New podcast series focuses on labor recruitment and retention

Supply chains are dealing with many stressors these days, especially when it comes to finding skilled labor. In the most recent series of episodes from the podcast “Supply Chain in the Fast Lane”—jointly produced by the Council of Supply Chain Management Professionals (CSCMP) and CSCMP’s Supply Chain Quarterly—experts from all corners of the industry sound off on the challenges companies face recruiting and retain supply chain talent as well as best practices and success stories.

The new series, sponsored by Scope Recruiting and Vanderlande, features eight episodes. Mark Baxa, CSCMP’s president and CEO, kicks off the series by giving an overview of today’s labor challenges and providing a sneak peek of initiatives CSCMP is putting in place to help alleviate the labor shortage. 

In addition to Baxa, podcast guests include:

• Claudia Knowlton-Chike, a retired supply chain executive with companies that included IBM, GE, Motorola, Facebook, and Google, talks about what steps companies can take to recruit a diverse talent base and what they can do to retain them.
• Mike Regan, chief relationship officer at logistics services provider TranzAct, shares how labor recruitment and retention has changed over the years and what companies can do now to help solve some of those pesky supply chain labor challenges.
• Charlie Saffro, president and founder of CS Recruiting, discusses the importance of having good retention practices, common reasons supply chain managers leave a company, and what skills are most in demand.
• Shekar Natarajan, chief supply chain officer at retailer American Eagle, talks best practices retailers can incorporate to recruit and retain employees as well as what technologies can transform the supply chain landscape and help ease labor challenges.
• Rosemary Coates, executive director of the Reshoring Institute, explores how the lack of skilled labor can serve as a sticking point for companies that are considering reshoring and near shoring manufacturing or production.
• Meredith Singletary, senior human resources director at logistics provider DHL, discusses ways shippers can work with their logistics service providers to address the labor shortage.
• Melanie Nuce, senior vice president of innovation and partnerships at industry standards organization GS1 U.S., gives an overview of what labor challenges their members are facing and how developing uniform supply chain standards can help companies overcome labor issues.

To subscribe, follow, or listen to all the podcast episodes, visit www.supplychainquarterly.com/podcasts or click on your favorite podcast service and search for “Supply Chain in the Fast Lane.”

As we head into 2023, the collaboration continues with part 4 of the Council of Supply Chain Management Professionals and Supply Chain Quarterly’s podcast series. The fourth podcast series will focus on transportation distribution technologies.