Guest editorial
By Wm. Craig Bonham, Workforce Development Task Force chair
This article was published in the July 2017 edition of NTEA News.
Did you know when you are an employer of choice your need for quality employees is no longer an issue? That means your product quality and customer service standards are raised; which means you can provide competitive compensation and a more attractive work environment, and your employees will not need to look elsewhere.
Are you an employer of choice?
We know the reason why you feel you can’t be. Location, noise level of operations, manual labor, cleanliness of workspaces, shop hours. What if I told you that to reach your business goals, it doesn’t matter?
Like ALL other employers (from Starbucks to Google), we are in a constant competition for talent. Maybe you’ve already started to feel it like some of the membership. We’ve been hearing it louder and louder — “I can’t find good people, and if I do, I can’t keep them!” We are not unique. If we are all fishing in the same pond, it’s time for us to get some better gear. We’ve decided NTEA needs to be your tackle box.
In the coming weeks, months (and years), you will see opportunities for your company to learn more about and help with NTEA’s industry effort to improve workforce development. It’s our commitment to join you on this trip and be there when the worm on your hook isn’t working. Because we know that if we can’t fix the holes in your boat, issues will escalate to high enough levels and we will be bailing water.
NTEA’s going to share tools, intelligence, ideas and whatever else we come up with to help your business. Which means we need to hear from you. Teach a man to fish, right?
Get your feet wet:
- Check your boat (business) for holes (opportunities for improvement). Ask yourself: If I have good employees, how might I lose them? If I can’t even get them in the boat, what repairs does my vessel need? Whether you are a dingy, yacht or freighter — we all need maintenance.
- Take stock of your equipment. As part of the NTEA crew, you already have some impressive gear. Visit ntea.com/workforcedevelopment and wade around the website.
- Look for the Workforce Development logo and drop anchor there. From articles, webinars, ideas and more — it’s an easy and free way to get your motor running in the right direction.
- Teach a man to fish. NTEA needs to know how you landed a whopper or let the big one get away. Send to suzie@ntea.com. Pictures welcome.