12 ways to communicate with factory workers

Keeping your frontline workers in the mix is essential—for their edification and your own

Updating factory workers and understanding their needs can be difficult when they are not constantly on computers and BlackBerrys.

“We’ve got a large manufacturing population that stays on the floor for practically all their shift,” a communicator on MyRagan said. “Any suggestions for [communicating with] that group?”

MyRagan members quickly weighed in with their ideas for building a viable give-and-take with offline, or frontline, workers. Based on that MyRagan discussion, here are a dozen ideas for communicating and engaging with frontline employees.

1. Create an employee advisory committee. Select or elect various frontline employees and, on company time, bring them together on a regular basis—perhaps monthly—to hear updates from management and ask questions. Make sure your focus group comprises an array of staffers, from most-senior employees to new hires. Buying breakfast or lunch for the group is a goodwill gesture that pays off—and keeps growling stomachs from becoming a distraction.