15 August 2023

Work/Life Balance



By Jim Thompson

The pulp and paper industry is notorious for a lack of work/life balance. This is an old industry and one of the first to operate 24/7 (steel and cement being another two of similar operations).

This problem has been addressed when it comes to the hourly workers. Essentially they are working 12 hour shifts and work 14 out of every 28 days.

Managers are another story.

Such accommodations have not been made for managers. Consequently, higher turnover is happening. Even if the employee is accepting of this lifestyle, often the spouse is not.

There was a time when most employees everywhere were in manufacturing, now the number is very low. Often today, potential employees did not grow up in a manufacturing family and they (and their spouses) are unfamiliar with a manufacturing lifestyle. Hence, once involved in such a lifestyle, they think there must be something wrong if so much time is required at work.

Solutions are elusive, but likely lie in software, reality headsets, more detectors and sensors. In other words, supplemental electronic hardware and software that reduces the on site time yet still allows effective management and troubleshooting.

I suspect high performance (read high profit) paper companies of the future will be early adopters of such systems.

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Note: Neither I or anyone on the Paperitalo staff own any individual pulp and paper stocks.

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