Climbers Wanted Strategies for Hiring and Keeping Skilled Workers By Ben Culbreth
inexperienced worker,” she said. “And you have to be committed to retraining them properly.” Despite the difficulties, companies must remain selective about whom they bring on. Knowledgeable or not, tree care crews still need dependable team players that are able to take instruction and learn on the job. “We try to be selective,” Nelson said. “We’re not just going to hire anyone who comes through the door.” WHAT TO LOOK FOR WHEN HIRING A CLIMBER For tree care hiring managers like Nel- son, the first thing they consider when interviewing climber candidates is their approach to safety. The initial assessment starts with reviewing the candidate’s resume, par- ticularly how long they stayed with previous employers. “I’m looking for companies they’ve worked for in the past; their back- ground,” Nelson said.
One of the toughest challenges for tree care companies is finding and retain- ing great employees. That task is even more difficult for highly skilled (and hazardous) positions, like climbers. Those in charge of hiring are being cre- ative and selective in who they bring on, with an eye on their future potential as climbers. They are also emphasizing employee retention efforts to ensure good people stay with their organiza- tions longer. As these challenges grow, three tree care companies share how they are adapting their hiring practices, the unique strategies they have developed to attract skilled climbers, and the steps they are taking to retain their top talent. HIRING HASN’T BEEN EASY Cultural fit has become a critical attri- bute for arborist companies, especially as skilled climbers become more diffi- cult to find. As a result, businesses of- ten hire based on future potential rath- er than current skill sets. “When we’re talking about hiring, we’re not always hiring climbers,” said Jamie Chambrelli, eastern region safety and skills trainer at SavATree . “Some-
times we hire people knowing they’ll come up through the system and be- come a climber.” Chad Nelson, vice president of tree operations at Hughes Tree Service in Gretna, Nebr., takes a similar approach, spending time getting to know a poten- tial hire’s interests outside of work to gauge their career trajectory. As a company, Hughes oen identifies ground crew members who show po- tential and desire to become climbers. “We don’t get many experienced climb- ers in here,” Nelson said. “We do a lot of training.” Hiring managers said it is getting hard- er each year to find climbers, especially with fewer people showing interest in the jobs. For Valerie Bowser, human resources director at Almstead Tree, Shrub and Lawn Care , located in Westchester County, NY, this oen means taking a chance on entry-level employees and committing to training and investing in them long-term. “Because of the challenges of finding tree climbers, you oen have to hire an
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