RETENTION RULES AT GROW BETTER AND BOMBORA POTS

By Matt Ross

When employers need to maintain or add to their workforces, an age-old question emerges: Which is better — recruiting or retaining workers? In other words, is it more cost-effective to keep your current talent pool versus accepting turnover as a fact of business and focusing more on attracting, hiring, onboarding and training new employees?

At NGIV Industry Partner, Grow Better, the focus is very much on retention.

“Creating a positive workplace culture is our number one priority. We are really fortunate at Grow Better and Bombora Pots that we have been able to retain long-term employees who care and are thorough about their work, and loyal to our business,” explains Mike Donsen, Manager of Sales and Marketing at Grow Better and Bombora Pots.

One such employee, David Crane, is about to hang up his gloves and step into retirement after 23 years of loyal service.

“My role at Grow Better has been a breath of fresh air. There’s a fantastic work culture that’s kept me motivated, happy and rewarded for my efforts.” “I previously worked for a bank and was retrenched after 14 years of service. I took the time to assess what I wanted in a future role and really missed sales and building direct relationships with customers.”

“I was fortunate enough to secure a sales position with Grow Better, over time I became part of the management team responsible for packaging, pricing, suppliers, groups, sourcing new products, and companies to distribute for.”

“That variety of work kept me motivated and I felt appreciated in my work. I will miss the camaraderie at Grow Better, it’s a business that genuinely cares about its employees and a great place to work.”

David Crane and Mike Donsen

So as an industry how do we attract more employees who display the passion, loyalty and desire to learn, that David displayed?

“Perhaps the industry needs to be more open-minded to attracting and employing candidates from outside our industry, like we did with David. Having his alternative perspectives and experiences has benefitted our business enormously,” says Mike.

“Retaining David’s service for over two decades will have saved us many thousands of dollars in recruitment and training costs. We will always work hard to keep our team happy in a bid to achieve longevity, continuity and loyalty, from our workforce.”

“We will certainly miss having David’s input and demeanour at Grow Better, and we would like to thank him for all his service and wish him an enjoyable retirement.”

With the current difficulties in securing reliable, passionate, and loyal employees in our industry, it’s the ideal time to embed a workplace culture that values the retention and continuity of workforce. Mike and David are certainly testament to the benefits of a retention first approach to recruitment.

More information

e: mike@growbetter.com.au e: richard@bombora.com.au t: 9720 7475 www.bomborapots.com.au