PRESIDENT’S PERSPECTIVE

GENEVIEVE REINER MILLS Oakland Nursery, Inc. 2023 OGIA President geneviever@oaklandnursery.com

By the time you read this letter, we’ll all be deep into the busiest and most profitable (hopefully!) part of the year, but as I write this, I’m lying on my couch recuperating from emergency gallbladder surgery (don’t worry, I’m fine!). I share this personal medical info with you because when I was sent to the ER a week ago with some alarming lab results, I had the sinking feeling that I wouldn’t be seeing my office for a while. Yet, here we were, mere days away from May, with truckloads of annuals and tropical plants coming in, and eyeballs deep in many interior installs. Could something go wrong in my sudden absence?

Turns out, my fears were completely unfounded. My immediate team of about twenty has carried on— closing sales, training our newer members, making final preparations for the big summer push, installing moss walls, interior plants, and annual containers, and generally functioning quite well without me. And while I love to be needed, I frankly wouldn’t want it any other way.

It has taken us a long time and a great deal of work to get to this point. About six years ago, when we were a smaller department, we had a similar situation and the main holder of all info and knowledge of the department was suddenly absent unexpectedly. The handful of us who remained figured it out and kept it (mostly) together, but it was a serious challenge. I learned a lot from that experience and it has shaped how I have built my team since.

This is where the theme of this issue and training, defined processes, and bench strength come into play. In Oakland Green Interiors, we’ve spent a great deal of time making sure we have the right people in the right seats, that they know their job responsibilities and how to do them, and that we have—while not perfect—some degree of onboarding and a training schedule for our new hires. It has taken a great deal of work, forcing ourselves to look up from the drama of the day-to-day, some investment of time and money, and constant asking of questions. (My favorites: Can we do this better? How? Who has ideas?)

We’ve seen our younger team members grow, learn new skills, take on new responsibilities, and seen their confidence and professionalism rise accordingly. Plant people are an inquisitive and curious group, and if you give them an environment in which to learn, they’ll take almost any given opportunity to expand their knowledge.

I’ve found that when I encourage my team to watch webinars, go to seminars, or spring for them to travel to a convention, they bring back ideas and practices that THEY want to implement—a far cry in attitude from the boss coming in with the newest idea or process and foisting it upon them.

And yes, training is making sure you have manuals and basics of the actual tasks your team needs to perform, but what about customer service, first aid and safety, or equipment use? Spend a half day giving your team the tools to manage challenging customer service situations, and you’ll empower them to seek solutions, while freeing yourself from solving all the problems. (Who actually likes the “I’ll need to call the manager” calls?) Safety standards and regulations aren’t going anywhere, so embrace them, equip your staff with the information and skills they need, demonstrate that you value their wellbeing, and keep them safe. Plus, you can save some serious money: according to the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), businesses see an average return of $4 to $6 for every dollar invested into their workplace safety programs.1

By investing in training (and certifying!) our teams, we’re doing several things: we’re building a stronger, more educated and competent workforce, which in turn translates into employees who can interact professionally and comfortably with clients and customers, therefore raising the perception and value of our industry. Training sets standards for our people so they know what is expected and know the right (and wrong) way to do their jobs. By taking the time to train our employees we demonstrate that we value them, want to invest in them, and want them to succeed at their work and in this career. This moves us past the “we just need a body” mentality and allows us to build a sustainable, long-term workforce.

There’s no doubt that this is a process, and it takes the entire industry to agree that we’re going to help build a professional workforce at all levels. This is where your OGIA comes in—we’re excited about the training webinars, seminars, workshops, and a refreshed certification program that are coming down the pipeline! (And if you want us to offer a particular training, let us know!) So, sign up for training, certifications, and other mechanisms for creating accountability and knowledge growth, and know you are securing the future of your companies and your employees. Plus, you can always rest a little easier knowing that your team has it covered when you want to take a much deserved vacation, or, perhaps, your gallbladder acts up.

Have a great season!

1https://www.osha.gov/businesscase/benefits