Inadequate remuneration is a significant contributor to skills shortages in the retail facilities management and maintenance sector. A newly released membership survey from the Professional Retail Store Maintenance Association (PRSM) reveals that more than two-thirds of their recent departing employees had done so because they got better offers elsewhere, while 37 per cent specifically attributed moving on to inadequate salary or bonuses.
Survey respondents unanimously report that finding qualified candidates is their top recruitment challenge. The maintenance skills shortage translates into particular demand for project and construction managers and trades such as HVAC technicians, electricians, plumbers and mechanics.
The PRSM Supplier Talent Acquisition & Retention Benchmarking Report concludes that employers’ profile in the market and social media proficiency can help to attract jobseekers, while lengthy hiring processes can alienate job candidates and/or push them to openings with other employers. It includes a checklist of best practices for retaining staff, covering topics such as compensation and benefits, manager-employee communication, career development and workplace culture.
“From a supplier’s standpoint, we all have different companies, but we are all faced with a very similar problem: how we recruit people and how we keep good employees,” observes Amanda Holup, co-chair of PRSM’s benchmarking committee and president of Low-Slope Solutions, a roofing maintenance and repair company.
Increasingly, prospective employees are found via social media, which is now a predominant job-search venue for young and experienced workers alike. Survey results indicate that 86 per cent of salaried, non-management positions were filled using social media, with LinkedIn ranked as the top recruitment vehicle followed by Facebook and Twitter.
Beyond directly posting job openings, the PRSM report highlights the value of promoting a company’s brand and workplace culture. “Social media is a great way to spread the message about what your company is all about and what you do for employees,” Holup notes.
PRSM also urges employers to consider the talent pool coming available as military personnel leave the service. “Veterans have the proven ability to learn new skills and concepts. The complex missions the military must accomplish teach the value of teamwork and the confidence to overcome adversity,” maintains PRSM chief executive Bill Yanek.
