In the wake of the global pandemic, businesses around the world are experiencing a shift in the labor force that has been dubbed "The Great Resignation." Workers have been leaving their current jobs or the workforce completely in droves, causing job vacancies that are leaving companies short-staffed across nearly all industries. By some estimates, half of all workers are considering leaving their jobs. The pest management industry is not immune to this trend.
The reasons behind The Great Resignation are multi-fold.
- Retirement age workers are leaving: Many Baby Boomers, the general name for the generation born between 1946 and 1964, were poised for retirement ahead of the pandemic. This generation, until Millennials, made up the largest portion of the workforce. When the pandemic hit, many decided to make retirement official. This trend is predicted to continue over the next several years.
- People want an employer that cares: In a new survey out from Gallup in March 2022, less than 1 in 4 people feel that their company cares about them – the lowest results in a decade. This general sense of not feeling valued is driving workers to look for new employment opportunities.
- Remote and hybrid work options: The pandemic accelerated a trend that was already underway of people seeking more work flexibility, so people are leaving employers who can't or won't offer remote or hybrid options.
- Younger workers seeking work that aligns with their values: Among the youngest generations, there's another trend on the rise. Pre-pandemic research from LinkedIn found that 86% of Millennials, the largest segment of the workforce, would take a pay cut to work for an organization whose values align with theirs. A 2018 survey from Deloitte found that 77% of Gen Z workers, those born between 1997 and 2012, also said this is important to them. Younger workers are job-hopping to find the right fit.
April is National Pest Management Month and it's a great time to recognize the work of the nearly 100,000 people in North America who work as pest management technicians – and the thousands more that support them in management and administration roles. It's also a perfect time to shine a light on the industry itself and what a great place it is to work.
To do that, and provide pest management companies with the recruitment and retention secrets of great pest management providers, we've assembled a list of 20 foolproof strategies for keeping your employees happy and attracting the best new talent.
RETAINING YOUR EMPLOYEES: Celebrate them and their work
- Remind them that their work is essential.
Pest management providers play a critical role in protecting public health. Whether they are working in customers' homes or local businesses, eliminating pests helps to reduce health and safety risks to people and structures alike – especially during the last two years of the pandemic, when many pest management providers continued operating while the rest of the world shut down. Recognize your team regularly by thanking them for their hard work. - Create defined career paths, promotions, and job titles that acknowledge tenure.
Many pest management technicians spend their entire careers in the industry. Incentivize them to stay with your company by offering a defined career path that establishes clear expectations to advance to the next level. Give your career levels names that recognize the effort taken to achieve that rank. For example, Technician, Senior Technician, Master Technician, Certified Trainer. Expectations may include tenure, such as having to be employed for at least 2 years or having to achieve an industry certification before being considered for Senior Technician. - Celebrate career anniversaries.
Acknowledging career anniversaries is a big deal for many people. Announcing anniversaries in company meetings, newsletters, or intranets is one way to acknowledge success. You may want to consider a corporate gifting program to recognize people for 5, 10, and 20 years of service. - Pay for certifications and credentials.
One of the best ways to help your employees with defining their purpose and role in your organization is to financially support career development through industry certifications. The pest management industry offers many opportunities, such as achieving Associate Certified Entomologist or Board Certified Entomologist credentialing through the Entomological Society of America. The investment you make in your employees shows your commitment to them and benefits your organization through the continued development of expertise. - Encourage other training opportunities.
There are plenty of free or low-cost training opportunities that can help your employees increase their knowledge base. Invite industry experts to come speak to your employees in a group setting. Or encourage your employees and allow for them to take time to attend online webinars or training. Target Specialty Products offers a range of webinars that can provide your employees with information on training, new products, and more. Check out our Events and Training opportunities here. - Offer tuition reimbursement.
Another way to support your staff's development is to offer tuition reimbursement programs that pay for part or all of a team member's tuition to achieve a degree. There are many different ways to structure tuition reimbursement programs, such as requiring that a certain grade point average be achieved to receive reimbursement or asking colleagues to sign commitment agreements to stay with your company for a certain number. - Start a scholarship program that benefits families.
Offering a scholarship program that benefits the children and spouses of your employees can be a wonderful way to support your employees in fulfilling their family goals. Scholarship America has a great list of things to think about as you embark on a scholarship program. Make sure you understand any tax implications for your organization. The IRS website offers some information in this area. - Have an annual awards program to recognize top service performers.
Many organizations have awards that recognize top sales performers – but what about your service team? Starting an annual awards program that recognizes your top-performing branches and individual contributors can give your team members a real sense of pride and establish some friendly internal competition. Setting expectations and announcing criteria needed to meet the award helps ensure that competition is fair and that everyone understands what it takes to be considered a top-performer. Think about involving service team members in the creation of an awards program – they can often provide perspectives that leaders may not think about. - Find creative ways for company leaders to recognize personal moments.
Birthdays, first homes, childbirth, the loss of family members, and education achievements are examples of personal events that likely have significant meaning to your employees. Something as simple as a note from a President or CEO can make a big impact on your team members. Recruit your management teams to alert leaders to these events to ensure consistency. - Free lunch Friday.
