Who Will Win the Hiring Battles?

In the classic western movies, typically the good guys like John Wayne would always end up winning. True to script, justice would be done. But when it comes to your business and long-term success, who is writing the script? Will the results turn out favorably for your company?

If you are striving to help your business succeed, Jim Fleming’s article in this newsletter is a must read. Finding, hiring, training and keeping quality team members is a battle that is just starting to heat up as numerous factors fuel the fire. Those companies who lay out a multi-faceted long-term plan to build a successful team will be the victors. Companies that do not plan ahead will join their predecessors who are no longer in business and be unable to take care of their customers. It really is that simple.

Multiple times in recent days I have seen or heard firsthand examples of people going into restaurants and being turned away or told the wait would be excessive because of the lack of cooks or other workers.

Whether you place the blame on local factors or poor government policies, it doesn’t really matter. Businesses cannot run efficiently without good people. Imagine if your company has all the facilities and equipment needed to care for your customers, but there is no one there to do the work. Possible? Unfortunately, yes, it is.

To avoid such devastating events, a fundamental hiring and retention plan that is intentional and has accountability built into it are essential for businesses that hope to still be thriving in the years ahead. As the demand for skilled workers for all levels of business becomes greater, the company who can attract and keep those workers will be the business that STAYS in business. Although a bit scary, hard to comprehend, and even downright maddening, this is reality.

There is hope; however, you must commit to putting in the effort to keep your company equipped with the talent needed to do what you are there to do. To help you in the process, read Jim’s article, “Hiring, Onboarding and Retention – What is Your Plan?” as well as “Paying Attention to Retention”. Both are found elsewhere in this newsletter.

May is the month for graduations. It is a month when schools across the land release their graduates into the workforce. For agriculture, the demand for people is huge. On average, we have 58,000 agricultural jobs come open each year and on average we graduate slightly over 35,000 students. Couple that to the fact that 62% of our ag workforce is over 55 years of age and the result is an extremely tight labor market. There are simply not enough people to fill the demand. We hear this nearly every day.

Let's face it; agriculture is a demanding industry. We are responsible for providing the food and fiber for nearly eight billion people and getting it to the consumer in “just in time” fashion. At the farm gate, the seasonality of the business requires candidates to adapt and be flexible to get the crop in the ground or harvested and in the bin. No matter the season, some part of our industry is in “busy time.”

For your business, it is vital for you to have a hiring, on-boarding, and retention plan. You have a marketing plan, a sales plan, a capital improvements plan, and a benefits plan. Why not have a hiring plan? This enables you to be consistently marketing your business to potential candidates that you will need when retirement, illness, or a resignation hits your work force. Yes, it is an investment in your time and resources, but hiring IS an investment in the future of your business.

You have likely started to see a shift in the headlines. No longer focused on what we have been through, the new emphasis is on what’s to come. Though it is impossible to predict the future, it certainly seems reasonable that the forecast could be correct: a mass employee exodus is coming. How can you stop it? And do you want to?

If you are thinking that turnover is a natural evolution of the workforce, it’s true. But as a leader, it is important to remain on the driving end of those decisions, not the receiving. Creating an environment in which nobody would ever want to leave might sound impossible but falling a few feet short of that goal is better than never striving to achieve it at all. Imagine if you had a rock-solid team of “A” Players, and a line out the door of more wanting to join. Imagine what the future could hold if your highest potentials never went to your competition, they only joined from them. Would those scenarios allow you to achieve more and (perhaps more important) enjoy more?

So yes, it’s fair to say that paying attention to retention is more essential now than ever, knowing what’s likely to come.

Ryan Bowles has over 17 years of grain operations and operations management experience with successful grain industry companies. In those roles, he has gained a wealth of knowledge from seeing and working with many different elevator operations located throughout the Midwest.

At AGRI-SEARCH, Ryan’s focus is recruiting in the Grain Operations and Safety Management sector. His strong support and advocacy for the ag industry, including his involvement in GEAPS and the Grain and Feed Association of Illinois, fits well with the AGRI-SEARCH team’s mission to serve these clients and candidates well.

Ryan grew up in central Illinois near Villa Grove and currently lives in rural Tuscola with his wife and three children. His interests include pheasant and turkey hunting when he is not in the bleachers cheering his kids on in their athletic contests.

Ryan and family love the rural lifestyle and have three dogs, a horse, and their son’s market hog operation. Ryan actively serves the community, including the Atwood Fire Department for 15 years and coaching T-ball, softball, and biddy basketball for many years. He is also the youth officer with the Douglas County Pheasants Forever Chapter and helps put on hunter safety classes and youth hunts for kids in the community.

Do you have the grit to not give up and stay true to the course, no matter how difficult it may be? Are you competitive and possess a strong sales mentality where every “no” is just one step closer to a “yes”?

If so, and you have a passion for connecting with and helping people, plus a strong agricultural industry background in agronomy, grain, or other areas, please contact Dave Allen. We would enjoy having a discussion with you about how a recruiting career may be a great fit for you.

Founded in 1995, AGRI-SEARCH is a professional recruiting firm providing clients with customized recruiting solutions in various niches within the agricultural industry. Our success results from our industry focus, our specialized approach to recruiting, and our staff's lifelong roots in, dedication to, and vast understanding and knowledge of the agricultural industry.

At AGRI-SEARCH, our mission states that we “are committed to serving the agricultural industry with integrity, passion and excellence by assisting our candidates to reach their career goals and helping our client companies build successful teams.”