Grow Your Own Employees

Wouldn’t that be great?  Given the shortage of good talented folks to fill the open positions, it would be something to have your own garden and raise them to your specifications.  That’s not quite a surreal as you may think – well, at least a part of it isn’t!  Your company can “grow” employees by improving their self-image, talent, and awareness of the importance of what they do.

The Overall Problem

Not enough people – it’s that simple.  All staffing markets are experiencing the same problem.  There is a great deal of talk among politicians about ‘taking jobs away from America’, but the fact is there are not enough willing and able people available to fill the jobs we have.

The shortage is felt the most intensely when attempting to fill jobs requiring specialized education and skills.  Jobs such as legal, medical, accounting, IT, and a number of others are some of the most difficult.  Finding ways to increase the number of people that can do those jobs is a national level problem, impacting not only the staffing industry, but all types of business.

The Light Industrial Staffing Problem

This is an area where the shortage of people is not as much of a problem as the shortage of motivation.  In my work with staffing companies over the last 35 years, I have seen this as a consistent issue.  It’s found in attempting to fill positions in manufacturing, warehouse, assembly, and many others where it is difficult to obtain consistent performance.  By far, this is the market  that experiences the most no-shows, late arrivals, walk offs, and the “one check and I’m gone” syndrome.  Unfortunately, these circumstances can result in a negative attitude on the part of recruiters which perpetuates the same energy and continues the decline.

What’s the Real Cause?

The unproductive behavior driven by lack of motivation and limited expectations needs to be reversed.  How can that be done?  Most observers would point to what would seem obvious – more money for employees.  The tight margins in these types of positions would make that an untenable option.  Besides, there have been many studies which prove that assumption to be false.  Ranking ahead of money is appreciation – a sense that what you do is important and that your contribution is recognized Study on Employee Engagement.  If you are employed to write high-tech software for the next iPhone, it’s easy to see the importance of what you do.  But that sense of importance is not so obvious when you’re assembling parts on a production line.

What’s the Answer?

As in most things in life, there is no one-size-fits-all solution here.  Each situation must be evaluated by the specific type of work and the local population that can support it.  But here are a few ideas:

• Positive Initial Presentation. Take a close look at the job description – a really close look.  Besides the obvious simple description of duties, describe what it would take for an employee to be outstanding in this position.  Why is the job important?  What value would the worker be contributing to the client company and possibly the users of the finished product?  Every job is important.  Share that importance with your employees.

• Seeing the Big Picture. This will take cooperation with your customers.  Once employees have worked on their assignments for a brief period, take some time to show them around the rest of the customers’ facility.  Let them see how their contribution fits into the big picture.  If possible, show them the finished product.  Knowing that one’s efforts are a part of something bigger and of value is real motivator.

  You might be surprised.  Your customers may thank you for showing them a way to motivate their own full time employees!

• Evaluating Performance. Feedback is very important.  Just letting an employee leave an assignment with no real communication on how they performed is one of the best ways to lose them forever.  Let them know what they did well, and congratulate them for it.  If there is need for improvement, explain how they could have done better.  If it’s a lack of skill issue, do what you can to give them training they need.  This is just another way of helping them recognize the importance of their contribution.

What Does This Do for Your Staffing Company?

Consider the change in your environment.  Employees will be far more motivated to show up for their jobs and work with purpose.  Your customers will notice the difference and tend to look to you first rather than to your competitors.  Your recruiters will be motivated due to a much better return for their efforts.  Word will spread in the community, which will help your recruiting process.  And keep in mind the WOTC (Work Opportunity Tax Credit) benefits of providing work for that many more employees living in designated areas.

None of this will happen overnight.  It will take planning, hard work, and cooperation from your own staff, as well as your customers.  But it’s important that you don’t turn this into some kind of cookie-cutter, rehearsed, restaurant greeting type of process.  Your employees and customers will see through that in a heartbeat, and you’ll be right back where you started.

You really can create your own garden and grow your own employees.  It will take a great deal of work to prepare the land and plant the seeds.  But before long, you’ll be celebrating the harvest!