A GE Appliances manufacturing facility located in rural northwest Georgia found itself hundreds of workers short during the COVID-19 pandemic — but a creative staffing solution has helped turn things around.
The plant, which produces ovens and ranges, introduced a flexible work option that lets certain employees browse available shifts and sign up for the ones they want through a mobile app. The program gave workers more control over their schedules, something that proved attractive to people who may not have been able to commit to a traditional full-time manufacturing schedule.
The approach has helped ease what had been a serious labor shortage at the facility, offering a potential model for other manufacturers facing similar hiring challenges in the post-pandemic workforce landscape.
