Ask HR: We got a bad review after an employee having a bad day snapped at a customer. What do I do?
QUESTION: Customer service is key in my business. Recently, an employee was having a bad day and snapped at a customer, who gave us a bad review on Google. I feel empathetic about what she was going through, but her behavior was unacceptable. I think firing her would be too harsh because she’s been an otherwise great employee. What are my options? TEH ADVICE: Oh, the joys of navigating the human experience of emotions, especially when they’re not your own! This is such a valuable question for any position and company, and even more so for leaders. Whether we choose to act like we have them or not, feelings and emotions are a part of being human, and as much as some try to foster the “leave it at the door” mentality in the workplace (as if that’s fully possible or healthy), we are each bound to endure hardships, stressors and tough times. Sometimes bad days can even impact our mental state and how we perform both personally and professionally. However, it is still our responsibility to control and process those emotions and be able to healthily channel them without negatively impacting the world around us. For friends, family and employers, it’s certainly beneficial to hold space and provide support and empathy for the person hurting — but to an extent and within certain bounds. There’s a line there, especially when running a business. Let’s touch on the importance of customer service! While there’s something to be said for having quality products, providing excellent service, maintaining smooth logistics, etc., customer service is the backbone of any company and can make or break your brand. People often remember the experience they had with your company long after the product or service has run its course, and high-level customer service is the saving grace to mend a relationship or save a customer when things go wrong. All in all, your company needs to consistently provide that top-tier experience — even when the last thing they want is to deal with people, especially unhappy ones. You’re on the right track in thinking that firing this person right off the bat is too harsh, especially if this is a first offense. This is where constructive leadership comes in, and it can be done by balancing empathy for your employees while protecting the integrity of your business. A good place to start is with a one-on-one with this employee, addressing the unacceptable behavior and the negative result of it. Let this transition into an attempt to understand and hear out what they’re going through. From there, provide support. This can look like encouraging them to lean on loved ones or a professional (let me be clear that this does NOT mean coworkers or customers; even in a “family” culture, there is a line here), spending time on their hobbies, perhaps a bit of time off to collect themselves, or, if your budget allows, investing in mental health resources for them. To conclude the conversation, make it a point to let them know that you empathize and are here to help in the ways you can, but that you, their team and their customers/clients are relying on them to bounce back and continue to be a high performer. The rest is theirs to sort through; that’s the part that no one can do for them. While this may sound harsh, the world keeps turning even when yours is falling apart. Learning how and when to process your emotions is imperative to harnessing the power of emotional intelligence and running your feelings so they don’t run you — and possibly cost you your relationships, your health or your job. As a leader, it is your job to look out for your people and your business. When you take care of your people, they take care of you. But I’ll end by saying this: If you’re at capacity for the resources you can provide this employee and there is still no change in behavior or they do not demonstrate consistent improvement, know when to let go. Unfortunately, sometimes it gets to a point where addition by subtraction is the solution, but only when you can say that you truly tried investing in this professional with no ROI. Hope this helps and best of luck to you in navigating this situation and all to come! Paige Franks is a Senior Executive Search Advisor at BEST Human Capital & Advisory Group. She writes the Ask HR column for Garden Center Magazine.
