Author: Andy Wadman

For many manufacturers, Q4 can bring increased production demands, tighter deadlines, holiday schedules, and unexpected workforce challenges. Whether your business experiences a seasonal surge or simply needs to close out the year strong, waiting until production is already at its peak to address workforce needs can create unnecessary pressure.

The best time to solve a Q4 workforce challenge isn’t when production is already at its peak. It’s before the busy season begins.

Here are 10 things manufacturers should consider when planning for Q4.

1. Forecast Your Q4 Production Demand

Start by looking at your expected orders, customer forecasts, and historical production data. Understanding what demand could look like in the final months of the year can help you determine whether your current workforce has the capacity to keep up.

2. Evaluate Your Workforce Capacity

Take a close look at your current team and the skills required to meet your production goals. Do you have enough machinists, welders, operators, maintenance technicians, and other skilled workers to support your Q4 plans?

Identifying gaps early gives you more time to address them.

3. Plan for Holiday Time Off Early

Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year’s can create significant gaps in staffing. Employees will understandably want time off, so it’s important to plan for those absences before they affect production.

Review PTO requests early and determine which positions need coverage to maintain operations.

4. Account for Seasonal Business Peaks

Not every manufacturer experiences the same Q4. Some businesses see a significant increase in demand, while others experience a slower period.

Know where your business falls and plan accordingly. If your busiest months are ahead, waiting until production ramps up to find additional skilled workers can leave you scrambling for support.

5. Identify Critical Skills and Single Points of Failure

Q4 is not the ideal time to discover that only one person knows how to operate a critical machine or troubleshoot a specialized piece of equipment.

Identify the skills and positions that are essential to your operation. Then consider whether you have enough qualified people to provide coverage if someone is unavailable.

6. Prepare Your Maintenance Strategy

More production can mean more equipment utilization and more opportunities for equipment failure.

Review preventive maintenance schedules and address known equipment issues before they become unexpected downtime. Planning maintenance around your production schedule can help keep equipment and people working when you need them most.

7. Build Flexibility Into Your Workforce Plan

Manufacturing plans can change quickly. An unexpected order, extended project, or additional shift can change your staffing needs with little notice.

A flexible workforce strategy gives manufacturers more options when demand changes. Having access to skilled workers who can support specific projects or production needs can help businesses respond without placing all the additional workload on their existing teams.

8. Review Overtime and Shift Coverage

Before increasing overtime, look at your overall shift coverage. Can your current workforce support additional hours without creating excessive fatigue or unsustainable overtime demands?

Consider second- and third-shift coverage, weekend production, and holiday schedules when building your Q4 staffing plan.

9. Address Workforce Gaps Before You Need Them

If you already know you’ll need additional skilled workers, don’t wait until production is at full capacity to start looking.

Recruiting, screening, onboarding, and deploying skilled talent takes time. Starting the process early gives you more opportunities to find the right people and have them ready when production demands increase.

10. Don’t Forget About January

Q4 planning shouldn’t end when the calendar hits December 31.

Look ahead to Q1 and consider which projects will continue, how demand could change, and whether temporary workforce needs will extend into the new year. Planning beyond the immediate busy season can help you avoid carrying workforce challenges forward into the new year.

Start Planning Before the Busy Season

A successful Q4 doesn’t happen by accident. It requires manufacturers to look ahead at production demand, equipment needs, and workforce capacity before those challenges become urgent.

For some businesses, that may mean preparing for holiday absences. For others, it may mean adding skilled workers to support increased production or maintaining flexibility as customer demand changes.

The best time to solve a Q4 workforce challenge isn’t when production is already at its peak. It’s before the busy season begins.

By starting your workforce planning early, you can enter Q4 with a clearer understanding of your needs and a strategy for meeting them.

For manufacturers, growth can create a challenge that has little to do with demand. They need enough skilled people to meet that demand.

That was the situation facing CNH’s operation in Fargo, North Dakota. The facility manufactures large-scale agricultural equipment and wheel loaders for the construction side of the business, and as production needs grew, finding the skilled tradespeople needed to support that growth became increasingly difficult.

According to Tom Dennison, Operations Manager at CNH Fargo, the local labor market presented a significant challenge.

“The skilled trade we were looking for seemed to be lower in this area,” Dennison explained, while pointing to positions such as welders, machinists, plasma and punch operators, press brake operators, laser operators, mechanics, and electronics-related roles.

Even when CNH identified the right candidate, there was another challenge: time.

Months of Searching Wasn’t Sustainable

For a manufacturing operation, an open position can have a much bigger impact than simply leaving a job unfilled. When production depends on specialized expertise, vacancies can limit capacity, slow operations, and make it harder to respond to changing demand.

Dennison noted that CNH could sometimes spend months trying to find and hire the right people on its own.

