Compliance, Competency and Culture: The 3 pillars of a successful HR strategy

With recruitment and retention as ongoing challenges in food manufacturing, the role of Human Resources in fostering a robust learning and development culture and strategy is more critical than ever. This industry is characterized by its stringent regulations, technological advancements, a widely diverse workforce, and the need to keep and develop top talent. Today’s HR leaders must focus on three fundamental pillars to drive performance on the production floor: compliance, competency, and culture. Let's explore why these elements are essential and how they contribute to the growth and success of the food production industry.

Compliance: Ensuring Safety and Quality

Why Compliance Matters 

Compliance in food production is non-negotiable. The industry is heavily regulated, and non-compliance puts the customer’s and employees' health and safety, as well as your brand, at risk. Non-compliance can lead to severe consequences including hefty fines, legal action, recalls, and damage to your brand reputation. 

HR’s Role in Compliance Training 

HR departments play a pivotal role in partnering with QA to ensure that employees are well-versed in the latest regulations and standards. This involves: 

• Regular Training Sessions: Implementing mandatory training sessions on food safety protocols, hygiene standards, and regulatory updates. 

• Continuous Monitoring: Establishing systems to monitor and track compliance and provide corrective action and refresher training as needed. 

• Audit Preparedness:  Ensuring your staff has the tools to be ready for an audit without a disruption to your day. 

By prioritizing compliance, HR ensures that the workforce is equipped to maintain the highest standards of quality, food  safety and employee safety, safeguarding the company and its consumers.  However, compliance is simply the bare minimum and far too often is where organizations' training ends.  To be a top-performing organization, you must focus on competence in all areas and promote a culture of learning.   

Competence: Building Skills for Excellence

Training must focus on competency, not just completion  

Training that focuses on comprehension, versus merely passing a test or signaling completion on a clicker, leads employees to perform their roles effectively, efficiently, and with a high degree of expertise. Beyond that, employees will become confident in their job task abilities and can even help solve or even prevent problems before they occur.  

HR’s Role in Competency Development 

HR must lead the charge in designing L&D programs that focus on going beyond compliance. A beneficial byproduct of this is an employee who feels safe, prepared, and valued to the organization. 

• Technical Training: Implement specialized training in areas such as equipment operation, maintenance, quality assurance, and production processes to reduce downtime and enable your staff to promote appropriate corrective actions on the floor.   

• Durable Skills Development: Establish training in leadership, communication, and problem-solving to create well-rounded employees and shape your leaders of the future. 

• Training Structure: Leverage micro-modules, interactive assessments and gamification to go beyond informational only training. 

By focusing on competency, HR can ensure that employees are not only capable of meeting current demands but are also prepared for future challenges and opportunities, all helping to increase retention, and operational performance.   

Culture: Fostering a performance culture

A strong organizational culture is the backbone of a successful food production company. It shapes employee behavior, drives engagement, and influences overall job satisfaction. A positive culture encourages innovation, collaboration, commitment to quality, pride in the product you make, and delivers peak performance. 

HR’s Role in Cultivating Culture 

HR is instrumental in shaping and maintaining a positive culture through various initiatives: 

• Onboarding Programs: Develop onboarding programs that communicate the company’s values, mission, and expectations of growing your career to new hires. 

• Opportunity for growth: Create an environment of ongoing learning that focuses on upskilling, empowerment, leadership training, and more to benefit the employee.   

• Diversity and Inclusion: Promote diversity and inclusion to create a supportive and dynamic work environment. This can be done by providing all learning opportunities in multiple languages and spotlighting the many cultures that make up your employee base. 

By prioritizing learning culture, HR helps build a cohesive and motivated workforce that is aligned with the company’s goals and values and desires to stay to grow their careers with you.   

Conclusion 

In the food production industry, HR's focus on compliance, competence, and culture is not just beneficial but essential. These three pillars form the foundation of a robust L&D strategy that ensures safety, drives performance, and fosters a positive work environment. By investing in these areas, HR can lead the charge to significant long-term success and the sustainability of their organization within the food supply chain.