Manufacturing Job Profile Video Series
On this project, which spanned 7 years as needed, I worked as a researcher, script writer, director, and editor on a series of 22 short videos that profiled the challenges around a particular manufacturing job role. This videos were developed by area, and the information in them led to a documented reduction in failed internal transfers.
As in any business environment, people would do a role for a while and then they would apply for a better paying role. Most of these transfers were productive and typical. The problem occurred when the jobs to which people applied were more physically or mentally challenging than they had anticipated. The result in these cases was that the individual couldn’t or wouldn’t do the job once they received a transfer, resulting in dead weight on the new manager until the person could be relocated again. Just one of these situations could have a serious financial impact on an area manager.
The goal with this video series was to detail the most challenging aspects of a given role so that any person requesting a transfer went in with full knowledge of what they would be doing in the new role.
For example, some jobs require workers use hand drills in various positions for most of their shift. Others might involve riveting parts together in awkward positions.
Still others might require the employee to climb up into a wing and work there for an entire shift – which means they can’t be claustrophobic, they have to physically fit through the hole to get into the wing, and they have to be able to move around inside the wing, climb over spars, and be okay in there if the power goes out and they’re deep in the wing in pitch blackness.
Other types of roles might look super-easy, like the person doing the job is just sitting there looking at a computer screen. For these types of roles, we’d detail the complexity of the what the person is actually doing and highlight the physical aspects of the role that are less often seen. Some roles might look easy but have massive safety risks that add weight to the role. Luckily, in all the roles, whatever looked easy never was.
My role was to coordinate with the area manager to set up interviews with people working the job. Before I wrote the script I’d go out on site to any applicable locations and interview the people who do the job. At the same time I would scope out the area for the shoot. After that I’d go back and write up a script for a narrator. The script would cover the formal tasks, challenges (ergonomic, PPE, etc.) and safety risks of the job role.
For these videos I partnered with another PM/ID who was an accomplished videographer and narrator. We would go out together with the script to ensure we got all the needed shots. He would shoot the video, I would direct. While there, we would interview anyone who did the job who would talk to us on camera. When I got back with the footage, I’d make sure we covered all the important shots. My partner would cut the audio. I edited the audio to the shot mix in Final Cut Pro, and would also work in the interview footage of people talking about the job role. This was often the most potent footage, as it was an experienced person talking to the camera as if they were talking to a new trainee about the role.
Area managers were always happy to get one of these videos as they immediately saw or drop or end to unproductive transfers. Our videos easily paid for themselves in months with the money and time saved.
NOTE: All images are from available online sources.