That timeline created a clear gap between the people the facility needed and the speed at which it could bring them into the operation.

FlexTrades helped close that gap.

From Months to Weeks

CNH partnered with FlexTrades between 2023 and 2025 to supplement its workforce with skilled professionals across a broad range of manufacturing roles.

The difference in speed was significant.

As Dennison put it, while hiring independently could take months, “it’s literally weeks” with FlexTrades to get the right people through the door and working.

That speed gave CNH something critical: flexibility.

Rather than allowing open positions to dictate how quickly the operation could grow, CNH had access to skilled professionals when and where they were needed. Dennison said, “We wouldn’t be able to grow as fast as we had without that FlexTrades ability. It would have slowed us down dramatically.”

The support wasn’t limited to one type of position, either.

During the partnership, FlexTrades deployed traveling manufacturing professionals in roles including:

  • CNC Operators
  • Diesel Technicians
  • Maintenance Technicians
  • Fabricators
  • Assemblers
  • Painters
  • Press Brake Operators
  • Quality Inspectors
  • Welders

That breadth of expertise allowed FlexTrades to support different areas of the operation and address a variety of skilled workforce needs as they arose.

Speed Was Only Part of the Solution

Getting people into the facility quickly only solves part of the problem. In a highly technical manufacturing environment, the quality and experience of those workers matter just as much.

This was one of the areas where FlexTrades made a particularly strong impression on Dennison.

Reflecting on the maintenance technicians and welders CNH received, he said their skill level coming into the facility was “surprising.” Rather than requiring extensive training before workers could contribute independently, the experience and capabilities of FlexTrades professionals helped shorten the gap between onboarding and performing the job independently.

For CNH, that meant the value of the partnership wasn’t simply filling empty positions. It was bringing in people who could contribute quickly and effectively.

“If you want to get up and going with quality people fast, that’s definitely the way to do it,” Dennison said.

A Workforce Solution Built for Manufacturing

The needs of a modern manufacturing operation continue to evolve. In the same interview, Dennison discussed how technology is changing the skills required on the production floor, with IT and operations technology increasingly converging.

Machines are generating more data. Equipment connectivity is increasing. Operators and maintenance professionals are interacting with technology and systems that require a broader digital skill set than they did decades ago.

That makes access to qualified technical talent even more important.

For CNH Fargo, FlexTrades provided a way to address those workforce challenges without being limited solely by the available local labor pool. When the operation needed skilled professionals, FlexTrades could provide them in weeks rather than leaving CNH to spend months searching for the right fit.

And that combination of speed, flexibility, and quality gave CNH the ability to keep moving.

Dennison’s recommendation is direct: “I wouldn’t go with anyone else, that’s for sure!”

For manufacturers facing the same skilled labor constraints, the lesson from CNH Fargo is clear. When growth depends on specialized talent, the ability to quickly access experienced skilled professionals can make the difference between waiting to scale and being ready to grow.

When engineers think about career growth, the traditional path often comes to mind… joining a company, becoming an expert in one facility or product line, and gradually taking on more responsibility over time.

While that path can be rewarding, it isn’t the only way to build a successful engineering career.

Project-based engineering, often referred to as travel engineering, offers a different opportunity. Instead of spending years solving challenges in one environment, travel engineers step into new facilities, tackle unique problems, and apply their expertise across different industries, technologies, and manufacturing environments.

For engineers who enjoy problem-solving, continuous learning, and making an immediate impact, project-based engineering can be a career path that accelerates professional growth. For travel engineers, it also offers the added benefit of seeing different parts of the country.

What Is Travel Engineering?

Travel engineers are brought in to support companies through specific projects, technical challenges, and critical initiatives. They use their engineering expertise to help organizations improve processes, solve problems, and achieve measurable goals.

At FlexTrades, travel engineers support projects such as:

  • New product development
  • Mechanical or electrical engineering and design
  • Equipment installations and startup support
  • Manufacturing process improvements
  • Automation and controls projects
  • Plant expansions and relocations
  • Lean and continuous improvement initiatives
  • Production ramp-ups and recovery efforts
  • Quality, reliability, and operational improvement projects

The fundamentals of engineering remain the same: analyzing problems, developing solutions, improving processes, and collaborating with teams. The difference is the variety of environments where those skills are applied.

How Is Travel Engineering Different from a Traditional Engineering Role?

Traditional engineering roles often focus on one facility, one product line, or one set of processes over a long period of time.

Project-based engineers take those same engineering skills and apply them to a variety of challenges. Each assignment brings a new environment, new equipment, and new opportunities to learn.

The experience gained from one project becomes valuable on the next. Travel engineers bring knowledge from previous assignments and use it to create solutions faster, helping companies benefit from a broader perspective and proven problem-solving approaches.

Rather than waiting years to gain exposure to different systems and industries, project-based engineers can gain that experience with each new deployment.

