ImagesMagUK_November_2021

KB BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT www.images-magazine.com NOVEMBER 2021 images 71 business. This means taking the time and effort to build a training programme, establish standard operating procedures for the work, and – this is crucial – create a company culture that keeps employees from leaving. Finding the new crew I’ve been talking with four or five dozen shop owners a week for months. They have been struggling with the same problems that you are facing. A few have figured out some things that seem to be working. Take a look and see if any of these could help out in your situation. Results may vary. The trend is to hire younger While we may want, and really need, time-tested veteran work staff… the chances of you getting a new press operator, embroidery operator, production manager or artist that has oodles of experience and can’t wait to make their mark in your shop are very thin. What seems to be working is to find new employees who have a great attitude, who want to work, and who can’t wait to learn. I’ve heard the same story over and over again. Shops are recruiting high school and college students, or those who are out of school but haven’t found something career-wise quite yet. Yes, they are hiring part-timers. The goal isn’t to hire anyone that can fog a mirror. Warm bodies aren’t going to get you very far. Instead, what I’m hearing is that these shops are offering career training and market their business as a fun place to work. They know that these positions are going to be stepping stones to something else so if they can get one to four years from these new hires, that is acceptable. Interviewing There is anecdotally a gigantic problem these days with people that say they are interested in the job, but ‘ghost’ you and don’t actually show up for their interview. I have personally spoken to business owners who have scheduled dozens of interviews, and not a single person came by for their allotted time. Because this seems to be a trend, probably the only way to combat this is to be more proactive about vetting the candidates earlier in the process. This means more information and transparency regarding the jobs you are advertising. I would suggest always showing your compensation ranges, benefits, and other items to communicate these important facts early on. Also, with the advent of video communication, why not try a video job interview before they are slated to come by your place of business? Typically, there usually is a phone call and a short conversation anyway. Instead of that, try using video and see if this improves your statistics with potential candidates actually showing up for the (second) live interview in person at your business. How to market hiring These new employees are brought in via a few different routes. Here’s what I hear is working: Loop in the school Many secondary schools and colleges have resources allocated to help students find work. Sometimes these are called work- placements or internships. If you have a campus near your business, track down the person who organises this. There are students that can work production, but they can also help you with your marketing, purchasing, invoicing, social media, search engine optimisation, creative art generation, and even sales. Don’t be shy about getting someone working on a project, they often are thrilled at the chance to prove their worth. Your shop, of course, is going to have to train them and give them clear expectations regarding their job. Make sure you set aside appropriate time to show them the ropes and teach them what to do. Your existing employees A tried- and-true method that is still extremely successful is to use your existing staff to help market open positions in your business. Everyone knows a cousin, neighbour, friend, relative, or acquaintance that needs a job. Shops that I’ve spoken with have had great luck paying $250 to $500 (approximately £180 to £360) for a D o you need more employees right now? Chances are that you do. I’m constantly speaking with business owners, and almost all are lamenting that they can’t find enough qualified help these days. Many businesses are in a pickle. During the early days of the Covid pandemic, they were forced to lay off employees, reduce hours, or make some hard choices. For many, it made sense. When business dried up, so did the need for staff. But now that the world has opened back up, the need for businesses to fill their staffing positions is almost at a critical point. This is true regardless of the business focus or industry. Where is everyone? While it is easy to point fingers and say ‘people just don’t want to work’, I don’t think that is necessarily true. My contention is that when the world stopped due to Covid, people moved on from their current job and pursued other interests. According to research by SHL, which offers science- and tech- based HR solutions, an extra 85,000 new businesses were set up in 2020 compared to 2019, making it “the best year on record for new business creation in the UK”. While obviously this doesn’t account for every missing employee everywhere, it does give some credence to the fact that people weren’t sitting around waiting for Covid to end. Recently, I’ve spoken to several people who took advantage of the crisis to start a new company. People moved on with their lives. Some went back to school, while some older workers simply chose to retire (research by Legal & General Retail Retirement earlier this year revealed 1.3 million people planned to take early retirement as a result of the pandemic). As home prices and stock market values rose, they could afford it. Most people just found new jobs. Former workers are not coming back Despite throwing more money at the situation, by now it is obvious that the trained workforce that existed a year or so ago will not be coming back to their old jobs. For shops that need staff, your best bet is to start fresh. Just swallow that difficult-to-hear pill and move on. The work now is going to be based on hiring employees that want to work and training them in the new roles in your For shops that need staff, your best bet is to start fresh. Just swallow that difficult-to-hear pill and move on