ATTRACT, SELECT AND RETAIN THE BEST STAFF

By Sheena Kane, Kane Independent Consulting

Over recent years, the horticulture sector has found it increasingly challenging to consistently source labour for full time and seasonal employment.

Adding to this are the challenges faced by many employers during the COVID Pandemic.

A considerable positive of the pandemic has seen significant increased demand for horticulture products as a result of many people spending more time at home. Which has only exacerbated the labour shortage issue across the industry

This labour shortage has been magnified by the COVID pandemic in the following ways:

» Labour supply interruptions due to lockdowns

» Labour supply interruptions due to isolation and quarantine requirements

» Labour supply interruptions as a result of employees choosing not to comply with vaccination mandates

» Reduced transient labour supply, typically made up of backpackers, students and other seasonal workers

» Significant limitations in overseas and domestic travel and movement

I remember working in a factory back in the mid 90’s where the attitude of management was if you didn’t like it, the door was right there. I began to notice that even though most of the jobs were very low skilled (including mine) that it took a bit of time before a new employee really knew how the place worked. I also saw how many unwilling and unreliable workers were hired and promptly stopped showing up. It got me thinking very early on about the value of attracting and retaining the best staff.

I can bore you with lots of statistics, so I’ll keep this part short:

» Average cost of replacing an employee in Australia – $23,860

» Average replacement time – 40 days

Some companies use 20 per cent of an employee’s wage as a benchmark of what it costs to replace someone. This is a big chunk of company profit through direct and indirect costs. So, it makes sense to put some real effort into both attracting and retaining staff.

Attracting Staff

How do you recruit? I’m talking to a lot of NGIV Members and companies in other industries who are all telling me it is very difficult at the moment to just find staff. So what are some companies doing?

» Figure out where your potential new recruits are hanging out online. Are they on Facebook or LinkedIn? TikTok or Instagram?

» Tell your current employees you are hiring. No one wants to be embarrassed by suggesting a bad fit. Maybe give rewards such as gift cards for successful hires?

» Become an employer of choice. Have you put the same thinking into your ‘employer brand’ that you have into attracting potential customers?

Selecting Staff

How do you decide who to hire? Although you cannot be sure of an applicant’s performance or conduct until they’re on the job, a well thought out selection process can really help:

» Set selection criteria. Think about what qualifications, skills, licences are necessary. What’s nice to have and what is a must have?

» Use a structured interview with set questions. This makes it easier to rate applicants against each other. Use behaviour-based questions such as, “tell me about a time when you proved yourself as a team player?”

» Check references. Yes, I can just put my mum down and she’ll say I’m great. My tip is to call the landline for the company and ask to speak to the referee. And ask, “would you hire this person again?”

Retaining Staff

What is your company culture? Good and bad. HR people often make very lengthy surveys to find this out. My simple option has two questions:

1. What are three things you like about working here?

2. What are three things you would change?

Have a zero-tolerance approach to bullying and harassment. A healthy workplace culture helps reduce absenteeism and turnover. I’ve seen too many good people leave their jobs because of a toxic work environment. Respect keeps the good ones.

Offering flexible work arrangements can be a great way to tap into reliable staff. Many parents would love to work in between drop off and pick up times for the kids. People transitioning towards retirement would love to keep working, but not necessarily full-time. The bonus here too is that statistics show that companies with diversity are more profitable too.

And let’s be honest, money talks. If you can afford to pay more, do so. This can be in a number of ways such as:

» Per hour pay rise

» Bonuses – can be related to work targets or annual, for example a Christmas bonus

» Providing training that can lead to promotions.

This is only a snapshot of ideas when it comes to attracting and retaining the best staff. If you’re an NGIV Member and would like a copy of my suggested interview questions and ratings system, please feel free to call or interview me. Also, we’d love to hear your ideas on what’s worked and hasn’t worked. Looking forward to hearing from you!