Why Engineers Choose Project-Based Work

One of the biggest misconceptions about travel engineering is that it is simply temporary work. In reality, project-based engineering can be a long-term career path built around growth, variety, and meaningful work.

Many engineers choose this path because they enjoy learning through new challenges. Every project introduces new technologies, processes, and teams. Engineers expand their skill sets by continuously adapting to new environments.

Some engineers like to be the go-to subject matter experts on the team. Travel engineers are often brought in because that’s exactly what the company needs: a problem solver. They need experienced professionals who can evaluate challenges, recommend solutions, and help teams move forward.

Most people like to know they are making a difference in the work they do. Project-based engineers can make a measurable impact in a relatively short period of time. Projects have clear objectives, constraints, and deliverables, allowing success to be measured through improvements in cost, schedule, quality, safety, performance, or reliability.

For engineers who enjoy seeing the direct impact of their work, that ability to measure success can be incredibly rewarding.

What Type of Engineer Is a Good Fit for Travel Engineering?

The most successful travel engineers are adaptable, self-motivated, and comfortable stepping into unfamiliar situations.

Strong candidates often enjoy hands-on problem-solving and learning how different companies approach manufacturing challenges. Experience in areas like manufacturing engineering, process engineering, controls and automation, or field engineering can be especially valuable.

Beyond technical skills, communication and leadership are critical. Travel engineers often work alongside internal teams, sharing knowledge and helping others understand not only what solution to implement, but why it works.

Does Travel Engineering Mean Permanent Relocation?

No.

Many engineers are hesitant to consider travel roles because they believe the position requires a permanent move. However, most assignments have a defined project timeline, allowing engineers to gain new experiences and then return home once the work is complete.

Travel expectations vary by project and client. While onsite support is often required for engineering roles, some assignments may offer hybrid flexibility depending on the project scope and business needs.

Build Your Career Through Experience

Traditional engineering roles offer the opportunity to develop deep expertise within a specific organization or environment. Project-based engineering adds another dimension, exposing engineers to diverse industries, technologies, and challenges while allowing them to make meaningful contributions across multiple organizations.

For engineers who thrive on problem-solving, continuous learning, and professional growth, travel engineering provides a unique career path, one that combines variety, impact, and the opportunity to build a broad and rewarding body of experience, one project at a time.

In June of 1996, the National Safety Council (NSC) announced the first National Safety Month. Thirty years later, the annual June observance continues to promote workplace safety to employers and employees in high-risk industries, including manufacturing.

This year, the first week of National Safety Month focuses on moving safety forward by advancing a culture of safety with forward-thinking strategies and tools.

This blog will focus on some of the strategies and tools that FlexTrades uses year-round to promote safety in the workplace for our employees.

Proactive Approach

Our Risk & Safety Team is involved with every project before we have any boots on the ground. Before sending one of our employees into what could be a dangerous environment, it is important to understand the risks a project presents and ensure that each potential job site is proactively addressing those risks to keep people safe.

Some of the first documents we request from a potential client are their OSHA logs and safety records. The Risk & Safety Team reviews those documents to understand the site history and ensure safety compliance.

Sometimes, we will find a gap in a potential client’s safety approach or documentation. Whenever that happens, we work to resolve those gaps. Worst case, we may decline a project if we do not feel those gaps can be properly filled or if there is unnecessary risk to a FlexTrades employee. But normally, safety concerns are addressed and we can confidently move forward.

Early in the relationship, our Risk & Safety Team builds a relationship with the client safety point of contact so there is a direct line of communication from the start.

Communicating Safety

Safety is everyone’s responsibility, and it is important to regularly communicate safety topics to keep them top of mind. At FlexTrades, we produce content that helps maintain safety awareness across the industry. That includes anything from blogs like this to social media posts that promote content from organizations like the National Safety Council (NSC) or Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA).

It is equally important to consistently and clearly communicate safety information to our technicians. Leading up to a deployment, our technicians receive all the details about the project they will be starting. This includes their travel arrangements and details about their position, but it also includes Safety First Reminders.

Safety First Reminders include the basics, like what PPE a technician is required to bring versus what will be provided on site. The reminders also include position-specific information. For instance, a welder’s Safety First Reminders will include reminders about ventilation, inspecting equipment, protective barriers, and fire safety.

Reporting Unsafe Conditions

Unfortunately, this is not a perfect world. Bad things can happen despite proactive efforts to prevent them, and we always want to be aware of any unsafe activity so we can address it and learn how to prevent it.

With that in mind, we created an Employee Safety Hotline. This is a phone number provided to all employees where they can anonymously report anything that is unsafe on a job site.

What can be reported?

