Why is Hiring Good Employees So Hard in the Lawn & Landscape Industry Right Now?
Let's dive into a topic that's been giving most all landscape business owners a major freakin’ headache: labor and hiring challenges. We all know firsthand how tough it can be to find and retain good workers, but have you ever wondered what's behind this frustrating problem? As in, why is this happening to you? Let's break it down in simple terms…
Demand Outpaces Supply: Here's the deal: the demand for landscaping services is skyrocketing. Everyone wants a beautiful yard, but the number of skilled workers isn't keeping up. Covid just added gas to the fire of this already growing demand. It's like trying to fit a hundred plants in a tiny pot - there just aren't enough hands to do the job. This high demand and low supply situation make finding reliable workers a real struggle.
Hard Work, Low Compensation: Let's face it, landscaping work is tough. Long hours, physical labor, and dealing with all sorts of weather. Unfortunately, the pay scale in the landscaping industry hasn't always kept pace with the hard work involved. Around 2021, the industry as a whole has gotten much better at understanding these challenges and has worked to position landscaping career offers in much better light. But companies with less than 10 employees have been slowest to update working conditions (ie requiring employees to work 6 days a week, no benefits packages, etc). Many potential workers today prefer jobs that offer higher wages or more comfortable working conditions, leading to a smaller pool of candidates interested in pursuing landscaping careers. Our country is shifting to highlighting the benefits of careers in the trades, which is amazing. And parents are slowly, I mean slowly, becoming open to the idea that little Johnny won’t automatically be a loser on the street if he doesn’t get into Yale. But as these great shifts take hold, landscape business owners need to understand the risks of treating employees the way they used to back in the day.
Lack of Awareness and Education: When it comes to landscaping, not everyone fully understands the opportunities available. Many people underestimate the potential for growth and advancement in our industry. The lack of awareness and education about the potential benefits and career paths in landscaping results in fewer individuals considering it as a long-term profession, further contributing to the labor shortage. The NALP has done a great job establishing career paths, apprenticeship programs, and awareness. It’s up to the individual landscaping businesses to implement this at the local level.
Seasonal Nature of the Work: One key challenge we face is the seasonal nature of the business. Depending on where you operate your business, landscaping demand tends to peak during certain seasons and slows down during others. This unpredictability makes it challenging to maintain a consistent workforce throughout the year. Employable workers who prefer year-round employment seek stability in other industries, causing turnover and hiring difficulties. One thing is consistent—companies that scale to $1M, $2M, $3M, and beyond figure out how to grow and retain a team.
Competing Industries: The landscaping industry faces competition from other sectors that offer similar job opportunities. Construction, hospitality, and retail industries, to name a few, attract potential workers with various skill sets. These industries often offer more enticing perks or benefits, which can lure away potential candidates who might have otherwise considered landscaping.
So, fell landscape pros, these are the high-level, underlying factors that make labor and hiring such a challenge in our industry. By acknowledging these obstacles, we can find creative solutions to attract and retain talented workers, improve wages and benefits, and raise awareness about career opportunities. But wait…what exactly should you do? Like step by step? What elements of retaining employees work best? How can you afford to keep employees when your revenue plummets to nothing for 4 months a year? That’s exactly where Planting Acorns comes in. We are uncovering those exact how-tos one conversation at a time.
Stay tuned…
