About this episode

Josh Drean discusses the failures of traditional employment models in manufacturing and offers insights on attracting talent.

HR leaders in manufacturing hear it all the time: “We just need better people.” But when turnover is at 300-400%, is it really a hiring problem—or is work itself broken? Josh Drean, co-founder of the Work3 Institute and author of Employment is Dead, breaks down why traditional employment models no longer work for frontline employees and what manufacturers must do to compete for talent. From rethinking flexibility in hands-on roles to fixing outdated incentives, this episode outlines ...

People in this episode

Guest: Josh Drean

Topics covered

• HR in manufacturing
• employee turnover
• traditional employment models
• talent competition
• flexibility in roles
• incentives

Keywords

• HR
• manufacturing
• employee turnover
• employment models
• talent acquisition
• flexibility
• incentives

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Work3 Institute

Books & works: Employment is Dead

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• Reducing Turnover with Training in the Flow of Work: Lute Atieh’s Guide for Manufacturers · August 14, 2025 · 39 min
• Build the Team, Build the Culture: Gordon Patterson’s People-First Playbook · July 10, 2025 · 29 min
• The Shift No One Saw Coming: Jamie Quelle on Reinventing the Workforce · June 12, 2025 · 39 min

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