63: Creating A New Era for Women in Manufacturing- Live from the Podcast Town Festival 2024

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[00:00:43] Kris Harrington: Google Analytics 4.

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[00:00:46] Erin Courtenay: We don't want to put people to sleep.

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[00:00:54] Erin Courtenay: How's it going?

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But the great thing is that ChatGPT is helping me understand where to go. So I'm getting the opportunity to use AI to help me learn a different thing. So.

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[00:01:22] Erin Courtenay: So, not really into games. I'm traditionally just like, I don't know, I have better things to do with my time.

But, my kids, they suck at math. I'm just going to put it out there. They're not doing well. So I'm learning some games that I could play with them. Some like math games and we just started one called Sky Joe. Have you ever heard of this game?

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[00:01:46] Erin Courtenay: Oh, you'll have to tell me about that.

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[00:01:50] Erin Courtenay: Oh, okay. Were you good at math?

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[00:01:57] Erin Courtenay: Okay, well, it worked. Yeah, no, the Sky Joe is really fun. I would recommend it, too. It's just like a easy to pick up, it's got some strategy, it's got some math, and I'm ready for more games. So Number Crunchers, that's next on the list.

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[00:02:16] Kris Harrington: Wow.

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[00:02:18] Erin Courtenay: You're doing what?

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I know I've got to pick your brain on, on your past, your most recent trip, but that's for another time. Let's dive into the show here. So today we are recording in front of a live audience at the Podcast Town Festival put on by Elzie "The Mayor" Flenard. Thank you so much for inviting us to participate. Super fun to be here.

We do not have a guest today, but we've done this before where we're talking about a really interesting article. And our rock star assistant, Becky, found this article. "Women are More Likely to Find Career Satisfaction in Manufacturing" is the title. It was posted earlier this year on the Supply and Demand Chain Executive website, and we'll definitely include the link in the show notes as always.

But basically it was a study that was completed in partnership with Exometry and Women in Manufacturing.

percent from: 2020

[00:03:59] Erin Courtenay: Well, I've got three words. Okay. Opportunity, opportunity, and opportunity. You know, we've spoken to a lot of women on this show, many women in manufacturing, and to a person, they feel satisfied, they feel excited about their work, and they see an exciting future for themselves.

So it's that opportunity that manufacturing is giving these women that I think is, it's a direct conduit to that sense of satisfaction.

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That's something that I personally can say I had in my own experience. So I think when women go in, they are satisfied. It's getting them there. That's the challenge.

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So I love that. The survey also talked that women are actually more likely than their male counterparts to recommend a career in manufacturing. I think it aligns with that conversation around opportunity very well. The president and founder of Women in Manufacturing was quoted in this article, "We firmly believe in the transformative power of women to drive the manufacturing industry forward."

I love that. I think that's a great quote and aligns with that statement of opportunity. All right, so I've got a couple more stats here. More than two thirds of women, 71 percent, said they did not intentionally choose manufacturing as their that was so interesting.

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[00:06:13] Lori Highby: I thought that was really interesting. And that most women report entering manufacturing through job postings, co op programs, and recruitment, where men join the industry through family businesses, apprenticeships, or internships.

So that being said, I know we talked about the opportunity, but what are some of the barriers that women are facing when entering manufacturing and how can we address these challenges?

I'll start on this one. I think that the cultural barrier exists, you know, it's just not many women aren't told as younger girls as they're coming up in school that manufacturing or all of the opportunities within manufacturing are a welcome place for them and their career.

So culturally we are overcoming perceptions around manufacturing that it's either it's sturdy, it's difficult, only men do it.

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[00:07:09] Kris Harrington: That stigma, yes, is something that we continue to overcome. And until you meet and see women in manufacturing, I think that's another barrier, is seeing and having women be visible so that you know, younger girls or young women who are entering the career, their careers are seeing these opportunities and seeing other women do it and share their stories.

Certainly WiM a place where that's happening for sure for women that are already in, but how do we start that education earlier and get that visibility earlier? I think that's some of them.

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And along with that, the entire industry is going to evolve in which it is going to make it a better place for women to be working and for more women to understand that they do have a place in manufacturing. So there's sort of like this shift that we've talked frequently about the digital infrastructure and how that's informing manufacturing about automation and how that's informing manufacturing.

These cultural changes also are going to be having a big impact on manufacturing as well. And I think they're really all just a part of the same massive change that's undertaking the industry.

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So I think that's something where men should be more advocates to trying to recruit and elevate women in the industry as well.

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[00:09:27] Erin Courtenay: I think, I think that's, that's a really good point. Yeah.

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So what do you think is necessary in the manufacturing sector to really focus on pulling in more women in this space?