Should I Stay or Should I Go? Searching for a New Position in Uncertain Times
Tariffs, inflation, uncertainty— each word evokes fear and stress, especially when looking to make a career move and search for new possibilities. While we preach patience and loyalty as a general approach to life, career, and business at BEST Human Capital, we know some employment situations are not tenable. We also realize that some circumstances are limiting as they don’t allow for desired growth, and you may also feel boxed in with the current business uncertainty. If you find yourself in one of these situations, consider exploring professional options away from your current position. While external factors require consideration regarding your professional advancement, business is cyclical, and uncertainty doesn’t mean opportunities and hiring stop. This is an ideal time to plan and prepare for the next step of your career progression. We are happy to guide you through all possible aspects of your career progression and help advise you from an outside and unbiased perspective. If ever in need, please reach out for a career-focused conversation without any obligations or the pressure of being sold on available positions or companies. Above all else, we’re interested in learning about your experience and continued career goals and strive to form long-term relationships. Resources and Inspiration for Your Journey Suppose your current employment situation cannot be fixed, or it is time to refresh your resume and brush up on your interviewing skills. In that case, we have assembled a list of helpful resources and articles to get you started (click on the link or button below for each resource). LinkedIn: Quick Tips for Your LinkedIn Profile to Increase Your Interview Rate (PDF) Not quite a LinkedIn influencer? LinkedIn is a primary tool for executive recruiters to search for candidates. We cannot understate the importance of using LinkedIn today for any candidate and using your “dashboard” to open yourself to new opportunities. The more complete and optimized your profile is, the better the odds that recruiters will find you. Your Resume: For People Who Want to Write Resumes Good By The BEST Blogger Do you need help getting started on your resume, or do you feel your existing one could be better? Writing a resume or CV today can be frustrating and time-consuming, especially for those out of practice or starting from scratch. As our tongue-in-cheek title suggests, it is easy to stumble in this area. We have seen brilliant marketers and salespeople struggle for days to assemble a 1- or 2-page sheet of their career experiences and qualifications, essentially about selling themselves. They are not alone. Phone Interviewing: 12 Smart Phone Interview Success Tips (PDF) By Laura DeCarlo – job-hunt.org Some helpful tips to review before that call with the hiring manager might be helpful. Typically, a candidate’s first contact with a recruiter or potential employer is via the phone or virtually (see below if your first interaction will be virtual). A telephone interview aims to secure an invitation to come to the employer’s location for an in-person interview. You typically have just two assets for telephone interviews – your voice and your preparation! Virtual Interviewing: Succeeding in a Virtual Interview for Candidates (PDF) By Ben Molenda, BEST Human Capital & Advisory Group How do you succeed in your upcoming Zoom or Teams meeting? These are useful tips for being interviewed virtually. Be prepared. The In-Person Interview: Walk Out of Your Job Interview in a Blaze of Glory (PDF) By Scott Ginsberg Want to smash your next interview (in a good way)? This article is a candidate favorite because it works. These are the questions that get potential employers thinking in any job interview. Please do not hesitate to contact us with questions, for helpful insight, or for a copy of our BEST Interview Prep Guide. This is a comprehensive guide that takes a candidate through the interviewing process step-by-step, from initial preparation to the thank-you note. We look forward to connecting with you. • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • Ben Molenda, PRC is a Senior Executive Search Advisor at BEST Human Capital Advisory Group. A graduate of Indiana University with a degree in Human Resource Management, Ben has excelled in executive recruiting and business advisory and has become an excellent resource for both clients and candidates. Passionate about horticulture, Ben has also written and co-written several articles for major industry publications and is a Member of AmericanHort. BEST is Hiring! Check out our open positions, featuring a wide variety of roles and industries. Click on the posting title for a full job description. AVAILABLE POSITIONS Submit Your Resume: Your resume is imported into our secure tracking system and can only be accessed by BEST. Once you are in our system, your profile will be continuously reviewed. Submit your resume Questions? If you are looking to advance your career or searching out of necessity, we invite you to contact us and speak with a BEST “Human” and let’s have a confidential discussion. Contact the Best Team
The Never-Ending Puzzle of Compensation & Benefits in Horticulture
