their workforce, so they made a concert- ed effort to increase their staff’s diversity in women and different minorities as well.
“We want to give everyone an oppor- tunity to join the landscaping industry and find passions that they may not have known they had,” Morris says. “We are an equal opportunity company that also gives second chances. We know people make mistakes in their past, but that shouldn’t stop their growth in life by those mistakes.”
Cultivating a diverse workforce can be daunting if you don’t know where to start. To help get with this, the NALP Foundation has identified and outlined the best ways to recruit and retain underrepresented workforce in different work areas.
EFFECTIVE RECRUITING METHODS One of the recruiting changes that Blades of Green made was reviewing their job ads and description language through a platform called Textio to see if they were speaking in a primarily
feminine or masculine tone. Hieronimus says it has made a difference in the number of female applicants applying. Ketter says one method that has ben- efited them is focusing on whether the candidate shows SiteOne’s values and DNA, rather than having a background related to the industry. “The recipe for success is hiring these what we call A players for our A roles,” Ketter says. “A players reflect our DNA. They’re customer obsessed. They are collaborative. They are team players.
They’re professional. They’re talent obsessed. All these are key ingredients to our DNA.”
SiteOne looks for these A players at
tech schools and agricultural colleges and brings these individuals in as interns. From there, they can educate and build relationships with them and make offers to the most promising candidates. Russell acknowledges that people tend to hire people who look and feel like them. Russell Landscape Group has implemented a personality profile test to avoid unintentional biases. “This provides a report to the manager before anyone ever meets and it tells if the potential new hire has the work traits we are looking for within any particular position,” Russell says. Ketter says they have also made a point to conduct pay equity reviews and offer benefits packages that resonate with minorities such as Hispanics, wom- en and LGBTQ+ associates. Meanwhile, Blades of Green has reconsidered some of their positions, offering part-time and remote work opportunities to appeal to working parents.
Hieronimus says they’ve added a di- versity of photos to their website and job ads that reflect their current workforce. “The reality is individuals want to work for a company where there are people that look like them,” she says. “These simple photos showcase that we are a company that cares about diversity and it’s more than just what we say. One of our owners always talks about creating ‘overwhelming visual proof.’ Any company can have one photo reflecting
their diverse workforce, but you can’t ‘fake it’ over and over again.”
Russell can attest that having a diverse team attracts more diver- sity, as their branch manager in Destin, Florida, is female.
“Over a short period of time, there have been more and more females who have come to work for this branch,” he says. “I believe they are excited to work for a female leader and (it) shows a path that they can also take. Today, this particular branch is over 1/3 female employees. Not only have we been able to recruit a part of the workforce where other companies have struggled, but we are also experiencing higher retention rates for these employees.”
Morris says they tried to find diverse workers online but their most successful method has been through word of mouth as people see their current personnel out working. “They see the work we do and how we carry ourselves, which is giving us advertisement by just doing what we do,” Morris says. “We pride ourselves on our work ethic and working in excellence. Also, seeing various faces out there working shows that anyone can join us. This shows to the public our values and how we do business.”
EFFECTIVE RETENTION STRATEGIES One of the main methods to ensure you retain your diverse hires is to ask
National Association of Landscape Professionals 17
Russell Landscape Group’s Destin, Florida branch has been able to attract more female works with their female
branch manager. Photo: (Above) Russell Landscape Group
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