  • Unsafe working conditions
  • Accidents, injuries, or near misses
  • Harassment, bullying, or workplace violence
  • Any concerns affecting safety or well-being

For some people, it can be hard to speak up about these topics, especially if it involves a coworker or leader. With this anonymous hotline, we hope to enable all our employees to comfortably report any unsafe activities.

Recognizing Safe Practices

It is also important to celebrate safe outcomes and recognize the people who go above and beyond to contribute to them. Our SpotSafe Program empowers our Operations Engagement Managers (OEMs) to quickly recognize technicians for safe, proactive behavior. It also provides additional incentives for everyone to find ways to maintain the highest safety standards.

Why should this be important to everyone?

  • Safer, more efficient projects with reduced risk and downtime
  • Hazards are identified and corrected in real time
  • A strong safety culture is promoted on projects
  • Technicians are motivated to perform at their best

There are three categories for recognition in the SpotSafe Program.

The first category for recognition is “Hazard Hero.” This recognizes employees for reporting and/or correcting hazards or near misses. A hazard or near miss may not cause an injury the first time or even the hundredth time, but it represents a gap that can be filled to keep everyone safe.

The second category for recognition is “Safe Start.” This recognizes employees for consistently following PPE requirements on site. PPE requirements are based on lessons learned in blood and tears, and they are the last line of defense in the Hierarchy of Controls.

The third category is “Lead by Example.” This recognizes employees for coaching peers, mentoring, or leading safety initiatives. Leadership is not just top-down. Someone who takes safety to heart and encourages those around them to do the same is extremely valuable.

Winners receive a certificate announcing which category they were nominated for. They also earn raffle entries for monthly and annual awards that include prizes and company-wide recognition.

Conclusion

National Safety Month serves as an important reminder that safety is never a one-time conversation or a box to check. In manufacturing and skilled trades, maintaining a strong culture of safety requires consistent communication, proactive planning, accountability, and recognition of the people who make safety a priority every day.

At FlexTrades, safety is built into every stage of the process. From evaluating projects before they begin, to preparing technicians for the environments they will enter, to creating open channels for reporting concerns and recognizing employees who lead by example, these efforts are all part of our commitment to protecting our people and helping create safer, more productive job sites for everyone involved.

As we recognize National Safety Month this June, we encourage everyone across the industry to continue moving safety forward by staying proactive, speaking up, and supporting one another both on and off the job site.

Humans have always looked to the sky and stars with curiosity. That curiosity has led talented and determined individuals to make it their life’s work to reach higher and higher. The Wright brothers achieved the first powered flight in 1903. Less than 70 years later, in 1969, Neil Armstrong became the first man to set foot on the moon.

On April 1, 2026, another aerospace milestone was achieved with the launch of NASA’s Artemis II mission. Humans traveled back to the moon for the first time in more than 50 years.

Artemis II delivered some incredible accomplishments and statistics:

  • At 252,756 miles, the crew traveled farther from Earth than any humans before them, surpassing even the Apollo missions.
  • Christina Koch became the first female astronaut, Victor Glover became the first Black astronaut, and Jeremy Hansen became the first Canadian astronaut to travel around the Moon.
  • Artemis II was the first crewed flight of NASA’s Orion spacecraft, a platform designed to help establish a long-term human presence on the moon.
  • After a flight lasting 9 days, 1 hour, and 32 minutes, the crew safely splashed down off the coast of California.

For many people, moments like Artemis II represent the excitement of space exploration. For those of us in manufacturing, however, aerospace represents something even bigger: one of the most advanced and important manufacturing industries in the United States.

What Aerospace Means to Manufacturing

Back on Earth, aerospace is much more than rockets and trips to the moon. Aerospace impacts daily life in ways most people never stop to think about. Technologies developed through aerospace innovation have contributed to GPS in our phones and cars, satellite communication, advanced materials, robotics, imaging technology, and countless manufacturing processes used across modern industry.

The scale of the aerospace industry alone is staggering. There are approximately 45,000 flights every day in the United States, and every one of those flights depends on manufacturing.

Commercial aircraft are made up of millions of individual components that must meet extremely tight tolerances and rigorous safety standards. Engines, landing gear systems, turbine blades, avionics, structural components, electronics, fasteners, and composite materials all require highly specialized manufacturing processes and skilled labor to produce.

This is one of the reasons aerospace remains one of the highest-value manufacturing sectors in America, representing roughly 3% to 5% of total U.S. manufacturing output. Unlike many industries, aerospace manufacturing pushes the limits of precision machining, advanced materials, automation, and quality control.

When aerospace advances, manufacturing advances alongside it.

Aerospace Drives Innovation Across Manufacturing

Aerospace manufacturers consistently push the boundaries of what manufacturing technology can achieve.

