How Can Landscaping Companies Find and Keep Employees?
There's no denying that all of the behind-the-scenes work that goes into running a successful landscaping company can be difficult to juggle. One of the big challenges that business owners face today is finding and keeping good talent. You've probably encountered this problem time after time if you run your own landscaping company. The bottom line is that every employee is a reflection of your company. Are you looking for ways to hire the right people and keep your employees satisfied for the long haul? Take a look at some simple ways landscapers can find and keep talent.
1. Offer Room to Grow
Nobody wants to feel stifled in a position. That's why it's so important to offer employees room to grow once you bring them on your team. You may be thinking that you don't actually have much growth potential to offer at your small company. However, that simply isn't true.
You can increase responsibilities and titles as employees gain experience at your company. The possibility of getting a promotion can be a huge incentive for providing solid work. Of course, the growth potential that you are able to offer will depend on the size of your landscaping business. You should do your best to promote within whenever possible.
Solid candidates will flock to your company if it is known in the industry that you're willing to move workers up to supervisor or management roles when the time is right.
2. Make Every Employee a Default Salesperson
Most landscapers don't think of their employees as salespeople. This is a huge mistake. You should never think of the person you're hiring to cut lawns or plant trees as simply a person you're hiring to cut lawns or plant trees. Every person that shows up to a client site on your behalf should be trained as a salesperson. This will empower your employees to try to sell additional products and services to clients.
How can you encourage this? A smart idea is to begin giving small commissions every time employees get customers to agree to extra products or services. Everyone wins in this scenario because you get more business and your employees get a chunk of the pie.
3. Create an Innovative Work Environment
Nobody wants to work in an environment that seems out of date or stale. Is your landscaping company operating exactly the same way it was 20 years ago? It definitely might be time to invest in some new software. Doing so will allow your employees to use technology to save time and serve customers better. This will make their jobs easier on so many levels. What's more, it will also make them feel good about working for a company that appears to be on the cutting edge of what's happening.
4. Look to the People You Know
You might be surprised to discover just how willing friends and family members might be to come and work for you. Do you have a nephew who is about to graduate from high school or college? Is one of your nieces trying to figure out what kind of career she wants? Did one of your neighbor's kids just turn 18? All of these people in your life could be very eager to begin a career at your small business. You will benefit from the added loyalty of hiring someone you already know if you begin talking about career options with people in your circle.
5. Take Time to Go to Job Fairs
You can find amazing talent at job fairs. The fact of the matter is that anyone who shows up at a job fair already has the level of motivation that you're looking for in a potential employee. What's more, a job fair basically serves as an in-person interview that you can conduct without taking time out of your busy schedule. Don't be surprised if you find someone that you can hire on the spot if you set up a post at a job fair in your city.
6. Don't Be Afraid to Provide Training
Not every new hire is going to come with all of the skills you're looking for. There's nothing wrong with that. You can and should take time to provide training that will get new hires where they need to be in terms of skill and knowledge. What's more, current employees can also benefit from training. They may even feel appreciated if you are willing to invest time and money into training them. It goes without saying that employees are much more likely to stick around if they feel appreciated.
7. Reach Out to Educational Institutions
Many high schools, vocational schools and colleges have students who are interested in botany and 
agriculture. These students are ideal candidates for your landscaping company. However, you may not know where to find them or know how to get in touch with them. That's why forming a relationship with a local place of learning can be very beneficial.
Reach out to a high school, vocational school or college in your area to see if they would like to work with you for recruiting purposes. You can also open positions for internships. This will give students opportunities to learn under your wing. What’s more, you may be able to transform some of your interns into full-time employees when the time is right.
8. Offer a Bonus for New Employees
Are you in a crunch to get some new employees on your team before a busy season? You may be able to attract some top-tier applicants by offering a sign-on bonus. The bonus amount doesn't have to be huge. However, providing a bonus is a great way to encourage the best of the best to work with you instead of going to work for a competitor.
How We Can Help
We have the business management software to help with all the things on the back end. This will open up the time you need to spend developing the relationships that will make your business soar! Give us a call or fill out the contact us form today!
