In the past I’ve talked, or more accurately written about, the advantages of a non-native workforce. In our industry it is advantageous to have a diverse labor pool because they bring different values, perceptions and work ethic. Often times individuals born and raised in America feel they are “above” working in the building services industry and perform to lower standards out of a sense of entitlement.
Recruiting professional staff is really no different. A job candidate may say “yes, yes, yes” when you are making them an offer but a few weeks in they forget that we provide a vital service and begin seeing us as “just a cleaning company”. While I’ve been very fortunate in filling my managerial positions by investing in young, ambitious new graduates and professionals making career changes I have never had success in finding a seasoned professional to assist me in the daily grind of growing my business. For years I ignored what I already learned in staffing field positions “Look elsewhere”
As is always the case a little creativity has solved this rather oppressive problem. Recently, I’ve been training an overseas protege to assist me on a daily basis. Unlike virtual assistants I’ve hired in the past he has become a resource as much as support staff. While I’ve only begun working with him I’m confidently optimistic that I will get back ten-fold what I have invested in training him. While the details are almost unimportant what I’ve learned from the process is to forget about these self created objections; what works in the field sometimes does work in the office and visa-versa. Often we reinvent the wheel almost as a means of saving face. We do so at a disservice to ourselves, our company and our employees.