Modern aerospace production drives demand for:

  • Advanced CNC machining
  • Large-format machining
  • Multi-axis machining
  • Composite manufacturing
  • Precision welding
  • Robotics and automation
  • Non-destructive testing (NDT)
  • High-level inspection and metrology

The tolerances involved in aerospace manufacturing are often measured in thousandths of an inch, and failures in quality are simply not an option. Aerospace manufacturers and suppliers operate under some of the strictest production and quality standards in the world because reliability and safety are critical.

These standards have ripple effects across the broader manufacturing economy. Many technologies and manufacturing processes first refined in aerospace eventually influence industries like automotive, energy, defense, heavy equipment, and medical manufacturing.

In many ways, aerospace helps define what advanced manufacturing looks like in America.

Skilled Labor Keeps Aerospace Moving

While the industry is driven by cutting-edge technology, aerospace manufacturing still depends heavily on skilled tradespeople.

Machinists, welders, inspectors, assemblers, maintenance technicians, composite specialists, programmers, and engineers all play critical roles in keeping aerospace production moving forward. These are highly specialized positions that often require years of training and experience.

At the same time, manufacturers across the aerospace supply chain continue to face serious labor shortages. Many experienced manufacturing professionals are reaching retirement age, while fewer young workers are entering the skilled trades pipeline.

That creates challenges for aerospace manufacturers trying to meet production schedules, maintain quality standards, and keep up with growing demand across commercial aviation, defense, and space exploration.

How FlexTrades Supports Aerospace Manufacturing

At FlexTrades, we understand the challenges aerospace manufacturers face because we specialize in supplying highly skilled manufacturing talent where it is needed most.

From CNC machinists and welders to engineers, inspectors, and advanced manufacturing technicians, FlexTrades helps aerospace manufacturers and their suppliers solve labor shortages, support production demands, and meet critical deadlines. Our network of some of the most skilled tradespeople in America can be deployed within days to anywhere in the country.

In an industry where precision matters and downtime is costly, having access to experienced manufacturing professionals can make a major difference.

The Future of Manufacturing Is Already Here

Without the aerospace industry, missions like Artemis II would never leave the launch pad. But behind every rocket launch, commercial flight, and aerospace breakthrough is a manufacturing workforce making it possible.

Aerospace is not just another manufacturing sector. It is one of the industries pushing American manufacturing capabilities forward through innovation, precision, and skilled labor. As the industry continues to grow, the need for experienced manufacturing professionals will only become more important.

When most people talk about manufacturing or warehouse work, they tend to focus on skills, complex tools, or efficiency. But spend a little time on a shop floor or in a warehouse, and something else becomes obvious pretty quickly. It’s not just what someone can do, it’s how they show up while doing it.

That’s where technicians like Brandon J. stand out.

Brandon is an Inventory Control Technician with FlexTrades who is currently on assignment at Mesa Labs in Colorado. We had the pleasure of interviewing him on-site. His technical abilities are impressive, but what really stands out to clients has little to do with a checklist of skills. It’s his mindset, positive attitude, and the way he approaches nearly every interaction.

A man who “Just gets to work”

Brandon’s background is rooted in hands-on manufacturing experience, including years of foundry work and other traveling roles. He’s done the kind of work where precision matters and consistency isn’t optional.

What defines his approach, though, is far less technical. Brandon told us that he is “persistent and eager to learn. Willing to get in there, roll my sleeves up, and get to work.” He goes on to say, “I come in with the mindset that, hey, I’m here to do what I gotta do, and I’ll make it happen.”

That mindset is on display in how he approaches assignments at Mesa Labs, particularly in supporting warehouse functions, where flexibility and dependability matter just as much as technical skills.

For Brandon, the expectation is straightforward. Show up to work, stay engaged, and keep things moving.

No drama. No hesitation. Just effort.

Presence you can feel

When we hear about Brandon from Mesa Labs leadership, they don’t start with output metrics or the tasks he’s completed.

They start with how he makes them and their team feel.

When Mesa Labs provided a write-up for Brandon to be recognized for our Technician of the Quarter Award, which he won in Q4 2025, they said, “Brandon is always kind. He’s a team player who meshes well with everyone. Brandon always has a smile on his face and makes me want to smile too.”

We had the chance to speak with Jasmine Stone, Director of Operations for Mesa Labs. She added, “Brandon’s smile brightens the mood of everyone just by walking in the door.”

That might sound simple, but in a manufacturing environment where pressure, deadlines, and shifting priorities are constant, that kind of presence matters more than most people realize.

People like Brandon change the tone of a shift and influence how teams move through the day together.

Attitude that turns into productivity

Brandon’s technical role at Mesa Labs is straightforward. He pulls work orders, stages materials, and supports warehouse flow across different departments. What makes him valuable in this role isn’t just execution, but his willingness to go above and beyond.

Brandon told us about a time when his main duties slowed down, so he said to his manager, “I can’t just sit here. What else can I do?” His manager had a project in mind. “I dang near moved half the warehouse around to stay busy,” Brandon said.