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It's sort of, surprised me. They are offering a complete health care package to their employees. So they have a clinic that's essentially is on site, there you pay nothing when you visit this clinic. And the savings that that company has seen through offering that direct service health care has been enormous.

They've turned that savings around, this is almost makes me want to cry, to developing summer camp programs for the children of the employees at that company and feeding dollars into college funds for their employees.

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[00:10:48] Erin Courtenay: Women are going to wake up and pay attention when they hear about that. And I think that is an awesome model for not every manufacturer. They're pretty large. Not every manufacturer can afford to implement something like that. But look at that model. Look at the ways that you can improve life outside of the factory for these families. And demonstrate how committed you are to families, you're going to see women knocking down your door.

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[00:11:16] Lori Highby: So, oh, I'm going to go on a little tangent because what you're talking about is self funded insurance. And this is something that I think more and more companies are looking at investing in and setting up. It is a significant amount of time and energy to do it the right way. But it can be extremely lucrative for the business because they're saving so much money by managing it themselves, which gives them the flexibility to be creative, to ultimately attract amazing talent to their organization.

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[00:11:50] Kris Harrington: Yeah, you know, we had a chance to read that article together, and I think we had some great insights come out of that. I would just share that the manufacturing industry, they need to continue to be a part of the community, and that community involvement is how people become aware of the organization and then have an ambition to participate.

I've shared this story in the past, but for me, you know, the local manufacturer in our area here in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, they awarded athletes in their senior year, the, it was called student athlete of the year, and they gave it to one male and one female out of every school in all districts in the area.

And they invited us in, they had a great dinner for our parents. We got this award, but we had an amazing speaker. And later I went and worked for that manufacturing organization. So those are the stories. I think that's a real story. Just become part of the community and people will have that awareness.

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But yeah, getting involved in the community, that's a really easy way to create that awareness that you exist and you're doing awesome things, not just for the community, but for the world.

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[00:13:19] Lori Highby: All right. What advice would you give to women who are considering a career in manufacturing based on some of the things we discussed today?

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[00:13:31] Kris Harrington: I mean, if women are listening today that don't know anything about the manufacturing industry, I would just say go meet somebody, look into the local organizations. Most cities have manufacturers within them.

And if you looked at the products that your own city is manufacturing and where those products are going in the world, and you know, there's all types of manufacturing, right? There's manufacturing of spaceships, there's manufacturing of transportation, there's manufacturing of components that go into spaceships or transportation. You know, it's, it's so deep and wide and the opportunity is really big.

So I guess my message is just do it. If you're looking for a career, you're in. And you're not satisfied, women are saying they're satisfied when working in manufacturing. So if you're not satisfied and they're also saying that they need workers, they need qualified people, they're looking for talent. If you're hardworking individual and you're looking for a career that can take you places, go check out your local manufacturing organizations and see what's out there.

See where, what opportunities might be there for you.

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[00:14:46] Kris Harrington: Great.

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How did they get in that role? What inspired them? What education, you know, that they took or what is it they love or what do they not like about the experience? And the more that you kind of get that information, the easier it is for you to make that decision on, on what path you're going to pursue. But I would say, especially women that are walking in these shoes are probably going to be bigger advocates than not when you say, Hey, I'm interested in learning about this as a potential career path.

Can I grab a cup of coffee with you and, you know, pick your brain for 30 minutes? I would say 90 percent of the time people are going to say yes to that.

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Not because you're a woman, but because this is an awesome industry that is underappreciated, I think, generally, and you'll find, I think you guys would agree, anytime you talk up a manufacturer about their industry, about what they do, you're going to have a person that is lit up. So go do that. It'll be a fun conversation.

You'll learn a ton and chances are within three weeks of that conversation, you're either going to be asked for an interview or told about a job opportunity that you didn't know about otherwise. So I think it's, it's a little bit of, you know, get up and go, right?

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I know we already mentioned them, but Women in Manufacturing is a national organization that's advocating for women in manufacturing, and they have this amazing educational program that I think we all just kind of learned about fairly recently where women that are working on the manufacturing floors that have shown signs of leadership abilities, they're training them through this foundation to help them elevate their careers in the manufacturing space. And I think that's absolutely amazing that they're doing that.

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[00:17:35] Kris Harrington: The article also said that 90 percent of women and 67 percent of men believe diversity improves business outcomes. And when I think about that, it's more than just women and men in the workplace.

So, how do you think they meant? You know, when they talked about diversity, but what does that mean to us sitting here because we're just approaching it from the women and the women's satisfaction, but that's a high rating that diversity improves the workplace. Let's talk a little bit about that.

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I have more appreciation for humanity and the world, the more that I travel and experience different cultures, norms, food, cities, history, whatever it is, and I have greater respect for that. And I think the more that you see and experience things that are outside of your normal comfort zone, it makes you, it elevates you, makes you a stronger person a broader person.

