In line with a recent post on expecting too much from staff I have a related but maybe different issue with regard to staff turnover.
In short it seems that pay, conditions, benefits, loyalty and the like do little to retain staff. My recruitment strategy has centred around my business/social networks and has worked well in terms of always finding staff and having the pick of them. Occasionally the job centre has supplemented this strategy. Some have worked with me for a while, maybe 3 years but eventually I loose them. I invest in them, their training and their welfare. I pay competitively and if good, move their pay up quickly. I'm not quick to anger and am fair. I'm not faultless though and wonder if I work them too hard but by enlarge their reasons for leaving are usually 'personal' of which I've gone out of my way to help them with. Always a female in the mix of it somewhere though!!
I suppose I'm interested if anyone can empathise with my frustration (I find LJN wonderful for empathy and I need a little now) but maybe more importantly can anyone tell me whether they went through this and rather than just getting lucky with someone, they actually changed their strategy, resulting in a more positive outcome.
Can't wait for your responses. Tell me there is light at the end of the tunnel. Or not?
Kind regards Neil
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Hi Neil,
I think it's just luck of the draw if I'm honest, the first guy I had with with me for a number of years before injuring his back outside work. I then had three guys who didn't stick with me for more than 6months. Reasons for leaving included finding more hours over winter period, poor attendance/punctuality and the other had a mental breakdown (outside work issues to blame).
The best guys I've found to be young lads who have known friends who I've employed. Albeit just a short term fix but had good success with university students too over the summer period. Whilst not a FT solution if it works out you know there is a good chance they'll be back for the next few summers.
Stick with it, it's a numbers game, you sound similiar to myself in the way you operate. Eventually you'll find good guys who'll be as fair with you as you are with them.
Simon
Very well put Andrew. Especially "...Some people see gardening jobs as a stop gap until something better come along." - that was me 42 years ago! In that time I've employed many, all move on eventually, but my current guys have now notched up 15, 7 and 3 years, so it's been pretty stable recently. Most leave because of money/lack of prospects. We used to take a school leaver every year, none lasted longer than a year, but all gained work experience and a good work ethic.
You do end up 'kissing a few frogs' first :D, but slowly you build up with key dependable staff. Some are not totally motivated by money (although clearly very important), but all things equal offering responsibility, focused traing and ability to run their day all help. My guys are very autonomus, we get our shedules sorted out in advance, they plan how best to execute and what they need to deliver it. When we get thanks, I make sure it gets to the right person, even better when it's an email.
Simple things like recognising their efforts, buying the coffee's/lunch occasionally and having a few 'fun days' is also good for moral.
You very quickly see the real person once the going gets hard. I had many who have 'spoken' a good game during interviews, but when faced with sh*te weather on a constant basis, utlimately give up.
Trial days/probabtion periods are all useful to weed out the bad ones...
Finally, as you stated running a business is hard work...but when it goes right is hugely satisfying :)
I have had a similar problem recruiting good staff, I am a fair boss but expect my staff to work hard along with me or on there own. one guy has been with me 12 years one 7 and one for a year. but over the last couple of years I have got through quite a few, it seem that they like the idea of being a landscape or general gardener but do not like the hard work or the weather. I have had two good students who were working once or twice a week on local estates, they were then offered full time jobs by the client, we couldn't compete with a house and the wage that was offered. I don't blame them as they were both young men who wanted to set up there own homes.
My guys have there own rounds and customers, they are responsible for those gardens and clients it gives them the pride in there work, responsibility for the work schedule for the garden and they build up a relationship with the client, there likes and dislikes and the garden.
This is I feel one of the key factors in keeping those staff, it shows my trust in them along with pride and job satisfaction. They have the authority to get whatever the client requests for the garden with out having to run it by me first.
You can only keep looking and eventually you will find the right person for the position. but as said before you will have to sort through the frogs.
I hear the message about allowing a larger degree of autonomy. Its useful to know you value greater delegation as a contributory factor in improving staff retention. The other message is the luck of the draw/kiss a few frogs. Done that, need a new strategy but as ever with most things in life the overall message is...keep plugging away.
Appreciate the comments.
I'm surprised im not hearing alot more bosses saying there staff left and stole some of there customer's to try to set up on there own. Most of the firms round my area it is quite common for that to happen.
The majority of staff who leave generally do not have the business acumen to suceed, they simply move onto the next business and so on..... The give away is their CV (with a job every a job 6 months or large gaps).
If they leave and take customers with them, it shows you have little customer loyalty and they are likely to be price-tarts.
The good ones that do leave to set up themselves normally have enough respect for previous employers if operating in the same region.
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