Employee recruitment and retention Part 1--recruiting strategies: if you are having difficulty attracting new top-quality employees, you need to find out why and institute changes.

A few months ago, we solicited suggested topics for this column. (If you have a request, e-mail me at [e-mail].) More than 40 percent of the suggestions were related to employee recruitment and retention (ER&R) matters. Thus, I intend to devote several columns to this important management topic that has not been addressed for seven years. This month we took to answer the question: "What should I do to become an employer of choice for many in my area?"

There is a direct relationship between employee recruitment and employee retention. The type of person you recruit will ultimately determine the pool of employees you need to retain. Similarly, the employee pool you need to retain can profoundly affect your recruitment efforts. This month, we discuss recruitment issues.

Perception Is Key

One overriding issue certainly affects your recruitment efforts: the potential hire's perception of the industry or your company. As you know, perception is not necessarily the reality. While reality affects recruitment and retention, many in your community know your company only via rumor or impressions formed from hearsay. From this, their perception is formed.

If the perception is negative and wrong, you've got your work cut out to convince the tabor pool to the contrary. If the negative perception is correct, you need to make changes in your company. It is essential that the new image be positive if you want to have a successful ER&R effort.

Finding out how others in your area perceive you is the first step if you are serious about attracting employees and reducing turnover. Be warned, you are about to venture into a potential reality shock zone.

Determine Your Image

I like to approach challenges in a simple pragmatic way that gets right to the point. I created a simple toot to use in improving your employee recruitment and retention efforts (see diagram).

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First, ask yourself if the tabor pool that you deem desirable in your area will even consider your company? If so, will they join you if you offer them a job? If the answer is yes, your company has no recruitment problem.

If you peace ads and do not get applicants, or have difficulty getting the unemployed or unhappily employed to consider you, or if you are considered, but your job offer is not accepted, you need to find out why. Then, analyze the reasons and fix them. If you cannot make the necessary changes to attract the desirable labor pool, you are going to be stuck in a survival mode.

Therefore, you need to navigate the chart if you want to become an employer of choice. Don't let anyone tell you they cannot find out why those you seek will not join your company or that you cannot overcome the reasons. After you remove all of the constraints, keep the process ongoing to make sure you do not slip backward.

If the desirable labor pool will consider and join your company, but will not stay, go through the very same process.

Remove the Constraints

Obviously, I cannot speculate on every constraint to employee recruitment that your company may face, nor do I have the space on these pages. There are, however, a few universal reasons that always arise; one being "We can't match the pay of IBM down the street." You don't have to match them, because your employee requirements are not the same as theirs. If you or your local department of economic development has not conducted a wage survey lately, you need to ask them to do it; or do it yourself to determine the wage scales in your community so that you can be competitive with others who are competing from the same tabor pool.

Pay is not everything, but it is important, as we all know. Make an effort to become competitive and avoid saying, "We can't afford to raise wages." If you can't get competitive in wages, your productivity is too low--plain and simple. This is just another reason to embrace lean manufacturing and get an aggressive continuous improvement program working.

The second constraint often mentioned is the working conditions--the dust, noise and dingy work environment. If these conditions exist, do something about them. If they are bad enough to keep good job applicants away, they also are causing safety, health, quality and productivity problems that need to be addressed anyway.

A dirty and disorganized plant encourages bad work habits, poor workmanship and non-conformance to quality standards and expectations. If an employee works in a negative environment, he or she will reflect that environment in their work, day after day. If your factory is not clean and bright, well organized and relatively quiet, don't be surprised if you have ER&R problems, as well as problems meeting your production goals or making a good profit.

With the sophisticated machinery and equipment that have been available to your industry for years, there is no excuse for a working environment that is not efficient and attractive to your target labor pool.

Reshape Your Image

If your company is serious about improving its ER&R, it will formalize a program to address and eliminate the constraints it uncovers. Then your company needs to get the word out in order to change any negative perception. Your existing work force is the best pipeline. In addition, you can send press releases to the local newspapers. Most editors will welcome positive news for their business sections.

Hopefully, your local school system has a program that will help disseminate your message. Some areas in the United States and Canada are fortunate to have a formal program like WoodLinks[R] (www.woodlinks.com) or the new National Association of Manufacturer's (NAM) Dream !t Do !t[TM] campaign. In southwest Virginia, where a lot of furniture factories have closed, wood products companies are part of a diverse industry group that is actively involved in the NAM program (www.dreamit-doit.com SW/SWVA).

If there is no program in your community, talk to other local wood products companies and see if something can be done. Send a representative to the schools to talk about today's high tech wood products industry, located right in their town. Having an active public relations campaign in your community will pay big dividends. Every company should encourage its middle and upper management to get involved in the community to give the company visibility and help shape its public image. Let the community know about all the computer technology in woodworking--even if you do not use all of it.

Summary

Look at this subject from the perspective of one looking for work in your area and ask if he or she would want to work for your company? Would they want to work for you? If the answer is no, you and your company need to become proactive and make the changes necessary to become an employer of choice. Watch for part two of this series next month.

Tom Dossenbach, the managing partner of Dossenbach Associates LLC, a Sanford, NC-based international consulting and research firm, will present a full-day workshop on Lean Manufacturing and Continuous Improvement at the Texas Woodworking Show & Cabinet Conference, March 7, 2007, in Dallas. For details, visit www.texaswoodworkingshow.com.