A Q&A with Adriane Harrison
We sat down with Adriane Harrison, vice president of Human Relations Consulting for the PRINTING United Alliance. The chief people person at the United States’ largest printing trade association discusses the ‘silver tsunami’ as well as best HR practices for finding, luring, and hiring young workers.
CR: Coming out of the COVID-19 pandemic, has the U.S. workforce attrition (retirements, aging skilled labor market, etc.) gotten worse or better over the past two years?
AH: According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the Job Openings and Labor Turnover Survey (JOLTS) tells us that since the COVID-19 pandemic, the turnover and job openings rate has gone down and is about where it was just before the pandemic. What this means is that the attrition rate has leveled off, and the “Silver Tsunami” of retirements is where we expect. There are fewer people who feel compelled to leave their jobs due to concerns about health-risk exposure and other factors.
The roller-coaster economy also will slow down retirements and voluntary turnover in manufacturing because economic instability tends to keep people in their jobs. People near retirement want to make sure they have enough money for their post-employment years, and people considering leaving for a different employer worry about a ‘first in, first out’ situation that would cost them their new job in the event of an economic downturn. FIFO is a real concern with the current threat of tariffs affecting the supply chain and reduced international markets for goods.
CR: How can office technology dealerships improve at recruiting and hiring young workers into their copier/printing and IT businesses?
AH: Employers absolutely need to meet their future workforce where they are. This means that they need to recruit directly through the schools and with comprehensive hiring campaigns on LinkedIn and social media, in addition to the usual recruitment platforms. Also, becoming known in their area as a business that does good deeds in the community, provides an excellent work environment and, of course, offers competitive wages and benefits will be very helpful for recruitment.
Be cautious to not require education or skills that are superfluous. Over asking will unnecessarily limit the pool of candidates for job openings. Make sure you emphasize that job training will be provided. If the position is something that can provide a stable, living wage with growth potential, be sure to market it as a career, not just a job.
Adriane Harrison is the PRINTING United Alliance’s VP of Human Relations Consulting.
CR: Dealers have heard you talk about ‘culture creation,’ but what do you mean by that?
AH: The world is very stressful for nearly everyone, but particularly for young people entering the workforce. Create an environment at work that makes people feel valued, respected, and integral to the success of the business. A positive culture will help with retaining employees, will attract new employees, and will be a better place for people to spend their workdays. Be sure to recognize employees not just for accomplishments on the job, but also for personal milestones such as birthdays, the birth and adoption of children, and achievements like completing an athletic or artistic endeavor.
Also consider:
- Hosting lunches for employees . . . for instance, have food trucks come in once a quarter.
- Create a breakroom that is conducive for socializing by putting in a foosball table, dartboard, or chess/checkers table.
- Share profits through a bonus program.
Don’t keep employees at arm’s length—senior management should get to know the company’s employees. Don’t just be the boss but also be a part of the team.
CR: How can dealer owners and HR departments build more custom benefits programs that appeal to younger candidates?
AH: Younger employees may want benefits that are different from more senior employees. For instance, younger employees are more likely to have pets than have children. Offering pet insurance will be highly appreciated. Employees may be feeling financial insecurity, and Gen Z is feeling this more than any other group of people. Gen Z employees may have significant debt, so consider offering uncommon financial benefits such as:
- assistance with student loan debt.
- the availability of a 0% interest emergency loan program for unexpected expenses.
- home down-payment assistance programs.
Financial literacy classes and personalized wellness coaching are also appreciated. Sabbaticals after periods of service are an incentive for both recruitment and retention. Allow employees to take longer leave for events that may not qualify for a mandated reason such as those under the Family and Medical Leave Act, but are for significant reasons, nonetheless. For instance, if a new employee is getting married and wants to go on a honeymoon, but has not accrued the time off, allow the employee the time away without fearing that they will lose their job. The time off does not need to be paid, but they will be assured that their job will be there when they return.
If an owner or human resources director is unsure what benefits their employees would appreciate, they should ask employees to take a short, anonymous survey well in advance of the next open enrollment period. Seeking this input will make employees feel heard, and making a good faith effort to respond to one or more of the suggestions will build goodwill with the team.
CR: What is the impact of AI on hiring (and retention) of younger employees?
AH: Incorporating artificial intelligence will be important for companies. It will increase employee bandwidth and may eliminate the need for as many employees. Younger employees will likely incorporate AI faster and easier than other employees, but be cautious about asking younger employees to expand their responsibilities so much that it ratchets up the pressure. The financial benefit of maintaining or increasing productivity with fewer employees is undeniable. But don’t let that benefit lead to overworking your team and consequently increasing your turnover.
In the case of production [printing] and fulfillment roles, AI in the form of robotics can fill positions that are difficult to fill with humans. The U.S. birthrate has been in decline for many years, except for a brief bump during the COVID-19 pandemic. Incorporating AI/robotics will signal to younger workers that the company has a plan for the future and that it is keeping technologically current.
RELATED CONTENT: Can AI help to find ideal candidates?