That attitude led him to regularly jump into adjacent tasks, support other teams and departments, and help keep work moving across the facility. As his manager put it, “We’ve done a lot of the ‘groundskeeping’ things that get pushed aside. We’ve been able to reshape the warehouse, making sure that we are the best possible warehouse we can be for our customers.”

That willingness to stay active, flexible, and engaged is exactly what clients notice about technicians from FlexTrades.

The client perspective: Trust, Consistency, and fit

For many facilities, staffing challenges aren’t just about filling roles. They’re about finding the right people quickly, without sacrificing quality.

Stone emphasized consistency and clarity. “What separates FlexTrades from other agencies is transparency on pricing and competencies.” More importantly, “There has not been an individual where I was expecting X and got Y. FlexTrades says what we’ll do, and we do what we said.”

Seth Walker, Warehouse and BGI Manager at Mesa Labs, echoed a similar message about trust and fit. “You guys vet your people ahead of time. If we’re getting somebody from you, they’re a great person.”

When you combine that client expectation with the reality of technicians like Brandon, the full picture comes into focus. It’s not just staffing. It’s alignment.

The bigger picture: Why mindset scales

It’s easy to assume that productivity in manufacturing comes down to skills, complex tools, or efficiency. But Brandon’s story highlights something more. When technicians bring the right mindset, everything else works better.

  • Teams communicate more smoothly
  • Workflows stay flexible instead of breaking under pressure
  • Clients trust the people on-site faster
  • Facilities recover more quickly when priorities shift

That’s the multiplier effect of attitude. Not loud or complicated. Just consistent.

Conclusion

Brandon doesn’t describe himself as exceptional, because he doesn’t need to. His work, his attitude, and feedback from clients like Mesa Labs make that clear.

His advice to anyone going into the trades is simple. “Put your feelings aside and go in there with hard work. If you put forth the effort, usually it pays off.”

For clients like Mesa Labs, that mindset shows up every day. Not just in what gets done, but in how it feels to get it done.

In the end, technical skill gets the job started. Mindset is what keeps everything moving.

Traveling for work offers many opportunities, like strong pay, gaining professional experience, and seeing new places all over the country. But life on assignment also comes with the unique challenge of being far from home.

When you’re working hundreds, or even thousands, of miles away from family and friends, the sense of community you build on the road becomes incredibly important. The people you meet along the way often become the ones you share meals with, celebrate holidays with, and lean on when you’re navigating a new place.

I spoke with one of our experienced technicians, “John” (name changed at his request), about how he approaches life on assignment. As an introvert, he’s naturally a quiet person, but over time, he has learned that building connections with other technicians makes life on the road far more rewarding. What often starts as a quick conversation can grow into friendships that last long after an assignment ends.

Here are a few simple ways John builds community while traveling for work.

Pay Attention to Your Routine

One of the easiest ways to connect with people is simply by paying attention to the routines around you.

When you’re leaving for work in the morning or coming back at the end of the day, take note of who else might be doing the same thing. Someone carrying a lunchbox or still wearing PPE might be working nearby. They may even be with FlexTrades.

Creating a few routines outside of work can also help. Running errands, going for a walk, or visiting the gym at the same time each day helps you start recognizing familiar faces. Over time, those small interactions can turn into casual conversations and eventually friendships.

Start with Simple Conversations

Breaking the ice doesn’t have to be complicated.

If you think someone might be in the trades, John says one of the easiest questions to ask is simply, “Are you with FlexTrades?” Sometimes the answer is confusion. Sometimes it’s a surprised, “How’d you know?” Either way, the conversation has started.

If they’re with FlexTrades, you can also ask who their recruiter is as an easy follow-up. Shared connections instantly create common ground.

Even if they’re not in the trades, being new to an area gives you plenty to talk about. Asking where the best grocery store is or what restaurants they recommend can quickly lead to a good conversation.

Listen More Than You Talk

As the saying goes, “We have two ears and one mouth so that we can listen twice as much as we speak.”

For John, being an introvert actually became an advantage when it comes to meeting people. Instead of feeling pressure to do all the talking, he focuses on listening. Asking a few questions and showing genuine interest encourages others to share more about themselves.

When you’re a good listener, you don’t need to be the most outgoing person to make meaningful connections.

Pets Can Help Break the Ice

If you’re able to bring a dog with you on assignment, it can naturally create opportunities to meet people.

Walking a dog helps establish a routine and often leads to casual conversations with others in the area. People tend to ask about the dog, which makes starting a conversation feel easy and natural.

John also mentioned that having a dog around can help take the pressure off during those quiet moments in a conversation. If things pause for a moment, attention can shift to the dog rather than the silence.

Of course, bringing a pet isn’t always possible for some people. But when it is, it can be a great way to break the ice.

