Who Is Your Next Crew Leader?
Being a crew leader is the gateway to leadership in the blue-collar world. It takes many different skills. There are very few natural leaders who excel at all of the qualities you need. How do we find them? We usually take a dependable, productive person and promote them. Unfortunately, too often circumstances force a promotion. […]
When a Different Approach to Hiring Breaks Open the Candidate Pool
“As a woman coming into the tree care industry, you have to be interested and dedicated to learning right off the bat, because representation is so low and there are few examples of women having this job and being successful in it. You can’t help but admire that,” says Larissa Swindle, office manager for They […]
I Can’t Find Good Help
“I can’t find good help” … “Millennials aren’t coachable” … “People don’t want to work hard anymore” … “No one wants to do blue-collar work.” You hear people say these things all the time. I don’t necessarily believe them, but recruiting good people can be challenging. Let’s not debate these cliches. Let’s look at some […]
Where Are All the Workers?
Many tree care businesses are finding themselves short of the one thing they need to thrive and grow: workers. The Bank of America recently estimated that 4.6 million workers exited the labor force during the pandemic – but only half are expected to rejoin by the end of the year. How to coax those badly […]
Safe and Appreciated Employees Stick Around
“When you get hurt doing tree work, there are no paper cuts out there, it really hurts; the industry lives up to its reputation (of being dangerous),” says Michael Roche, owner of Vermont Arborists, an accredited, 26-year TCIA member company based in Waterbury Center, Vermont. He cites potential hospitalization and chiropractor visits. “People are willing […]