For all the wonderful attributes our Green Industry brings to our world and the careers of its employees, we continue to be highly challenged in attracting and retaining qualified talent. There are many Human Resource solutions to improving and retaining talent flow. Unfortunately, no one magic answer will fit all companies or their employees. Additionally, one topic in the equation is often uncomfortable or sensitive to discuss: compensation. In developing an attractive compensation and benefits program, it is important to understand the current economics involved, where to keep educated on compensation and benefits trends, set your specific company total rewards plan, and execute in an engaged manner with your valued team. The Economics We recently hired several positions across the country that were quite challenging due to the compensation set being below market. It is notable that compensation was not below market five to seven years ago, but more importantly, the compensation for these roles has not increased since then. Why does this matter in attracting talent? Understanding the economics of The CPI inflation calculator, which uses the Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers, sheds light on why. This data represents changes in the prices of all goods and services purchased for consumption by urban households. A $65,000 Head Grower salary in January 2017 has the same buying power as $84,395.69 in September 2024. A salesperson’s salary of $80,000 in January 2019 has the same buying power as $100,210.80 in September 2024. These CPI numbers do not consider the additional increase effect of our country’s high cost of living areas. As compensation relates to retention, turnover costs companies six to nine months of an employee’s salary on average to replace them. Recent research by Harvard University revealed that increasing pay among warehouse workers by just one dollar per hour resulted in a 2.8% retention boost. Results also showed that every dollar-per-hour pay loss caused a 28% increase in turnover. While lower inflation may ease some pressure, many organizations are still catching up from the past couple of years of cost-of-living adjustments. Balancing real earnings growth with competitive compensation will be vital to moving forward, especially in industries still feeling the pinch. Employees continue to struggle to get ahead from the high inflation years, and employers must keep that in mind. When merit increases exceed inflation/cost of living, employees gain. Then, when inflation/cost of living exceeds merit increases, employees lose. While many employers have provided higher increases in the past couple of years, more is needed to keep up with inflation. As a result, it takes employees a few years to recover from higher inflation times. However, employees seem to forget that they make up ground when increases are higher than inflation; eventually, it all balances out. Many companies focus on adjusting pay based on market competitiveness and talent retention rather than on inflation alone. Every organization needs to look at their own situation and not just what everyone else is doing. The hope is that lower inflation facilitates more substantial salary increases. Typically, most employers see it as an opportunity to lower salary increases. If they do, they might struggle to attract and retain talent. We know we have been in a talent shortage for many more years simply because of the lack of people to fill the jobs continuously becoming more available due to massive baby boomer retirements. Where to Remain Educated One of the best ways to keep up with compensation and benefits trends is to read industry reports from reputable sources such as SHRM, WorldatWork, Mercer, or Willis Towers Watson. These reports provide insights into the current and future state of rewards, including salary surveys, benefits benchmarks, best practices, and emerging issues. Gather market data for your jobs that is specific to the demographics of where your company is located. (HR associations, staffing firms, and the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics are excellent resources for this information.) Review the going rates for similar positions within comparable industries, companies, and geographies to establish your pay scale. Conduct a study like this at least annually to ensure you can maintain competitive compensation for all employees. Develop a Total Rewards Strategy If you don’t have the salary budget to stay ultra-competitive, rest assured that there is more to the employee experience than compensation. Gone are the days when compensation or hiring decisions were made based on salary history; 22 states plus 23 localities and counting have passed legislation banning employers from asking candidates for this information or basing hiring or promotion on the candidate’s current compensation. Hiring managers: please do not ask this question any longer! Should the unemployment rate remain low for the next five to 10 years, labor shortages will persist, especially in industries such as horticulture that have a vast number of retirements occurring. That said, bumping salary budgets alone won’t be enough to address recruitment and retention challenges. As a result, employers need to be creative and comprehensive with their total rewards strategy, which comprises compensation, benefits, developmental opportunities, recognition, and other rewards that motivate staff and enable a top-notch employee experience. The best approach to identify which benefits will attract and retain your employees, especially with so many earlier generations joining the horticulture industry, is to simply ask them which benefits they would value! In a smaller company, this can be done with one-on-one conversation, and with a larger employee base, there are many effective survey resources to gather this feedback. Per SHRM, there are 216 benefits companies serving employees up from 175 just 2 years ago. Consider offering benefits that better match what your employees want today, such as health benefits, well-being and family caregiving support, pet insurance, and financial planning services in your total rewards strategy. Invest in workers’ professional development with the idea that you can enable brighter futures through upskilling, internal career paths, or debt-free education. To set employee pay, first, determine your pay philosophy. Do you want to lead, match, or lag the market? The most common
Trends Challenging Successful Hiring: Relocation