Turn Conversations into Shared Activities

Once you’ve broken the ice, the next step is building the relationship.

John likes to look for simple opportunities to spend time together. If the hotel has a grill, he might invite a few people over for a casual BBQ after work. Around holidays, he’s found small ways to celebrate, like hanging candy on people’s doors during Halloween.

Shared hobbies are another great way to build connections. Watching football on Sundays, finding a local fishing spot, or exploring the area together can turn acquaintances into real friendships.

Just like relationships back home, connections on the road grow through shared experiences.

Staying Connected After the Assignment

Eventually, every assignment comes to an end. Technicians head home or move on to the next project. But the relationships built along the way don’t have to end there.

John keeps in touch with many of the people he’s met while traveling. Some have invited him to weddings. Others exchange messages during the holidays. He’s hosted friends in his hometown and visited others when passing through their city.

For some technicians, the community built on assignment becomes one of the most rewarding parts of the traveling lifestyle.

Community Makes the Road Feel Smaller

Working on the road can feel isolating at first, especially when you first arrive somewhere new.

But as John has learned, building connections with new people can quickly change that experience. A conversation in the parking lot, a shared meal after work, or a weekend activity together can turn a temporary assignment into a place where you feel welcome.

Over time, those relationships often stretch far beyond a single job site. They become a community stretching across the country. Friends you can visit, call, or reconnect with years down the road.

And in a career built around travel, that sense of community can make the road feel a lot more like home.

October 25th is National I Care About You Day, which is a day encouraging people to express their love and appreciation for family, friends, and significant others. Traveling for work and being away from home may require a little more creativity to celebrate, but it’s no excuse to miss out on this opportunity. Just like having the right tools on the job, the right tools for communicating can make all the difference.

This blog covers some common ways to stay in touch with family and friends and hopefully will give you a couple of new ideas.

Send an Email or Text

This is an obvious answer, but sending a message to a person or group is so easy. It can be a quick “Good morning, what are you up to today?” message to your significant other to start the day. It could also be that ongoing text chain with your best buddies full of memes, irreverent jokes, and savage fantasy football trash talk.

Regardless of what you choose to send, it’s an easy way to keep a conversation going.

Voice and Video Calls

Many studies have shown that hearing the voice of a loved one has psychological benefits. It can reduce stress and anxiety, boost mood and happiness, and reinforce relational bonds.

Send a Postcard

Many of us enjoy seeing new places and exploring this great country. In fact, travel is one of the selling points of taking a job with FlexTrades! A great way to share that experience is to send a postcard.

If there’s something interesting within 50 miles, there’s probably a postcard with a picture of it readily available. State welcome centers, tourist sites, truck stops, and gift shops are just a few common places to find one. Before you drop it in the mail, write a quick note about where you were or what you were doing to add even more to the postcard.

Video Games

A 2023 technician survey revealed that a common travel essential for technicians is their video game console or laptop. If you already play games at home, it’s a relatively easy activity to pack up and keep the good times rolling on the road. Of course, this option depends on a solid internet connection, so be sure to check with your hotel to see what the internet and Wi-Fi connection options are before you go.

If internet speeds don’t allow a full-blown console game to run, there are hundreds of games you can play using a web browser or the app store on your phone.

Streaming Together

If you like to “Netflix and Chill,” there are a number of ways you can stream content with others.

For free content, like YouTube, most apps with screen-sharing features will work. Some apps even have built-in functionality to make it easy and interactive. For example, Discord has a built-in feature called Watch Together, which allows you to build and watch a YouTube playlist with anyone you want.

For paid streaming services, like Netflix or Hulu, there are a number of apps or browser extensions, such as Teleparty, that allow you to watch together, but anyone watching will need a subscription to those services.

Virtual Date with Your Significant Other

Last year, we posted a blog with ideas on how to celebrate Valentine’s Day on the road. But you don’t need to wait for Valentine’s Day for a virtual date.

This can be as easy as planning to go for a walk while on a video call. Or take it further and plan an evening to eat a meal together while streaming a movie or TV show. You could even schedule a delivery of flowers or a gift to arrive during your call.

Conclusion

With smartphones, tablets, and laptops, it’s easier than ever to stay in touch with friends and family wherever we all are. If you’re looking for ways to stay connected and celebrate National I Care About You Day, give some of these suggestions a try.

October is National Manufacturing Month in the United States. Like many companies, FlexTrades jumps at opportunities to advocate for our industry, and for those who work in the skilled trades. Let’s take a look at when National Manufacturing Month started, and why it should matter to all manufacturers.

History

National Manufacturing Day is the first Friday of October, and was first celebrated in 2012. This first instance was a collaboration between the Fabricators and Manufacturers Association (FMA) and the National Institute for Standards and Technology Manufacturing Extension Partnership.

