Acquiring and Motivating New Employees

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One comment I hear a lot is, “I can’t find anyone who wants to work!” Or, “I can’t get my employees motivated!” I’ve always said, “Manage processes, not people.” If you have the right processes in place, with the right people, and include the right motivating factors, they won’t need someone to tell them what they need to do. They will already know, and they will want to do it the right way.

One of the best articles I ever read about getting better employees was “Business Buzz” by Tom Grandy in last month’s issue, titled, “The Tech Shortage is Really a Pricing Problem!” I encourage you to find it and read it. Since Mr. Grandy did such an awesome job pointing out how to get people to show up wanting to work for you, I will focus on motivational factors for new employees. Over 44% of the workforce in HVAC will retire in the next ten years.* That will leave a huge hole in an industry whose employment needs are projected to grow 21% through 2022,* which is faster than any other occupation!

So now we have an aging workforce leaving, and a new generation of workers coming

in with a different set of motivating factors and goals. We need to be ready to handle this. Below is a report put out by “The Intelligence Group,” a business investigation and intelligence firm. See the results of a study about millennials in 2015 in the graphic.

How do these statistics apply to an HVAC business? Since 88% prefer a collaborative work culture rather than a competitive one, set up goals and contests that reward the team, a long with individual compensation. As far as offering flexible work schedules, I already know of several contractors who have set up four-day work weeks, allowing a longer period of time off. Some employees may not mind working four, ten, or twelve hour days if they could get a long weekend. Since they consider work and personal life blended, a company should consider having the employees spouse or family involved in company activities.

I would also highly recommend that your set of work rules and employee handbook be rewritten by the employees every 2-3 years, simply to get input from the team. If they make the rules, they are more likely to agree and go along with them. Being that social media and the internet is such a big part of their life, make the use of technology part of their jobs. Everything an employee will need to perform their job should be made available when they need it. I encourage you to look at my website frankpresents.com for a list of resources that will help.

Changing everything to meet the needs of the future workforce doesn’t happen in a day. A few steps at a time will eventually get you there. Focusing on the needs of your team has to be a priority. If it isn’t, you wind up with people who just show up to get paid, instead of driven, hard-working team members who want to win. Start making the change by asking about what they want to see or do differently. You’ll be surprised how much you’ll learn.

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Posted In: ACCA Now, Management