The supply chain crisis has reached into seemingly all levels of life these days. From supermarket shelves to manufacturers running out of raw materials, it’s an ongoing crisis. But there is another crisis facing many American manufacturers: a shortage of workers, including at the management level. EH&S managers are especially in short supply. And not having someone full-time and qualified on staff to fill that role can wreak havoc on a company’s EH&S policies. Fortunately, there are some solutions.
As a facility or plant manager, you might feel like you have an adversarial relationship with local, state, and federal regulators. And when they are scheduled to come on-site for an inspection, it could send you into panic mode as you try to “fix” everything before they arrive. But it doesn’t have to be that way. In fact, you can have a facility where an inspection is like a mere formality because the regulator won’t find much of anything amiss. Getting to that point requires some prep work and thinking proactively about how you and your team deal with EH&S issues.
As a facility or plant manager, you have a lot to keep track of. Your day-to-day responsibilities are already overwhelming. Then you throw in environmental permitting and reporting requirements to stay in compliance, employee training, safety procedures… And if you have an emergency or unexpected issue, chaos ensues. Like with many things in life, you can sidestep all of this and enjoy a less stressful existence with a bit of planning. The right plan will tell you what to do and how and when to do it. All you have to do is stick to the schedule.
Feeling overwhelmed can be challenging. But it’s nothing new for facility managers, whose plates are overloaded just about every single day. It’s part of the job. But you can ease the burden. Using some key strategies, you can manage and overcome your work-related stress and anxiety. In the process, you’ll become more effective, more productive… a better manager and leader. All it takes is some time management, self-care, the power of delegation, and a few other proven techniques. You can take back control… one step at a time.
