By Robert A. Francis, LEED AP

These times are a call for action. During one of the toughest economic climates imaginable, large businesses are struggling to maintain a standard of daily operations in the midst of corporate downsizing while individuals face their own hardships in the form of the gravest unemployment rates since 1982. National unemployment hovered at 10 percent in November, more than double the 4.9 percent that the Bureau of Labor Statistics reported in December 2007, at the outset of the current recession. This is the time for companies to look internally, to take an open, honest look in the mirror at their workforces to assess how to raise the bar to better serve their clients and further differentiate their service offerings from the pack.
An effective place to start is at the beginning, with hiring methodology. Planned Companies’ methodical I-PLAN model, for example, considers a prospect’s:

• Integrity
• Passion
• Longevity, meaning desire for a career over a job
• Attitude and
• No-nonsense approach to communications/reporting, particularly knowledge and nerve when tension is high

Recruiting and interviewing techniques that focus on these priorities will yield a new wave of associates whose heightened enthusiasm and dedication will make an immediate impact on business.

And once a quality workforce is in place, associate retention increases in value. Of the 15.4 million jobless U.S. residents reported by the Bureau of Labor statistics, 5.9 million had previously held long-term positions, defined as 27 weeks or longer. Such turnover diminishes a company’s continuity and consistency of service delivery and execution. High associate retention, however, results in more satisfied clients.

An orientation program can then bring to life the company’s history, core values and genuine culture of accountability and caring. Both new and existing associates need to know and understand that today, more than ever, they must be “on,” both knowledgeable and motivated to serve. Employment is a valued and envied pedigree that should lead associates to be proud and to execute. In fact, active participation at all levels of the organization, including the CEO, has reflected positively on Planned’s Net Promoter score, which measures customer loyalty.

To facilitate orientation, Planned has also built an on-site educational facility at its headquarters to train associates in and keep them up to date on the company’s core services, such as green cleaning/maintenance, concierge/front desk procedures and security, presenting an ideal opportunity for our management, operations and front-line associates to see and feel the enhancements in store for their team and for their industry. The center also provides associates access to the company’s virtual School for Professional Development courses. Construction of the center has already served to mobilize and inspire, particularly for the motivated associates recruited under the I-PLAN model. Ultimately, these teachable moments result in a more educated and motivated workforce to serve clients.

Front-line associates are a direct reflection of a company. They make or break its brand and value proposition out in the world, yielding the positive word-of-mouth so needed to build a business—or the detractors who can send business away. Finding, attracting, screening, training and retaining a workforce that genuinely cares and is committed to living and breathing the ideals of an organization is a difference maker that a business cannot—and should not—overlook.

—Robert Francis, LEED AP, is President & CEO of Planned Companies, a leader in the janitorial/maintenance, concierge/doorman and security services industry since 1898. For more on the company’s services and successes, visit www.plannedcompanies.com.