People - The Key to Success: School Of Management 1998

At the second Lawn & Landscape School of Management, Arman shared the philosophies and experiences he has acquired leading the personnel charge for this 2,500-employee company.

START AT THE NEEDS. Arman commented that the first step in any successful recruitment program is an accurate identification of the company’s immediate and future personnel needs.

"The first thing we do is ask ourselves, ‘Where are we going?’" he explained. "We get all of the managers together and we look at what kind of company we think we’ll be one, three and five years from now, with the focus on three years down the road."

"We start off with revenues and the types of business that we’ll be in, because that drives the whole ship," he continued.

"From there, we identify the types of people we’ll need as that company and the skills we’ll need them to have. As a company, we’ll diagram our future in terms of a corporate structure, and identify those people already within the organization who are performers, those who are mediocre and those who aren’t cutting the mustard."

Once that structure is completed, the company devises a plan for the necessary development of its current personnel, as well as the recruitment of additional employees.

Arman also encouraged contractors to look into the future and anticipate personnel needs before they occur. "You don’t want to all of a sudden realize you need to hire someone and you need to hire them right away," he pointed out. "We use a time frame of 18 months to three years as how long it takes us to hire someone and get them up to a productivity level where they’re in a money making position for the company."

Once it has identified its upcoming personnel needs as an organization, ECI shares this information with the entire company. This ensures that the entire organization is moving in the same direction on recruitment and enables all of the employees to take part in the recruiting process.

"I think contractors should always have employees involved in recruiting because the best people will only want to surround themselves with the best people," Arman noted. "It’s also the cheapest way to find people." But it’s important that managers explain to the employees why the company is recruiting so they don’t see it as a threat to their jobs. Show them how recruiting new employees will mean more opportunities for the company and for them to advance.

"We try to build it into our culture that we want employees to pursue the success of others as if it’s their own success," he continued.

ON THE SPOT. When it comes time to interview, Arman encouraged contractors to identify specific skills desired for vacant positions and tailor the interview questions toward those skills. "Sometimes your mind and emotions can put pressure on you to hire someone because you think you have to have them," he said. "Interpersonal skills are really the biggest thing we look for in a candidate because we can teach people the technical side of the business."

In addition to the interpersonal skills, Arman said an individual’s attitude, desire to learn and ability to learn are the most important traits to look for. "If someone can bring those traits to the table, we’ll supply everything else they need," he remarked.

ECI also strives to find people with a variety of strong points. "We want to put together a balanced, complementary team of employees," Arman explained. "Companies need people who are strong in different areas, such as equipment skills and customer relations."

In addition to interviewing, ECI checks candidates’ personal references, DMV reports and requires drug testing. "And we won’t hire anyone who doesn’t have a driver’s license, because if they won’t take that much initiative in life, we don’t want them on our team," Arman related.

NOW YOU’VE GOT THEM. In addition to recruiting new employees, Arman emphasized the value of working to retain those employees the company already has. ECI’s retention efforts start with sharing the company’s vision with all employees.

"We think it’s critical that we have all of our arrows pointing in the same direction toward one common goal," he shared. "When all of the employees are working toward a common destiny, the power of that synergism is very powerful."

To make sure everyone is in philosophical agreement, ECI puts its mission statement and statement of corporate principles on laminated cards in English and Spanish for every employee to carry with them. "If all of the employees aren’t in alignment as to the company’s mission, new people who come into the company will end up forming a negative opinion of the organization from the people they work around," Arman warned, pointing out that crew leaders or foremen are often the most influential contact on new employees.

Reward and recognition programs can also be a powerful tool to keep employees happy and productive, but they have to be developed carefully, according to Arman. "The keys to recognition programs are knowing what the employees really want and then being consistent in the awards you give," he said.

In the event that employees do leave the company, exit interviews can be good learning opportunities, if handled properly. "A third party should conduct the interview if you want to get honest, valuable information from the employee," Arman recommended.