To Relo, or Not to Relo for Hiring— That is a Major Question Nothing in this world is certain except death, taxes, and change— constant change is happening faster than ever in business today. There are many drivers of change, including the impact of technology on what different generations value in their careers. Hiring is no different, and several significant trends impact the process. There is no foolproof method for hiring talent. Each company, position, and candidate is different, but there are important trends to be aware of so you can shift your hiring process appropriately. One of these trends that has shifted dramatically is the number of professionals open to relocation. What has caused the substantial reduction in candidates being open to relocating even for the best career roles? What can be done to alleviate this? Relocation Location It is fascinating how much of a topic the idea of relocation has become. How much does it cost to relocate? How much time will it take? What percentage of professionals are willing to relocate? Looking at what a relocation looked like pre-COVID compared to today in 2024, we see that things have radically changed and, in most cases, have become more complicated. There has been a sharp behavioral and generational increase in people not wanting to relocate as they place a higher value on living wherever they call home, with family and friends nearby. The increase in remote work has led to additional resistance to moving for a job. Added to this complexity are geographical relocation trends. Those moving out of state in higher numbers are leaving California, New York, New Jersey, Illinois, and Massachusetts. States benefiting from candidates relocating are Texas, Florida, Arizona, and the Carolinas. Do take into consideration where your company is located as you begin hiring. Even if the state benefits from the migration of people, individuals are still less inclined to relocate than ever before (since the statistics have been tracked). According to fortune.com, only 1.6% of all professionals open to work are open to relocating. With horticulture being such a production and geographically focused industry, this number may be a bit higher. Relocation and Inflation The cost of relocation is a crucial factor to consider. We’ve all experienced inflation in our daily lives, whether at grocery stores, gas stations, or entertainment venues. Inflation has also dramatically affected the cost of relocation. Rising housing prices, whether for renting or owning, coupled with increasing interest rates, have led to a significant hike in relocation costs. Picture a young professional who is currently renting, not married, and does not have kids. In this situation, relocation was once achievable for around $2,500-$3,500. According to movingapt.com, the average cost of moving oneself (individually packing, loading, driving, unloading, and unpacking) per 1,225 miles is around $4,500. To achieve a move for this amount, the individual would need to be doing all the work. As a company, you want this individual’s relocation to be completed as efficiently and stress-free as possible so they can hit the ground running in their new position. Allowing the new employee to utilize a full-service moving company may cost up to $8,700 per 1,125 miles. If you factor kids and a significant other into the move, the number could reach as high as $16,650 per 1,125 miles. The Relocation Equation Inflation has caused both companies and candidates to rethink what career opportunities genuinely make sense for their situation. Imagine hiring a new President for your medium-sized ($2m-$10m) horticulture company. You offer a competitive salary, even a bit higher than the industry standard. Top-tier candidates share this is their “dream job,” but they are unable to make a move based on them having to trade their current 30-year mortgage at the average rate of 2.68% in 2020 for a new 30-year mortgage rate at the average of 7.05% in 2024. They would take one step forward in their career and two steps backward in their socioeconomic status to make it happen. A recent article from the Wall Street Journal shared that as of June 21st, the national median existing-home price rose 5.8% in May 2024 from a year earlier to $419,300, a record increase since 1999. Prices are not adjusted for inflation, and elevated mortgage rates have dramatically limited the number of sales this spring. Every company and situation is different. Start your search locally with less emphasis on the expertise of your product, customer, or industry and more focus on the right behaviors for success. Thoroughly vet all local talent before beginning to look nationwide. Is there a local candidate who may need some training and development but has the right behaviors for success? Many of these open roles are backfills for highly experienced contributors who have retired or left. You cannot expect the new professional to come in right where the previous individual had left in terms of impact. Having a robust onboarding alongside a training and development plan will help widen the candidate pool. Slowly branching out the geography of the search will keep candidates fresh and ensure you have completely sourced local/regional options. If a professional is having trouble selling their home and can only relocate once they find a buyer, it may be worth looking at a virtual onboarding period. This would allow time for a sale and enable the candidate to map out a practical moving agenda while becoming part of the team. Including salary and relocation coverage in the Job Description will add transparency and clarity for candidates. This may push candidates open to exploring relocation to pursue your role over others who do not include these metrics. Lightening up on the years of experience needed in the role will further open your candidate pool. Younger professionals usually have fewer hurdles to overcome when moving and are more open to relocation to continue advancing their careers. The Horticulture industry has been fortunate in the post-COVID years, and interest in our industry is higher than ever, so
How to Attract Young Professionals to Horticulture and Your Company
