during the day and greater job satisfaction.
Work order requests
Work order request systems shift the responsibility of requesting work orders to employees outside the maintenance department. Shifting this task to the equipment operator takes the burden of data entry off the maintenance team. The data entered should be more detailed and accurate, since it is coming directly from the person familiar with the problem. A work order request system saves you from people running up to you in the hallways to request maintenance. All of these benefits combined create efficiencies and save employee time and stress.
Create room in your maintenance budget
All of the efficiencies created above will add up to a substantial amount of cost savings. This cost savings will free up room in your maintenance budget, and this excess budget could be used toward raises for your maintenance team. Increasing compensation is another way to make sure that your employees remain satisfied and will stay on your team.
Conclusion
From manufacturing to healthcare facilities, the goal of CMMS is to improve efficiency, resulting in time and cost savings. Leverage these savings to improve employee satisfaction. High employee satisfaction results in employee retention. Satisfied employees talk to their friends, and this may even result in the recruitment of new employees. Overall, implementing a CMMS or using your current CMMS to its fullest capacity is a great way to keep employees happy and on your team.
