More Workforce Insights From Printpack’s Top HR Leader

In the July/August edition of FlexPack VOICE®, Jamie Clark, senior vice president and chief human resources officer (CHRO) at Printpack, offered insights into the opportunities and challenges companies face in hiring a modern workforce. That magazine article can also be found online.

Here are some additional insights from Clark on immigration and Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI).

FlexPack VOICE^®: In the main article, you mentioned how important it is for workers to feel welcomed and included. Is that part of an overall DEI strategy? I also was reading recently about how DEI is evolving into DEIB, with the B standing for “Belonging.” The idea is that it is important to welcome workers of all backgrounds to a company, but that belonging takes it to the next level, where workers become fully engaged if they feel like they belong. Do you have some thoughts on that?

Jamie Clark: Unfortunately, the term DEI has been politicized and taken on meaning to both sides of the political spectrum beyond what was originally intended. However, if you have a discussion about the intended meaning of the terms, most people do not take exception, regardless of their political point of view. Diversity and equity are about fairness for all. The difference between inclusion and belonging is that inclusion is an action and belonging is a feeling. The goal is for people to feel like they belong and are engaged. But to achieve that, you must take deliberate action. That is why I focus on inclusivity in today’s tight labor market. When you have inclusivity, diversity, equity, and belonging will naturally result.

As I have said, it is a competitive advantage for Printpack to recruit and retain the best people. To do that, we must be attractive to the full population. If we are not, then it will be impossible to attract the best people into our company.

Rather than a formal DEI program, we are focused on living up to our Core Values in which the beliefs and behaviors needed for fairness and belonging are enshrined. Although we do not set specific targets, we track diversity across many dimensions. These are the questions we are looking to answer: Are we making progress? Are we doing right? And are we being fair?

FPV: How are immigration policies impacting workforce issues? And how could the laws be changed to help with workforce issues? 

JC: We do not have enough people today who want to work in manufacturing, and the shortages are only expected to increase. As I have noted, it is the biggest constraint on our ability to grow. Actions are beginning to take place through industry, education, and government partnerships to improve this. But this problem has manifested over the last 50 years and will take time to see meaningful change.

There must be immigration reform to ensure we have a sufficient workforce to support the country’s manufacturing goals. The birth rate is continuing to decline, which will put more pressure on our sector over the long term, if we do not reform our immigration system. The great news is that the U.S. is a country where people want to come to and take their shot at the American dream, but immigration does need to be planned and controlled.