Bed Bug Business: All Over the Map in 2020 - PCT Magazine

In 2019, an estimated 41 million people voluntarily quit their jobs, up 8% from two years earlier, according to the Work Institute, a Franklin, Tenn.-based consulting firm. Another study from Office Team revealed that 66% of employees (76% for millennials) would quit if they didn't feel appreciated by their employer or co-workers. These numbers were registered pre-pandemic, but it should give human resource managers and owners across the pest management industry pause.

As an essential business, pest management has carried on throughout the COVID-19 crisis, but has the additional stress of servicing customers' homes and businesses during a pandemic taken a toll on employees? Will they seek other opportunities when things return to normal? How do you onboard new employees over Zoom? Leila Haas, director of people operations at Sprague Pest Solutions, Tacoma, Wash., addressed these topics during last year's virtual PestWorld.

ONBOARDING IN A PANDEMIC. Pre-pandemic, Sprague held a new hire immersion event that brought new hires from across its multi-state service area to its Tacoma headquarters. The new hires were immersed in a week's worth of corporate culture, safety and job-specific training that set the tone for who the organization is and prepared them for the start of their careers.

"Even before the pandemic we were taking a closer look at the onboarding process to see what changes could be made to enhance the process," said Haas. "We realized we were getting stuck in our ways and needed to identify how to give new hires the most welcoming and engaging experience possible."

Once the pandemic hit, Sprague pivoted to a virtual onboarding process that helped them create a process that was more comprehensive and more personal.

Haas said they engaged more Sprague team members to create a "warm" introduction process. This was accomplished by creating bios not only for the new hires, but for all the Sprague Pest Solutions team members with whom they would be working. Sharing information on family, hobbies and interests, and background provided instant connections even if they were done over Zoom or a phone call.

"One of the battles in the Zoom era is that new hires can feel like a number and it is important to put people first and pay attention to the details," said Haas.

A member of Sprague's HR team serves as a virtual host during the immmersion process, checking in with new hires as they go through the process and meet their new co-workers. The goal is to create a process where the information and process is tailored to them and the message that they are valued from day one is delivered loud and clear.

Haas advises those responsible for onboarding new hires to put aside the limiting factors (time, resources, etc.) and "allow yourself to think about things without constraints."

Why Employees Quit Their Jobs

There are many reasons employees leave their jobs. They follow spouses or partners across the country, stay home with children, change careers, find upwardly mobile career promotions, and go back to school. Those reasons are tough for an HR manager to address because they involve life events in the employee's world outside of work.

Most reasons why employees quit their job, however, fall under the control of the employer. In fact, any element of your current workplace, your culture, and environment, the employee's perception of his job and opportunities are all factors that the employer can control.

Research from The Balance Careers listed the leading reasons why employees leave:

• Lack of management recognition of employee job performance
• Lack of opportunity for advancement
• Bored or unchallenged by the work itself — meaningfulness of the employee's job
• Relationship with their boss and coworkers
• Overall corporate culture

"Look at the desired outcome without constraints," said Haas. "Freeing your mind can open your eyes to new opportunities to improve your processes. You'll be surprised at what you can accomplish even with limited resources."

Haas sees several of the adjustments Sprague made over the last year becoming part of the onboarding process going forward.

"We were forced to think differently, and it yielded positive outcomes," said Haas. "Blended learning formats and personalizing the experience are elements that are here to stay."

HOME-GROWN LEADERSHIP. When an employee voluntarily leaves his or her job for another, one of the primary reasons they give in an exit interview is that they did not see a career path. As Sprague expanded its footprint from several locations in the Puget Sound region to servicing nine states across the Western U.S., it has been challenged to provide organic growth opportunities for its employees.

The company has taken an aggressive two-pronged approach to the issue through its (1) leadership development program; and (2) creating individual development plans (IDPs) for employees.

The origin of the leadership development program dates back to the late 1980s. Sprague realized it needed to grow its internal business talent to match the expansion it was experiencing and to take the company to the next level.

The original plan included the creation of a management training program to build bench strength in the ranks, but it evolved as the 21st century arrived to focus on developing leaders beyond the executive suite. Haas said the goal is to establish leaders at all levels and have it run through the company's DNA.

The company initially worked with a local business college on content development, but as the program evolved and the need for a deeper, wider syllabus arose, Sprague decided to take it in-house and develop the content.

The program starts with a review of Sprague's core beliefs and values, which sets the tone for the rest of the curriculum that emphasizes real-world application of skills, not just theory. It also underscores the importance of working through adversity and turning mistakes into learning opportunities for improvement.

