Winning the Tree Care Transfer Portal

Written by Eric Petersen, CIC

Like it or not, managing the transfer portal has become a large part of college sports programs in recent years. With the end of the college football transfer portal getting a lot of attention lately, I couldn’t help but think that a transfer portal exists today in the tree care industry. Of course there is no formal system in the tree care industry with rules and deadlines, but employers often find themselves battling over the same employees who are willing to jump from company to company. 

 So how can your tree company win the transfer portal issue affecting our industry?

1. Admit it – Acknowledge that employees always are looking to improve their situation. No one likes to think this about their team, but if we hide in the sand and pretend it isn’t happening, that isn’t going to help you. Understand that it is human nature to always want to have a better work situation and do not blame your employees for that. Instead, embrace it so you can work with your team members proactively instead of seeing them flee to another company without you having a chance to keep them. 
2. Create and develop your company’s identity – At ArboRisk, we talk a lot about developing your company’s brand and culture and for good reason. Everything that happens within your company comes down to who are you as a company and what you stand for. If you do not intentionally develop your company’s identity, it will be created on its own. Do you really want that happening? For help creating your desired company culture, check out this article from one of our Thrive consultants, Kevin Martlage. 
3. Offer attractive compensation and benefits – Attracting and retaining top talent takes a significant financial investment from the company, however, it is not always about dollars and cents. Being creative with the benefits that you offer your team can more than make up a $.50 pay increase that another employer may give. To do this you need to know what your employees value. Vacation days, the opportunity to get overtime, equipment allowances, group outings, traditional benefits like health, dental, life and disability insurance, continuing education, travel to conferences, whatever it may be, make sure your employees value those perks and that you talk about them to continue to focus on how you appreciate them as employees on your team. 
4. Focus on employee development – If you want better employees, then you need to help them get better. When you actively help your employees get better they talk to others about how awesome their employer is, which brings other great employees to your team. One of our Thrive consultants, Joseph Toppi, wrote an article on this exact topic a few years ago that gives great advice on how to develop your team. Here is the link to 5 Secrets to Better Employees. 

If you are struggling to find and retain top talent, reach out to an ArboRisk team member today to learn how the Thrive Hiring & Recruiting Package can help you win the transfer portal problem within the tree care industry.