No matter the size of the business, recruiting more employees is an issue facing business owners. To decrease the amount of help wanted signs, Marysville Chamber & Main Street is hosting a “Roundtable Discussion: Employee Recruitment and Retention” Tuesday, October 24, from 8 a.m. until 9 a.m. at Landoll Lanes, 2005 Center, Marysville.
The roundtable is inclusive and gives participants, in addition to the panel members, time to share effective strategies. The format allows for discussion, and offers new perspectives and information. The ultimate goal is to assist businesses address labor issues.
The discussion is free and open to the public.
A roundtable discussion is an organized conversation with one moderator and several chosen speakers that bring a variety of perspectives to the subject.
Deb Ohlde, North Central Regional Planning Commission, will moderate the discussion. She will pose questions to Omar Hinojosa, Valley Vet Supply; Lori Snellings, Wagon Wheel; and Candace Wright, Blue Valley Technologies.
One of the questions Ohlde will ask the panel members is to explain what has contributed to the business’ ability to recruit and retain employees.
According to Snellings, who has been a manager at the Wagon Wheel for ten years, recruiting and retaining employees is hard.
“It’s not usually going through a large stack of applicants to weed through them for the best, most qualified applicant,” she said. “It’s picking through the best of the few applications that you do get or have, and making the best of it. You do what you have to do with the bodies you do have to keep the doors open.”
Hinojosa, president and CEO for Valley Vet Supply, sees recruiting and retaining employees as two different issues.
“Recruiting happens primarily through advertising and word of mouth from our current employees,” he explained. “Retaining is a work in process. We’re doing our best to establish a culture of ‘belonging’ at Valley Vet Supply.”
Wright cites other reasons, in addition to a competitive pay and benefits package, as a way to both recruit and retain employees.
“Blue Valley is proud of the flexible and family-oriented work environment we offer to our team,” she said. “ We strive to provide an atmosphere where employees know they are valued and appreciated.”
Wright has been employed at Blue Valley for 16 years, and has been the CEO for five-and-a-half years.
The three panelists come from different sized businesses. The Wagon Wheel has 20 employees; Blue Valley Technologies and their subsidiary, Networks Plus, have a total of 56 employees; and Valley Vet Supply employs roughly 170 employees.
Those attending will be able to ask questions and provide answers to the questions posed.
“It’s a discussion,” said Rachel Frye, president of Marysville Chamber & Main Street. “We look forward to hearing insights from the panelists, but we’re also looking forward to hearing what others have to say. We want to connect businesses and help them find solutions to this important topic.”
Some of the other questions to be answered include:
How do you become a place where people want to work?
Are there certain recruiting and staffing tactics that resonate with particular generations?
What can the community do to enhance our reputation as a great place to live, work and play?
Registration is not required for the session. For more information people may call 785-562-3101.
