When you go to industry meetings these days, you see a lot of fresh faces. People in their 20s and 30s who are second and third generation in family businesses as well as outsiders who want to make a profit in the competitive world of pallets. But more than just money, many of these young adults are part of the demographic known as the Millennials (people born between 1981 and 1996 [ages 22-37] in 2018). And they are quickly becoming the largest and most important demographic in the workplace.
According to a report by consulting firm Deloitte, 77% of Millennials indicate that company’s purpose is an important factor when comparing jobs. And a Boston College Center for Work and Family survey found that 82% of Millennials view the opportunity to take on increasingly challenging tasks as one of the main career goals. These young workers want to make a difference, and they want a challenge. They desire feedback and are looking for training and opportunities for career growth. That isn’t really different from many other generations. One thing is different. They frequently care more about the work environment and the job they are tasked to do than the paycheck. According to a recent article on The Huffington Post by Casey Wright, 64% of Millennials say they would rather make 40K a year at a job they enjoy than 100K at one they don’t.
That is startling because many previous generations would have followed the money and career advancement opportunities. Of course, this attitude may change as they get older and find out all the things that money can buy. But it does seem that people these days are looking for more purpose in their jobs than just a paycheck.
So, how do you attract talent to hard jobs full of physical labor, such as working in a pallet or lumber factory? These may not just be dirty jobs in some ways; they can also be dangerous.
Pallet and lumber companies need to learn how to reach young workers through social media and telling compelling stories. You aren’t just nailing together pallets. You are helping to safely and efficiently move the world and make commerce work. It goes back to the tagline that the pallet association has used for years – pallets move the world.
The following are some ways that you can make your workplace attractive to Millennials for both labor and office jobs. Begin by making your factory floor processes more ergonomic and using automation to reduce the strain on workers. This can be done cost effectively with spinning tables, conveyors, lifts, stackers and other enhancements for manual pallet manufacturing or repair stations. The easier you make the work, the more people you will find who can do it for long periods of time. The more time worker spend moving pallets, the less time they have for sorting, repairing or manufacturing them.
Next develop a team of people, including some Millennials, to help create the social media presence for your company. This may be a group of people who split up the work and each do a small part to develop one or two social media platforms that can help tell your company’s story. Options include Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Google+, LinkedIn and more. On your website, you want some pictures of younger workers as well as some old timers to show a diverse workforce. You can’t really do well every platform out there. Pick one or two that work in your community.
A good idea is to develop some videos where owners, managers and employees describe the purpose of the company and the work environment. These don’t have to be super high quality or expensive to produce. A more home-grown video approach can seem more authentic. But it still needs to convey an engaging message. One good example is a video from Perry Pallets explaining how it was a finalist for a regional business award. See the video at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nTdk4wwnffM&t=3s
Another novel approach is to interview employees who complete this simple phrase, “Why I like working at …..” You can put these on your website, YouTube, Vimeo and other sites. Make sure to get some younger workers talking about the fun of building stuff with their hands, being part of a team that is helping the U.S. economy, working with machinery, making a good living without having to go to college and getting in debt, etc.
Your messaging should have a “why” – why should prospects take a job with your company. And it is better if workers answer this question not management. You should put some real names and faces behind the corporate social media accounts. That is one reason to have a team of folks who are part of it and can spread the responsibility around.
People like to come to work when they like and respect the people that they work around. It is important to build a community of employees who like to work and play together. This can be more than just an occasional office party. Consider office sports teams, maybe soccer or hunting outings for staff; do whatever local recreation you have in the area and is popular. Consider selecting a local charity that you sponsor and invite employees to participate. Seek employee participation after hours. To demonstrate the company’s commitment, offer one day per year paid volunteer activity feeding the homeless or working on a Habitat for Humanity home.
One good resource to add technical assistance to your staff with youthful zeal is to consider hiring a summer intern from Virginia Tech, Michigan State University or other programs with expertise in pallets and packaging. You can assign them specific projects to help in pallet design, sales, lean management or other functions. Internships are a great way to try out undergraduate or graduate students for very little investment to see how they might help your operations.
Another option is to develop a work study or internship program with high school students or technical program participants who are learning trade skills such as maintenance, programming and troubleshooting for machinery, truck driving, etc. What resources exist in your area to allow you to tap into this kind of talent? You need to look around to see what is available. The good news is that many local governments see the need for this kind of work and are developing resources for better technical and trade training.
The good news is that not all Millennials dislike or run from blue-collar jobs. A recent article in Forbes explained that many younger workers realize that the college route may not offer the job security or opportunity that it once did. They are open to apprenticeships and on-the-job training for blue-collar positions in fields where they can have opportunity without loads of college debt.
Maybe the time has come to develop some new ways to look at recruiting and talent development. What is your strategy to attract workers in their 20s and early 30s? If you don’t have one, you had better start thinking about it.
