Equipment Manufacturing: Chuck Anderson, Chicago Dryer Company, San Diego, Calif.
Most of the world has struggled for the last couple of years to find and retain good employees.
With unemployment rates still at historic lows, workers have the upper hand in demanding higher wages and more perks. To find and retain good employees need to be creative and pay more than you may be accustomed to.
First, to maximize your hiring efficiency, you need to disqualify to find the right fit. This may sound funny, but it saves both the employer and applicant time and money.
Make sure your job advertisements are honest, and honesty builds trust, right? Don’t use generic templates sourced online. Write a job ad that is specifically tailored to the position, listing both the pros and cons of the job, work environment, pay scale, and often overlooked company culture and values.
Filling certain positions can benefit from a skills-based job posting rather than requiring credentials. Requiring degrees or certain credentials can eliminate a lot of good candidates.
Onboarding and orientation are very important to make sure an employee stays on for more than a couple of weeks. Make sure your company has a solid plan for this and sticks to it.
You have already invested the time and money to get the employee in and if that employee does not feel welcomed and feels like you are not willing to invest in them, they will quickly move on.
I have seen this happen where an employee is thrown to the wolves without direction or maybe paired up with the wrong mentor and it rarely works out.
Feedback on performance is very important to most people, make sure you are regularly communicating with your employees on their performance and guiding them if they need professional development in a certain area.
Over the last year, I have seen a huge uptick in employee spotlights and recaps of employee appreciation parties on social media. This may be a good way to say thank you for a job well done and a good way to engage and retain your employees.
Consider flexible schedules, remote-work or hybrid options if the position warrants. This is not necessarily a bad thing if done correctly, and more of today’s workers are looking for work-life balance benefits.
Human resources (HR) should be instrumental in developing plans for professional development and opportunities for advancement, which are very important for employee retention.
Performing “stay interviews” is more important than ever to gauge where employees stand on specific issues and overall workplace satisfaction. These should be done quarterly if possible and yearly at minimum.
If an employee does resign, make sure to conduct an exit interview to find out the reason(s) the employee is leaving. You may learn valuable information to tweak your operations for better employee retention.
Consulting Services: Stephanie Gregg, Vizient, Little Elm, Texas
I think the primary thing a company can do is understand the diversity within their population, especially the minority groups and vulnerable populations.
What are the challenges your staff face in their community or at home, and what can you do, as an organization, to alleviate some of those challenges?
Does your organization offer childcare assistance, public transportation, flexible work schedules, social programs or translation services? Does your staff have multi-generations at home and must care for aging parents?
Understanding the needs of your community and population is the first step to employee hires.
Additionally, focus on the staff you currently employ to improve retention.
Do you honor the multiple customs and cultures of your team, allow them time to eat and socialize in a manner they are accustomed to, and make the work environment a place where they are comfortable and at ease?
Healthcare Laundry: Jay Juffre, ImageFIRST, King of Prussia, Pa.
This is an area I am particularly passionate about. Finding and keeping great people seems to be a continuous challenge for many within and outside our industry.
Generally, when I start talking with owners or operators, I get a lot of excuses. “We can’t find enough good people” or “You don’t know what it’s like in (fill in the city).”
A good way to address this is to objectively look at how well the team is hiring. The 90-day survival rate is a quick and easy way to do this. This number typically tells the story and is a great place to start.
If a high percentage of new hires are making it to the three-month mark (say above 85%), you can feel confident that your hiring and onboarding process is solid.
However, if a low percentage of folks you bring into the company make it to that point, there are opportunities to improve your hiring process. Have people interviewing candidates dig a little deeper. Ensure that candidates go through multiple interviews, including some sort of job shadowing, so they fully understand the expectations.
And finally, follow the golden rule of hiring: past performance predicts future results. If someone has had four jobs in the past four years, your company will probably just be another one they will shortly leave.
When it comes to who you are hiring, make sure you have high standards for the people you are bringing to the team. No one wants to work with duds, and bringing on weaker employees only discourages the stronger ones.
Now that hiring issues have either been addressed or confirmed as good, let’s look at retention.
To me, this is all about how you treat your team. Get to know them as people. Find out what would make working at your company even better.
Get them to talk about why they choose to stay and what might create a situation where they would leave. Set up potential career paths for those who want it.
And involve them in ways to make the job better.
At the end of the day, hiring right needs to have a process that supports it. Once you have a great employee, work extremely hard to keep them.
Chemicals Supply: Leonardo Gastelum, Norchem Corp., Los Angeles, Calif.
To help your laundry grow and tackle hiring and retention challenges, your HR department can adopt several practical strategies.
Start with a comprehensive recruitment plan utilizing social media, job boards and employee referrals to attract candidates. Highlighting your company culture and benefits will make your business more appealing.
Improving onboarding and training programs is crucial. Streamline the onboarding process to help new hires settle quickly and offer regular training sessions to keep skills sharp.
Foster a positive work environment by encouraging open communication and recognizing achievements.
Offering competitive compensation and benefits is essential. Conduct market research to ensure fair salaries and consider perks like flexible scheduling, wellness programs and professional development opportunities.
Develop retention strategies by seeking regular feedback, addressing concerns and implementing recognition programs.
Analyze turnover trends to understand why employees leave and create targeted strategies to address these issues.
Boost engagement with team-building activities, social events and wellness initiatives. Flexible work arrangements, such as remote work options or compressed workweeks, can meet diverse employee needs.
Implement a mentorship program where experienced employees guide new hires, encouraging knowledge sharing and skill development. Stay current with industry trends to ensure your HR practices remain effective.
By adopting these strategies, your HR department can significantly contribute to your laundry business’s growth and help overcome hiring and retention challenges.
Check back tomorrow for the conclusion with insights from experts in uniform/workwear manufacturing, commercial laundry and textile/uniform rental.
Have a question or comment? E-mail our editor Matt Poe at [email protected].
