We had a great panel discussion at our Dinner Meeting on January 18, 2022. Together, the panelists had over 100 years of experience in the Green Industry. We discussed the lack of help, increasing employee wages, and how to find new employees and keep current ones.<\/p>\n
NHLA would like to thank all of our panelists for their time and expertise: Greg Herring from The Herring Group, a landscape consulting firm; Thomas Morin, owner of Morin\u2019s Landscaping, Inc.; Andrew Pelkey, co-owner and COO of North Point Outdoors; and George Pellettieri, owner of Pellettieri Associates, Inc. NHLA would also like to thank Jim Moreau from Northeast Turf & Irrigation for moderating the panel discussion. Finally, NHLA thanks all of the members that attended. It was a very successful night.
\nAs you all know one of the challenges all employers are facing now is an acute labor shortage. We all know how difficult, if not discouraging, it can be to find and keep the right people to do the demanding work we do each day. Some say, people don\u2019t want to work anymore, especially in jobs that require hard physical labor. Others say that workers are out there, but we just don\u2019t know how to reach them and inspire them to do the work we find personally satisfying and rewarding. There\u2019s something special about creating, designing, and building beautiful landscapes to make our clients happy. We explored the challenges we all face, no matter the size of our company.<\/p>\n
We want to share some of the outcomes and ideas from the meeting.<\/p>\n
Biggest concerns or challenges regarding their workforce:
\n\u2022 The uncertainty of the H2B program and the changes in the laws.
\n\u2022 We have more work than we can handle with our current staff.
\n\u2022 The retention of employees and rising salaries.
\n\u2022 Be careful not to overlook current staff who are doing really well for the company, before hiring new staff.<\/p>\n
Biggest frustration with employees:
\n\u2022 The lack of commitment.
\n\u2022 Common courtesy towards others.
\n\u2022 Time and effort into training, only to have them leave the next day.<\/p>\n
COVID impact on hiring:
\n\u2022 It has had little impact; it has been sliding for the past 5-10 years.
\n\u2022 Staff dealing with childcare and remote learning.
\n\u2022 The flexibility to accommodate family schedules.<\/p>\n
How wages impact companies?
\n\u2022 Significant wage increases.
\n\u2022 Work around schedules.
\n\u2022 Margins have to stay the same, double-edged sword.
\n\u2022 Unfortunately wage increases are not stopping any time soon.<\/p>\n
Where can we look for help?
\n\u2022 The H2B Visa program works well; however, you need to be able to justify the cost. It\u2019s not for everyone. Currently there is a lottery system and prevailing wages.
\n\u2022 Placing signs on telephone poles.
\n\u2022 Contacting family and friends.
\n\u2022 Hiring for experience versus degrees.
\n\u2022 Facebook
\n\u2022 Cold calls<\/p>\n
Successful ways for finding and keeping productive employees:
\n\u2022 Employees have a purpose, such as volunteerism. \u201cI can make a difference!\u201d
\n\u2022 Career paths
\n\u2022 Incentives programs
\n\u2022 Profit sharing<\/p>\n
How can NHLA help?
\n\u2022 Health insurance
\n\u2022 Employee Assistance Programs
\n\u2022 Education programs
\n\u2022 Learn Everywhere program<\/p>\n
Overall, it was a great discussion! The board will plan future meetings and events to meet your needs. Please contact any board member with your ideas. We are here for you!<\/p>\n
\u2014 by Pam Moreau, NHLA Business Manager<\/em><\/p>\n <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" We had a great panel discussion at our Dinner Meeting […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[29,24,23],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-4066","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-29","category-commentary","category-news"],"yoast_head":"\n