How to Attract Young Guns

PMPs said the top three reasons new hires chose to work for their companies were the team culture (59 percent), pay (49 percent) and the independence of running routes (43 percent), found the PCT-NPMA 2021 Workplace Survey.

To attract the newest generation entering the workforce, PMPs said their companies offered flexible work schedules (41 percent) and attractive/competitive benefits (37 percent).

Thirty percent said they modified benefit packages in the last 12 months to accommodate the needs or requests of potential hires.

 

Companies need something to recruit new hires to, reminded Vess Pearson, Aptive Environmental. He said Aptive’s modern office building, after-hours social events and motivational speaker lineup appeals to candidates. “We’ve really tried to take a blue-collar industry and make it white collar through amenities, through technology, through beautiful branding and marketing, and that attracts young people,” said Pearson.

New hires also want to be part of a winning team. “We’ve consistently been able to show that we grow rapidly,” he said, and since employees own 20 percent of the company, they are personally connected to this mission of growth.

In the survey, most PMPs said they preferred to hire experienced people for management (56 percent), sales (46 percent) and office/customer service (42 percent) positions. More than half (53 percent) preferred to hire a mix of both experienced and inexperienced service technicians.

Russ Ives, CEO of Rose Pest Solutions, Troy, Mich., said candidate values trump experience. “I’ve seen some old souls in young bodies and that often can be a really neat hire. And I’ve seen some young souls in old bodies that have challenges making commitments to the kinds of things that are important to us,” he explained.

All-American Pest Control in Nashville has a similar hiring outlook. “Reliability, teamwork, respect, servant leadership and thoughtful innovation transcend generations,” said President Erin Richardson.

Finding candidates who are a good fit remains a challenge, however. “There’s no perfect sauce for hiring people,” admitted Doug Smith, president of Apex Pest Control in Milton, Ont.

NPMA recently unveiled a workforce development initiative to promote the pest control industry and help members attract new hires. A new website — pestcontroljobs.com — highlights job opportunities and career paths in the pest control industry.