It’s a fact of life – “I don’t understand this younger generation” is a phrase used by every preceding generation since the dawn of recorded time. However, we live in unprecedented times since there are now (5) generations currently in the workforce – Traditionalists, Baby Boomers, Generation X (Gen X), Millennials, and Generation Z (Gen Z) where once there were maybe three. Two people in the same company, often in the same role, can literally be separated by over 40-50 years of age. This compounds the lack of understanding between generations, and its effects are being felt in many industries today. The green industry is also unique in that we have limited access to talent compared to other sectors. Those who have horticultural knowledge, a true passion for horticulture, and a drive to advance their careers in our industry are becoming few and far between. From 1997 to 2017, there was a 53% decrease in horticulture-related degrees, and sadly, the trend continues.* We are all working through these challenges at an increasing rate, as so many of our peers, who make up a large percentage of the industry, are beginning to retire. This mass retirement of knowledge and experience is leaving companies with gaping holes in their organizational charts and a terminal lack of leadership and bench strength. How do we, as breeders, growers, manufacturers, suppliers, and retailers, achieve greater access to labor with technical knowledge and motivation to become professionally successful? How do we fill holes by creating candidates? First off, no candidate creation is necessary. They are right in front of us. Investment and patience are all that is required. Awareness of Professional Passions It is true that horticulture programs are less full of students than they were in the 1990s. However, there are still strong university degree paths producing high-level horticulturalists and ag professionals. Most incoming graduates and young career professionals at these schools have no idea how our industry works and the full range of career roles it offers. In conversations regarding their upcoming or initial job in our industry, their answers are almost always one of the following: Greenhouse or Nursery Grower Researcher or Academia Landscape Installer or Salesperson Garden Center Sales Associate Some passion areas for the young professionals include: Developing new varieties that can grow in multiple grow zones. Experiencing multiple grow facilities to learn and become a consultant. Optimizing equipment and exploring AI and automation. Working in data analytics to help companies become more financially stable. Attracting new gardeners to buy plants. None of these passions can be totally achieved in the jobs listed above. The few young professionals in our industry have a hunger for the success of horticulture – if they didn’t, they likely would have chosen a different degree path that paid them more. Career Path Alignment Leaders in our industry are frustrated by the lack of professionals, but it requires spending more focused time implementing solutions. If we want to see a change, we must do a better job of getting in front of young professionals. Career fairs are a dime a dozen in non-horticulture degree programs. Having a presence at just a few of the largest horticulture schools in our country gives you access to hundreds of upcoming, passionate graduates who likely have no idea the career path your company can provide them. What is it worth to you to build a consistent funnel of young talent for your company? Cost and time requirements to do this may be lower than you think, as professors and organizations like Seed Your Future, American Floral Endowment, AmericanHort, FNGLA, and American Horticulture Society are already laying the groundwork for industry involvement to help place these young professionals in Horticulture. Participation at the university and community college level is critical to getting the attention of the next generation of leaders in our industry. Once we have successfully welcomed these early career professionals into the industry, it is imperative to have training and development programs and processes in place to help them grow into future leadership roles. A common mistake often made is hiring new professionals into a role that was held by a long-tenured employee yet not adjusting the job description responsibilities. The outgoing employee wore multiple hats of responsibility due to longevity in the role. Peel the role back to the proper starting point of responsibility and train for the future ability to take on more. Mentoring programs and reverse mentoring are also excellent ways to bridge the ever-increasing generational gap and build understanding and productivity. The Gen Zer, often with little to no experience, could benefit greatly from mentoring and just knowing how everything works. Conversely, the Traditionalist, Boomer, and Gen Xer could benefit greatly from the inbred tech and automation understanding of Millennials and Gen Zers. Don’t Complain— Act When you are not getting any qualified applicants to your job posting, your next employee retirement hits, or you realize that you are severely understaffed heading into spring, please consider reaching out to BEST Human Capital & Advisory Group, the non-profit associations we listed above, or your closest university or community college horticultural program to begin working through how you can make your life and work easier. There is a tsunami of business exits and retirements already happening and continuing to head our way. Start building your bench today, and while the effects of these changes will not be felt immediately, a little work today can make a huge impact five years from now. *Source: Journal of the American Society for Horticultural Science Ben Molenda, PRC (bmolenda@bhcagroup.com) is a Senior Executive Search Advisor at BEST Human Capital Advisory Group. A graduate of Indiana University with a degree in Human Resource Management, Ben has excelled in executive recruiting and business advisory and has become an excellent resource for both clients and candidates. Passionate about horticulture, Ben has also written and co-written several articles for major industry publications and is a Member of AmericanHort.