Building Technical Bench Strength

WHILE SPRAGUE PEST SOLUTIONS has devoted resources to building depth and diversity in its management team, it has also invested significant time and resources to develop its technical skill development programs.

Through a blended learning approach and support, Sprague has emphasized the need for its technical and service personnel to stay on the cutting edge of technical innovations. These efforts have resulted in 35 employees — nearly 15 percent of the company — earning advanced entomology designations including five board certified entomologists (BCEs), 29 associate certified entomologists (ACEs) and one Ph.D.

Leila Haas, director of people operations at Sprague Pest Solutions, says the company aligns employees with the resources — study materials, assistance with the application process and letters of recommendations — and keeps them on track to achieve success.

"Our corporate goal is to provide the highest quality technical knowledge to our clients and by supporting our people as they seek BCE or ACE designations we send a clear message," said Haas. "As the level of demonstrated technical expertise grows, we become more attractive in [our] market to both clients and those considering joining the company."

And it's not just the technical team or service technicians who participate. Haas said Sprague sales reps and management team members are encouraged to seek advanced designations.

The effort to boost its technical expertise at all levels has become part of the company's value proposition vs. competitors.

"We're constantly looking for ways to build our team's technical skills, knowledge and abilities," said Haas. "Having employees successfully complete this training allows you to leverage their knowledge to teach others, and I think that's where we see the real success."

Haas and Jeff Miller (recently retired COO and current company consultant) manage the program's day-to-day processes, which transitioned to a virtual platform during the pandemic.

A unique aspect of the program is that leadership principles taught are not meant solely for use during the workday. It is expected employees participating in the program will apply these lessons in the community and in their lives outside of work.

The rationale is that highly engaged people at work, in the community and at home simply perform better. They are comfortable leading people and bring energy to work that raises the bar for everyone.

Haas said the leadership development program is a natural extension of Sprague's philosophy of being a continuous lifelong learning organization. The program's curriculum modules are continually refreshed to meet the firm's changing dynamics.

Employees are encouraged to apply for acceptance into the year-long program. "Interest in the program has grown organically through word of mouth," said Haas. "People are seeing the positive change it has made for others and they want to be part of it."

The program is helping Sprague meet its corporate goal of building bench strength while at the same time allowing employees to fulfill their career aspirations.

HR INSIDER TIPS

LOOK FOR OPPORTUNITIES TO ENGAGEeach employee and make sure they meet their personal professional goals. Also, look at how opportunities impact the group dynamics and whether or not they have chances for people to learn from one another.

Do a gap analysis to assess your company's needs. Look at the present as well as the future and work back and think about what is going to lead to the success of your organization. Everyone's answer is going to be a little bit different, and that will help to set the direction of how you develop your training programs.

The root cause of most HR issues has to do with communication. Whether it's communication internally among your team members or externally with your clients. There's always room to get better and improve skill sets through training.

The best way to learn is to train. Providing more opportunities for people to become trainers, and sharing knowledge only adds to the depth of skills and abilities of your employees.

Having executive support for training and development is critical. If you don't have that belief from the top down, it is going to be hard to sustain.

As you build your training programs, be flexible and consider different learning styles. Everyone learns differently so adjust accordingly.

WHY INDIVIDUAL ATTENTION? The IDP process was created to give employees a greater voice in their career by giving them space to determine where they want to go within the company and their career.

"It's not just a review of strengths and weaknesses," said Haas. "It allows us to dive deeper into what drives employees and what they want to accomplish."

Haas said the IDPs build on an employee's skill set and only looks at limitations if they are impeding his or her advancement.

The company's commitment to organic growth has provided Haas with multiple in-house success stories of career advancement that she can share. She said most of the company's regional or branch managers started as technicians and that one of the company's top salespeople started in an administration position.

Haas, a former educator who holds a master's degree in industrial and organizational psychology, is an example of someone who came to Sprague in an entry- level position and advanced up the corporate ladder. Miller, similarly, worked his way up the ranks to become COO. Being able to share homegrown success stories resonates well with employees.

Setting proper expectations with employees is an important part of the IDP process. Haas said managers need to be clear with employees about their expectations and to provide "stretch" assignments that will tell you what employees can really accomplish, or if they have reached a ceiling.

What are the best shared traits of employees who have been successful in their IDP programs? Haas said employees with good communication skills, who are driven self-starters and willing to take initiative typically perform best.

"Employees who create the next steps in their career, rather than accept what is given usually thrive and advance in their IDP plans," said Haas. "Leadership development is a shared responsibility between the company and the employee."

The author is a partner with B communications.