9.4.2024
I felt a shock recently just from reading a word—a word this industry has been using for a long time and now should abandon.
It appeared in an otherwise well-meaning article describing a common problem: the challenges that come from running lean so long that staff is suffering burnout. Want ads are going unanswered. What to do? The article offered four choices. Three were reasonable, but my blood pressure shot up over the fourth suggestion:
Poach.
It’s a short and punchy word, yes, but telling people to “poach” also reflects a 1974 mindset about workers. To poach is to hunt illegally for something that’s not yours. But you can’t poach a lumberyard worker like you would poach the king’s deer. That’s because a dealer’s workers never were company property to begin with.
The word “poach” in LBM carries three other implications that are best avoided. The first is the suggestion that hiring a person from a competitor company is tantamount to stealing. Remember, that employee was never the competitor’s property. Getting a talented person because you offered a better package isn’t theft; it’s a good business investment.
Poaching also is a convenient word to use for the company that lost the worker, because it implies the competitor did something nefarious to lure that worker. Claiming you were poached absolves you from having to ask whether that departure was due to its own shortcomings.
In reality, the focus should be on the individual’s career path and the impact on their family. The term “poaching” shouldn’t exist, as it detracts from the real issue at play.
Finally, we too often see gentlemen’s agreements between LBM executives in which the CEOs of competing companies agree not to enter each other’s turf—in this case, the turf being their staff. This once again suggests an ownership mindset that shouldn’t exist.
Listen up, companies: If you are losing talent to others, odds are the losses are self-inflicted. The best companies have clear career pathing opportunities, solid cultures, and great rewards. That in turn leads to high retention rates, financial success, and continued ability to attract the best.
Business Leaders make decisions that are in the best interest of the company: Professionals make decisions that are in the best interest of their families. Alignment of these parties is desired by everyone – but it was never intended to be permanent. Each party should be treated with respect.
“Poach” is a five-letter word that should be removed from your vocabulary.
If you’re a company leader seeking top talent or a professional aiming for a career path that better aligns with your family’s goals, please connect with Misura Group.
Hire Smarter™
Tony Misura
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