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the recruiting process. “Technology helps us move quickly
and manage information, but in the end, a face-to-face
conversation is critically important for both sides,” he says.
Meeting candidates at career fairs and forming partnerships
with colleges and technical schools can help to make that
happen. “Companies have personalities just like people—
and you won’t get that from technology,” he says. “We talk
a lot about intangibles like safety, professional develop-
ment, and respect in our company. Applicants need to hear
that coming from a live person.”
Forward-looking companies that want to hire future
innovators and leaders have well-designed diversity initia-
tives in place. Ryder, for one, believes that having a work
force whose makeup reflects society at large is a business
imperative that benefits the company and its investors, cus-
tomers, and employees, says Kirk Imhof, group director of
diversity and inclusion. The company has developed formal
programs to attract talent from demographic groups like
minorities, women, and military veterans, and for nurtur-
ing their personal and professional development once they
are hired.
The intense competition for logistics and technical talent
can lead companies to usher candidates through the hiring
process quickly—sometimes too quickly. The result can be
a mismatch between employer and employee, says Anne
Harris, vice president, human resources at the distribu-
tion services and engineering firm Fortna in Reading, Pa.
“We don’t rush recruiting,” she says. “Although it can be
tempting to fill a job as soon as possible, it’s better to take
the time to make sure the person is the right fit. We want
to be sure we have all the right conversations, that the envi-
ronment and culture are what they’re looking for, and that
what we can offer is what they want and vice versa.”
Harris recommends creating a talent-acquisition team
whose members thoroughly understand your operation
and work closely with hiring managers to acquire the skills
and capabilities required for current and future positions.
“They operate more like talent scouts and recruiters,
building relationships over time,” she says. That approach
maintains a pipeline of appropriate candidates for certain
positions, she explains. (That’s also one advantage of col-
lege internship or co-op programs—they allow you to take
stock of potential employees’ abilities and assess how well
they fit the company’s needs and culture.)
HELP THEM BE THEIR BEST
Today’s jobs are becoming increasingly technical, complex,
and demanding, so it’s more important than ever to help
employees develop their skills and capabilities. This is especially critical in today’s talent-constrained environment.
“There are certain roles where you can’t easily hire enough
people who have the right skills and fit, so there should be
a real emphasis on developing skill sets internally for those
critical roles,” Harris recommends.
Effective career development that benefits both employee
and employer depends on a comprehensive approach that
stretches far beyond the classroom, however. “We define
development as learning that is an integral part of the
employees’ and managers’ roles. It’s not a one-time-a-year
event or something we only do in connection with annual
performance evaluations,” says Amparo Bared, Ryder’s vice
president of talent management. “It includes an individual
development plan, with an ongoing discussion between
employees and their managers that combines formal and
I would be happier in my job if …
When we polled DC VELOCITY readers for our 2014 Salary
Survey, featured in the April issue, we asked survey
participants this question: What could your company’s
management do, beyond increasing your compensation
level, to increase your job satisfaction? The responses
were quite varied, but certain themes appeared with
some frequency. If you’re concerned about talent retention, you might want to keep some of these comments
in mind.
b Resources: Either give me additional headcount, or
put my team and me on fewer projects … Give us more
IT resources, more departmental resources, and less
micromanaging.
b Professional development: Provide more training
and development, and more opportunities for growth
… Give me a variety of projects to work on … Provide
more training on how to manage employees … Train me
for the next level of management … Send me to more
events that will increase my exposure to state-of-the-art
supply chain solutions.
b Personal: Make a stronger commitment to work-life
balance for ALL employees … Give me clear, achievable
key performance indicators (KPIs) … More vacation and
less travel! … Institute a performance-standards–based
bonus plan for employees.
b Recognition: Trust my judgment and experience
more … Show greater appreciation and recognition for
the work we do … Make as big a deal about a job well
done as you do when something does not go as planned.
b Corporate policy: Hire people with industry knowledge in upper-level positions … Gain a comprehensive
understanding of the role logistics plays in exceeding the
customer’s expectations … Ask for input before making
a decision affecting the supply chain … Give greater
transparency between what management is doing and
how it relates to the employees’ and divisions’ goals.
