1. Stop throwing money at it

Conventional wisdom may hold…for a tiny fraction of your potential workforce. It’s true that some people will go for the job with the highest hourly rate. Speaking as someone involved in the blue-collar world for most of my life, I’ve seen people jump ship for just $0.25/hr more. 

But that won’t work for most people. And by throwing money at the situation, you only attract the employee who will leave your company as soon as they’re offered $0.25/hr more somewhere else. 

Most younger workers are looking for the total package: decent wages, work-life balance, and inherent value. Millennials (born 1981 – 1996) and Gen Z (born 1997 and beyond) workers won’t accept anything less. They know their long-term value. In my estimation, they’re far more self-aware than Boomers or Gen Xers give them credit for. 

You could offer Millennials and Gen Zers inflated wages, but if the rest of the package is not in place, they will not show up. It’s time to look at the bigger picture. 

2. Offer real work-life balance

I’m a business coach who mainly works with blue-collar companies. Last year, I was working with an HVAC company to attract Gen Z talent. One of my first questions was: “What’s your time off policy?” 

Like much of the industry, this company offered no PTO until after the first completed year. Not only was this policy not going to attract young people, it wouldn't attract anyone. Gone are the days when people put up with that kind of policy. No one wants to stress out about prioritizing one’s family or health over their job. 

Today, it’s not uncommon to have three weeks, or even unlimited, PTO right at the start. You might be thinking, “Three weeks? That’s crazy!” But the length of the PTO is not as important as having some kind of time off available and being flexible. 

To all you Boomers and Gen Xers: I know this might be a high hurdle to overcome. You might feel like you had to earn your time off, and so should the younger people. 

But those days are gone. By offering flexible time off options, you can start creating a company culture that values the whole person. Doing that will differentiate you from your competitors, and you’ll attract more and better employees. 

Let me tell you about another HVAC company. Like you, they were finding it difficult to attract experienced help. Luckily for them, they listened to my podcast, ‘Blue Collar BS,’ where I talk about these issues regularly. They took my advice to heart and started making changes. 

The General Manager emailed me with the following: “In the past six months, we have hired three people under the age of 21 and are grooming them for all of our futures. ‘Blue Collar BS’ has helped us better understand the younger generations, needs, and thoughts on what work is. We have made internal changes to PTO time, wage, and benefit structures. We are focused on building our staff for the future.”

With this kind of attitude, they’re going to be well-placed for the future. The employees will feel valued, their work-life balance will be positive, and they’ll be more likely to stick around. It’s a win-win for everyone.

3. Offer a clear mission, vision, and values

It’s not just young people who want a clear mission, vision, and values. The Great Resignation has seen workers of all ages walk out the door when these are missing.

Everyone wants to spend their time doing something worthwhile. Today’s workers want to feel like they’re a part of something bigger than themselves. Don’t have a mission statement? It’s time to write one. Vision and values? You need those, too. 

There is no “easy” button for this. Creating an authentic mission statement, vision, and values requires work and self-reflection from the owners on down. Having those nailed is a great starting point for creating a sense of belonging and purpose in the workplace. 

Your goal is to create a company that’s a great place to work. Once that happens, your employees will naturally start attracting great people to you. Your best employee recruiting source is the employees you already have! The best advertising is word of mouth, and that’s exactly what you’ll get when you have employees who love where they work. 

I’m not saying you have to give up all your workplace traditions. However, you must be willing to bend and adjust. The workforce will never stop changing, and neither should you. Take a step back and consider your options. If you’re unwilling to change, you’ll fall behind, and your business will suffer.

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Need more? Follow Brad at the Blue Collar BS Podcast.