Setting a Welcoming Tone for Your New Hire

Why Foundries Need a Navigator for Every New Hire

Walk into any foundry today and you will hear the same challenge: finding people is hard, but keeping them is even harder.

The issue is not a lack of effort. Foundries are recruiting, posting jobs, increasing wages, and investing in training. Yet too many new hires leave within the first 30 to 90 days, often before they ever have a chance to succeed.

The problem is not the work. It is the experience.

The First 90 Days Define the Outcome

In a foundry environment, the first days on the job can be overwhelming. New hires are introduced to safety protocols, equipment, processes, and production expectations all at once. They are trying to learn while also trying to fit in.

Too often, onboarding becomes a checklist instead of a process. Orientation happens, training begins, and then the new hire is expected to figure out the rest on their own.

This is where most companies lose people.

The highest risk of turnover, disengagement, and safety incidents occurs in those early weeks, not because employees cannot do the job, but because they are unsure, disconnected, or hesitant to ask for help.

The Real Cost of a New Hire

Every foundry understands the cost of hiring, even if it is not always calculated on paper.

There is the cost of recruiting, advertising, and screening candidates. There is the time supervisors spend interviewing and onboarding. There is the lost productivity while the role sits open, and then the additional time it takes for a new employee to get up to speed.

By the time a new hire walks onto the floor, the company has already made a meaningful investment.

So the question becomes simple:

If you are willing to invest that much to hire someone, is it not worth investing a little more to ensure they succeed?

That is exactly what the Navigator provides.

The Role of the Navigator

The Talent Pipeline Program introduces a simple but powerful solution: the Navigator.

A Navigator is a trained employee who takes ownership of helping a new hire acclimate to the foundry, the team, and the expectations of the job. They provide day-to-day guidance, answer questions, and ensure the new employee is not left to figure things out alone.

In a foundry, this matters. The environment is fast-paced, physical, and highly dependent on teamwork. A new hire who feels disconnected or uncertain will struggle to stay and perform.

A Navigator creates a different experience. From day one, the new hire knows there is someone invested in their success, not just their output, but their understanding, confidence, and integration into the team.

Why This Matters for Foundries

Foundries do not have the luxury of constant turnover. Every open position impacts production, delivery, and the workload of the entire team.

When a new hire leaves early, the investment is lost, and the cycle starts again.

The Navigator model protects that investment.

It improves retention because new hires feel supported and connected. It accelerates productivity because employees are guided toward what matters most. It reinforces safety through daily interaction and modeling. And it strengthens culture by helping new hires understand how the team operates and what success looks like.

Perhaps most importantly, it ensures that someone on the team is accountable for the new hire’s early experience—not just hoping it goes well, but actively making sure it does.

A Core Tool of the Talent Pipeline Program

The Navigator is a core tool within the Talent Pipeline Program, supported by the U.S. Navy to strengthen the manufacturing workforce and ensure long-term production capacity.

TPP is built on a simple philosophy: Hire for Fit. Train for Skill. Retain for Life.

The Navigator brings that philosophy to life during the most critical stage of employment.

Through TPP, foundries receive a structured framework for implementing this model, including training, checklists, and ongoing coaching to ensure consistency and results.

Just as important, they join a network of companies committed to improving how they recruit, onboard, and retain their workforce.

From Hiring to Retaining

Many foundries have focused on improving how they hire. The next step is improving what happens after the hire.

The companies that will succeed are not the ones that hire the most people. They are the ones that keep and develop the people they bring in.

A Navigator ensures that every new hire has a strong start, a clear path, and a reason to stay.

Final Thought

If the goal is to build a stable, productive workforce, the answer is not more hiring. It is better onboarding.

You have already made the investment to bring someone in.
The Navigator ensures that investment pays off.

And for foundries ready to take a more strategic approach, the Talent Pipeline Program provides the tools, structure, and support to do it right.

Join a network of foundries committed to building and retaining a world-class workforce. Contact Bill Padnos, NFFS Director of Workforce Development at bill@nffs.org to get started.