I read a short article recently where the writer was describing his frustrating experience when making a food and beverage order, which he repeated twice, had it said back to him, and it still was wrong. His sub-headline was, “It’s hard to get good help these days.”
I’m sure he was being somewhat sarcastic, but it’s true. It’s really hard to find good people and keep them. Almost every business owner or executive I talk with tells me the same story, which is, they could grow faster if they could find more employees. Notice I didn’t write “good” employees.
I know businesses that have stopped doing drug tests for positions not requiring one (like for a commercial driving job where it’s a requirement). A friend was surprised last year when his new employer told him they don’t do drug testing (and this was not in a state which legalized marijuana, which adds its own set of issues).
On July 30, 2018 the Wall Street Journal had a front-page article titled, “Employers Eager to Hire Try a New Policy: ‘No Experience Necessary.’” This is a big swing from the post-Great Recession era when talent was abundant, and employers could be fussy. This covers a wide range of industries from mechanics, to programmers, to management and everything in between. The article also mentions reduced drug testing and reduced background checks.
Which bring us to the situation facing most business owners, which is, “How do I attract and retain good people.” In fact, I have added this as one of the first few things an owner should do when preparing their business for an exit.
One of my favorite stories is about a business buyer who, when the seller said he couldn’t talk to the key people prior to the deal closing, said to the seller, “You may think I’m buying your business but I’m really buying your people.” Private equity groups buy management teams and individuals buy an operation having capable people with diverse responsibilities.
What this means to an ongoing operation is invest in your people because they’re hard to replace. The tech firms get this with all the amenities they offer on and off campus. Most people work for small companies because they don’t want to be one of thousands. My friends at Pacific Tool have monthly BBQs, at Pacific Studio they have regular “Beer Fridays,” and Spectra Labs has Tacoma Rainiers tickets for their staff.
But it starts with hiring good people. Another of my favorite stories is about when a client almost gagged when I recommended he hire two new salespeople with a monthly base salary double the highest they had ever paid before. He smiled three months later when both of those salespeople were into commission (and in record time). They were worth it!
Finally, all of the people who can help you grow don’t have to be employees, especially if you don’t need them full time. You can outsource bookkeepers, controllers, CFOs, IT experts, HR, sales experts, C-level management, and more.
Conclusion
Computers, machines, and artificial intelligence can replace some people and improve productivity. But you still need people, good people. Find them and keep them. The cost of replacing them is incredibly high.