Land O’Lakes says flexible shifts draw 25% more applicants

Land O’Lakes is expanding a flexible scheduling program that lets some part-time employees shape their work hours around personal availability. The program matters for manufacturers competing for workers who may be unable or unwilling to take fixed full-time shifts.

The company began offering the roles in early 2022, near the end of the COVID-19 pandemic, Fortune reported. Under the program, workers tell Land O’Lakes when they are available, and the company then offers shifts that fit those windows.

Most participants work about 16 to 30 hours a week, according to Fortune. Julie Sexton, Land O’Lakes’ chief human resources officer, told Fortune that the company moved to test the model after employees across job types, locations and age groups identified flexibility and work-life balance as priorities.

The roles are concentrated in operations and supply chain jobs across 60 U.S. manufacturing facilities, Fortune reported. Land O’Lakes plans to extend the option to all 140 of its U.S. locations, with additional flexible roles in areas including housekeeping, office clerking and sanitation.

Sexton told Fortune that individual site leaders help decide whether flexible roles can work at their locations because the model requires added staffing. The company’s former chief supply chain officer pushed leaders to reconsider the idea that manufacturing jobs could not support flexible scheduling, she said.

Applicant interest is higher

Land O’Lakes says flexible roles are getting about 25% more views and applications than traditional openings, according to Fortune. The company also says turnover among newly hired flexible workers is 12 percentage points lower than turnover among recently hired full-time employees.

That gives the company another tool as manufacturers deal with labor shortages and high turnover, Fortune reported. The part-time format can attract people who need paid work but cannot commit to a standard shift pattern.

Sexton told Fortune the program appeals to workers balancing jobs with other demands in their lives. The company has identified college students, working parents and caregivers among the groups that may benefit from schedules built around specific availability.

In a Land O’Lakes press release cited by Fortune, flex employee Cypress Evans said the schedule allows her to get her son ready in the morning, arrange preschool drop-off through her mother and pick him up at 1 p.m. each day. Evans said the arrangement lets her attend school milestones, doctor appointments and t-ball practices.

Land O’Lakes has added other policies tied to work-life balance, Fortune reported. Employees at its Minnesota headquarters use a three-day hybrid model, and the company offers paid caregiver leave, emergency leave and phased retirement plans.

Mentoring program pairs generations

The company also started a reverse mentoring program in 2022, according to Fortune. The nine-month program pairs employees across generations and allows junior workers to mentor more senior colleagues while also gaining visibility inside the company.

Sexton told Fortune she has taken part for at least three straight years. The program is open to anyone at Land O’Lakes and has drawn 900 employee participants so far, including 130 mentoring pairs this year.

Sexton said the effort is meant to help newer employees understand the organization faster while giving experienced workers access to different perspectives. Fortune reported that the company sees the program as one way to connect a workforce spanning multiple generations.

This story draws on original reporting from Fortune.