Hiring and Retaining the Right People for Exponential Growth

Having a challenge finding and/or keeping people with the knowledge, skills and attitude you need in your business to keep up with your growth or to get to exponential growth?
About 4 million workers in the US quit their job in April. That is a 20 year high. There were 9.3 million job vacancies in the US at the end of April. That is another 20 year high.
Some owners in many industries are having a tough time finding the right people to fill vacancies they have in their business. Some are growing in the mid-teens in terms of a percent increase in revenue when they know they could be growing in the 20-something percent range.
In addition, companies are having trouble keeping good talent and character. The cost of employee turnover is very high not only in direct costs but also in lost opportunity and production.
What can be done that we aren’t doing now to fill open positions and to keep them full?
The elements of the work environment in companies needs, in some cases, to be radically changed if we are to attract, hire and retain talented people with good character. Let’s take a look at the elements of the work environment. They are:
• The Facility
• Benefits
• Compensation
• Work Hours
• Training
• Equipment
• Career-Pathing
• Safety
• How management treats employees
• How the employees treat each other
The list above is not necessarily in any order of priority or importance but each one is a priority and each one is very important. Let’s brainstorm some things regarding each of these elements of the work environment by asking just some questions that should be given consideration. Some of these questions may generate more questions that you might have.
The Facility:
• Is it kept clean by a paid cleaning company or a paid cleaner?
• Are the restrooms kept well-stocked?
• Does everything work properly in the restrooms?
• Is the furniture in good condition and ergonomically correct?
• Is the air and heat doing a good job of keeping it comfortable indoors?
• Would a top tier employee want to work there when they see the facility?
• Is the lighting good?
• Is it in a fairly safe neighborhood?
• Are grounds of the facility well-maintained?
• Are there any unsafe conditions in or around the facility?
Benefits:
• Do employees get all the major holidays paid?
• Do they get paid vacation and does that time increase with tenure?
• Does the company provide healthcare, eye care and dental care insurance coverage? Does the company significantly contribute to the cost of this coverage?
Compensation:
• Can an entry-level worker make $50K a year in your company? Can top producers in entry-level positions make a $100K?
Work Hours:
• Do employees work over 40 hours a week?
• Do employees get Saturday and Sunday off virtually every weekend if not every weekend?
• Do employees have time to enjoy their hobby and family?
• Do employees get a long weekend on some holidays such as Thursday – Sunday off during Thanksgiving?
Training:
• Does the training employees are provided make them more than competitive against their competition?
• Does the training make them very confident?
• Is training on-going?
• Is there regular seasonal review training?
• Does training cover how to deliver good personal service as well as the procedural side of service?
• Is the training program documented?
• Is safety a regular part of training?
Equipment:
• Does the equipment make employees more efficient?
• Does it make them more productive?
• Is it always clean and in good working order?
• Does it make their job easier?
• Are they always provided all the safety equipment they need? All the PPE?
The way they are treated by management:
• Are they treated as adults?
• Are they treated with respect?
• Does management treat them they way management would want to be treated? Is the Golden Rule a workplace rule?
• Does management lead? Does manager pull the team along with his/her own performance and level of confidence?
• Does management care about the employees?
• Do the employees know that management cares about them?
• Do employees have a way of having their voice heard? Is there an open door policy?
• Are the employees happy AND productive?
How employees treat each other:
• Do employees treat each other the way they want to be treated?
• Do they work well together?
Career-pathing:
• If an employee decides they don’t necessarily want to change their role in the company, is there a program that still would put them on a good career path?
• Do they get paid for learning?
• Do they see opportunity to take on more responsibility as the company grows?
Safety:
• Is there a documented safety program and training?
• Are there regular safety inspections?
A healthy, happy and productive work environment does not happen by accident. It is something leaders create on purpose. It is needed to attract and retain the right people. It is a place where integrity is non-negotiable. Companies with great work environments have a distinct competitive advantage over the competition.