Everyone loves free food, right? Recognize your team's hard work by having your locations provide free breakfast or lunch for your teams. If you don't have central locations, provide gift cards that your employees can redeem for "lunch on the company." - Start a wellness program.
Health and wellness programs are becoming increasingly more important to people on the heels of the pandemic, so offering one to your employees can be a great perk. It also benefits your organization with healthier colleagues and potentially lower insurance costs. What your program looks like is up to you. Companies can offer discounts on gym memberships, dedicated healthy lifestyle newsletters, provide free on-site clinics or health screenings, and more. The Society of Human Resources Management offers insights on its website that can help you get started. - Offer vehicle detailing.
Your managers and technicians spend a lot of time in their vehicles, but their work schedules and personal lives may not give them the time needed to keep their vehicles sparkling clean. Help them ride in comfort (and keep your brand looking good!) by providing regular vehicle detailing. Set up an event in your parking lot and allow technicians to schedule a time to come by or set up a corporate account at a business or chain that offers these services.
RECRUITING NEW HIRES: Attract great talent
In addition to all of the employee programs and ideas listed above, there are many things that a pest management company can do to boost its recruitment programs. Here are a few considerations for your organization.
- Job security and opportunity.
The growth outlook for the pest management industry is very positive. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics projects a 10% employment growth rate for the industry from 2020 - 2030. While no industry is completely safe during recessions or global events like a global pandemic, pest management providers' status as essential workers in protecting public health means that the industry has relative stability. Steady employment can be a huge incentive for many job seekers – in fact, in a new March 2022 survey from insurance provider Prudential, a whopping 56% of survey takers said they would consider prioritizing job stability over salary. Here are 5 industry facts to know when considering a pest control career path. - Advertise open technician positions as a "U.S. News and World Report Best Career."
In 2022, U.S. News and World Report, a respected publication that produces a number of influential "best of" lists each year, listed Exterminator as the #6 Best Job in its Best Maintenance and Repair Job List. - Make first days a special occasion.
When someone new joins your organization, make it a big deal! They're choosing to give a significant amount of their time to your company and a warm welcome can make all the difference. Make sure that your existing team members know about the new hire coming on board to make them feel welcome. Using digital signage to welcome new team members, having senior leaders meet new employees and have a short conversation with them, and having a team lunch in the new employee's honor are all great ways to allow them to network and help them feel like they've made the right decision. - Have a mentorship program.
No matter the age of a new hire joining your company, pairing them up with an established team member who they can go to without judgment for questions or concerns can help put someone at ease. This could be a trainer, but it could also be someone outside of their reporting chain to provide a sense of objectivity. Establish a regular cadence for the mentor to check in with their mentee – daily during their first week or two, and then weekly for their first few months, for example – so that the new hire continues to feel supported. Mentorship programs also offer a great opportunity for you to offer established employees leadership opportunities. - Use company vehicles as a perk.
If you provide your technicians with a vehicle to drive and you aren't using it as part of your recruitment efforts, you're missing out on a great opportunity. Being allowed to take a vehicle home at night or use it for small personal errands can be a big benefit for people, especially when gas prices are high. However, make sure to understand the implications that personal use of company vehicles can have for your insurance by speaking with your insurance provider. - Offer recruitment referral incentives to your employees.
Your current employees can be one of your most valuable resources for recruitment. If you're looking to hire, consider offering recruitment referral incentives to your employees. If they refer someone who accepts a job, they get a "finder's fee." You can even stretch this payment out over the first few months or a year to incentivize them to contribute to a working environment that makes new hires want to stay. - Be part of or host a job fair.
One great way to speak to many new employment candidates in a short window of time is to be part of or host a job fair. Your local community college can be a great starting point, as many of them have regular career fairs. Search community colleges on the U.S. News and World Report website. Another idea could be to team up with other local service businesses to host a job fair. Or, you could even host a virtual job fair. Any way you do it, make sure that you advertise the event and have both human resources representatives and service technicians on-site to answer any questions applicants may have. - Create "day in the life" videos or interview your top performers.
Using videos of your current employees can be a powerful recruiting tool. Consider conducting on-camera interviews to ask them what they love most about their jobs or the exciting challenges they face on a daily basis. Or, shadow and video a technician on the job to show potential employees what the work environment really looks like (make sure you get permission from any customers to film on their property; you may need to speak with your legal team). Use these videos on your websites and social media to help in your recruitment efforts.
Five industry facts to know when considering a pest control career path.
AN OPPORTUNITY IN THE MAKING
No matter what talent retention and recruitment strategies you put in place, none of them will be effective without action. Show your employees you genuinely care about them and give them reason to believe, and your organization will benefit in loyalty and continued hard work. The data backs this up – in that same March 2022 Gallup survey, employees that believed their employees truly cared about them were 69% less likely to actively search for a new job, 71% less likely to report experiencing burnout, and 5 times more likely to strongly advocate for their company as a great place to work.
While the Great Resignation might pose challenges for companies, organizations that prioritize and embrace employee care and satisfaction have a real opportunity to set themselves a part from the competition. Why not use this unique period in history to make your company a people leader in the pest management industry?