In 2014, former President Barack Obama made the first presidential proclamation declaring the First Friday of October as National Manufacturing Day. Former President Joe Biden and President Donald Trump have made similar proclamations celebrating this day as well.

As interest in this day grew, the whole month of October became National Manufacturing Month.

The Purpose

There is a steady need for skilled professionals in manufacturing and many sectors face regular labor shortages. It is important for the industry to make a unified effort to find ways to fill those gaps.

National Manufacturing Month is intended to showcase modern American manufacturing to the masses. It is an opportunity to expose the next generations to the excellent career opportunities that are available. Companies and educational institutions open their doors to give a glimpse into the training programs and careers that could be the future for many young people just getting started.

In Action

One of the most popular computer-aided manufacturing (CAM) software companies, Mastercam, has celebrated National Manufacturing Month for years. One of their programs allows students to see the design process that happens in their CAM software and follows that process to the CNC machine that executes those designs.

Last year, the University of Nevada, Reno hosted Northern Nevada Manufacturing Day. The day was full of events, starting with employer panels from local manufacturers including Tesla. Later, they hosted a networking event for students to meet the panelists and other employers.

What Can You Do?

If you’re a manufacturer, host a tour of your facility, show how your products are made, or represent your company at local Manufacturing Month events.

If you’re an educator, plan on-campus events for your community to attend so they can see how various trades are taught. Invite alumni back to campus to speak to students about their real experiences in the trades.

If you’re looking for more information about careers, or you’re just fascinated by manufacturing, look for local events to attend!

Lastly, keep an eye on our blogs, and our YouTube channel. We are all about advocating for the trades.

Happy National Manufacturing Month everyone!

At FlexTrades, our recruiters seek out some of the most skilled and professional tradespeople in the country. An important part of that process is making sure each new employee understands what working for FlexTrades is all about.

We asked our recruiting team to share some of the most frequently asked questions they get when speaking to candidates. If you’re a tradesperson considering working for FlexTrades, this article may answer some of your questions before you begin.

Question 1: How do I get to the job site?

Once you’ve accepted a position, the first part of the journey is getting to your hotel near the job site, but how do you get there?

Personal vehicles:

The most common option is using your personal vehicle. Travel Pay is provided and is intended to help cover gas and other travel expenses. Your recruiter will provide more details based on the project you’re assigned to.

Commercial flights:

For some projects, flights may be used to get you closer to the site. Once you land, a group transport vehicle will typically take you from the airport to the hotel and from the hotel to the job site. This vehicle is usually driven by your on-site Project Success Manager.

Rental cars:

In rare cases, you may be offered a rental car to get from the airport to the hotel and then to the job site.

Question 2: How often are we paid?

Weekly pay is standard for all positions. The hourly amount depends on the position you are filling. Overtime is paid at time and a half after the first 40 hours.

In addition to wages, you will receive a daily per diem. This is tax-free money meant to cover expenses while traveling. Rates vary by project and region, but the most common is $45/day. Your recruiter or the job posting will provide specific details.

Question 3: Can I work more than 50 hours?

Yes, depending on the project. A minimum of 50 hours per week is guaranteed, which includes 10 hours of overtime. In many cases, clients bring in FlexTrades because there is a lot of work to do, and that can mean even more overtime opportunities.

Question 4: Can I refer people to you?

Yes. You can refer friends and family to FlexTrades. If the person you referred is hired and works 30 days on-site, you will receive a $1,000 bonus.

Note: Referral bonus details are accurate at the time of this post but are subject to change.

Question 5: Do you offer benefits?

Yes. FlexTrades offers a full suite of benefits to technicians. Some benefits have already been outlined above, including weekly pay, per diem, overtime, and referral bonuses.

Additional benefits include:

Question 6: What happens after the project?

A number of options may be available at the end of a project. When you complete a project successfully, FlexTrades will always try to find you more work. Options depend on your skillset, the time off you want between deployments, and the positions currently open.

Extensions:

Sometimes you may be able to extend your current project. If available, your Project Success Manager or recruiter will let you know before your project ends. You are never required to accept.

New project:

You may prefer to head home for a while or start a new assignment right away. Toward the end of your contract, your recruiter will check your availability and interest.

Flexible home time:

You always have the option to take time off after a project, whether to see family, return to a seasonal job, or simply rest at home.

Question 7: What’s the catch?

There is no catch. Like any job, you need to show up and do the work. If you’re a professional who shows up on time every day and does your job, you will be well compensated for your efforts.

Conclusion

If you have questions that weren’t answered here, write them down and ask your recruiter. They will be happy to answer anything to make sure you feel comfortable and confident working with us.

Part of FlexTrades’ mission is to “provide life-changing career opportunities for our technicians.” To deliver on that mission, we want you to have the information you need to make the best decision for yourself and your career.

Flex Trades
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FlexTrades - Hudson, Wisconsin

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