I'll emphasize the broad part. But no, I, I think that it makes everyone more respectful, which ultimately respect is a critical component in a good culture.

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They were an absolutely vital force in manufacturing. We had the migration of, of Blacks from the South coming to the North being a vital part of the workforce for manufacturing. During that era, when there were all of these people with these incredibly diverse histories mingling, working together, getting down in it and getting the work done, we were strong. We were strong because that diversity offered us the opportunity to get stuff done, to create a middle class that was thriving for everyone, and we got a little stagnant.

We got to mix it up. That diversity is absolutely at the heart of our success, both as manufacturers and as a nation.

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We have to attract a broader, more diverse workforce, and we're gonna be rewarded as a nation for it.

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This part of the show we call the "I Just Learned That." We're going to ask each other to finish the sentence.

Kris. I just learned what, fill in the blank.

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So it just drew you in. It's different than Vegas. It's just a beautiful place. It was a really cool place, and I had never been there, so, I just loved it.

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[00:22:19] Lori Highby: It's going through a big rebuilding phase right now for sure. But yeah.

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[00:22:31] Erin Courtenay: Well, I, I've just started a book called River of Doubt, and it's about Theodore Roosevelt's explorations in the Amazon.

And so I'm, I'm learning all kinds of things. What, what an amazing era just for the human spirit and adventures and so forth, kind of a small thing, but it really touched me. When Roosevelt, Teddy, was a young boy, he was, he was quite ill, quite sickly, had a terrible asthma, and he was sort of thin and phlegmatic.

And his dad said, you can do this. You can get it. well, you can be well. And just through sheer force of spirit, he became, you know, this legend that we all just think of nothing short of masculine virility writ large through history. And he, he just, he exercised, he, he ate very well and he just was committed to his own wellness. And I just thought that was so inspiring.

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[00:23:33] Lori Highby: So, you know, I've been on this like health journey thing for quite a bit. And I met with a nutritionist recently. And historically anyone I've chatted with, it's like calories, minimize carbs, you know, all this, eat as much protein as possible. She was very anti calorie counting, which was really interesting to me.

But the thing that I was like, little lightbulb, aha, exploding head emoji thing happening. You can subtract the fiber from your total carbs consumed to calculate net carbs. So like when they're-

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[00:24:08] Lori Highby: Yeah.

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[00:24:10] Lori Highby: As long as you're consuming the fiber, it can't, it's like reducing the carb intake consumption.

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[00:24:19] Kris Harrington: Hello fiber.

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[00:24:31] Erin Courtenay: Clean your colon.

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[00:24:49] Erin Courtenay: Right? I also I like that too because it's like it's taking away that guilty guilt guilt guilt thing instead of like hey, there's things that you can do and also enjoy the things that you like. That's great.

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The question was, what would be the first step to getting younger gals, like elementary school age gals interested in manufacturing? And the first thing that came to my mind was that TV show called "How It's Made."

I was obsessed with that show. Watching that show and just seeing the, the production lines and the assembly. Like we, we all have this end product in hand, you know, we have can of soda, computer, whatever it is, but there is a whole story being told with every single product from the materials and the equipment and the, you know, the raw, you know, original, yeah, raw materials, the people behind it, the evolution of how it got to that, you know, the designing factor and the engineering factor.

There's so many different components involved in creating one specific item. And I think just showing, you know, watching that show and helping manufacturers, this is what I'm passionate about, helping manufacturers tell that story behind that end product that's being created.

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So I would say have exercises where young girls have the opportunity to do, to build something with their hands. So boys and girls are doing that together. I would also say to manufacturing organizations to bring kids in and have workshops there and have both men and women leading the conversation.

So if the child, the children are taking field trips to your manufacturing location, make sure that they see a mix of both men and women who are organizing it, doing things because again, the visibility really matters.

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I was getting ready and my daughter came into the bathroom and she saw me getting ready and she said, "Do you want one of my lip glosses to take?" Which was so sweet. She wanted me to look good. And then I started to talk to her about what I was doing here. And her eyes lit up because as a little girl, your, your mom is a huge influence.

We can just chat with kids about manufacturing. It doesn't, it, it, it is interesting. It is fun. Even if you're not, you know, setting up a program or whatever, just start chatting with the kid about how do you think that thing got made? You know, your boys and your girls, because they are interested, but somewhere along the line, we just sort of put a curtain down between the things that we have in our lives and how they got made.

And it's not just the job of a trade association or an industry executive to move this conversation forward. Everybody can do it within their own homes, and that's where kids are going to get excited about things when they hear their parents talking about it.

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[00:28:08] Erin Courtenay: Bye bye!