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In most areas of the country, the number one challenge for landscape contractors is labor recruitment and retention. With demand for employees outstripping supply, the temptation exists for some companies to employ recruiting strategies that may be dubious, at best, and unethical, at worst. It is every company’s responsibility to recruit ethically out of respect for the industry, other companies, and our own employees.

Recruiting transgressions usually occur in one of two forms. A common complaint from owners is that competitors have actually approached their employees while they are at a job site, a convenience store, or some other location during the course of the day. The approach is rather straightforward. Recruiters may ask employees how much money they make and what type of benefits they receive and then offer 50 cents or a dollar more per hour plus an additional benefit or two. Yes, some employees will jump at the offer, only to find out that the proverbial grass is not as green on the other side as it may have appeared to be. By then, though, the damage has been done. A company may lose a good employee and vice versa.

A sound recruiting policy is to never to approach a competitor’s employee during working hours. Recruiting at trade shows should be off-limits, too. Trade shows are important learning venues for employees, and companies should not hesitate to send their employees to these events because they are worried that they may be hired away from them.

As a company owner, what should you do if a competitor’s employee approaches you during working hours or at a trade show? An ethical response is to ask the person to contact you after work or, in the case of the trade show, after he or she returns home. It is as much an issue of showing respect to other companies and upholding the integrity of the industry as it is an issue of doing something that truly is unethical.

Another common recruiting “violation” is to falsify information in a job description. This is a throwback to the old “bait and switch” tactic used by some retailers — get people to the store by promising them one thing and then offer them something else when they get there. The logic of this tactic, if there is any, is to generate traffic, either customer traffic for retailers or job-candidate traffic for contractors.

Even though an inaccurate job description may generate traffic and even “snare” an unsuspecting employee, that employee’s tenure with the company will likely be short-lived and less than fulfilling for both parties. Job descriptions should always contain accurate information and be clear and well stated. Recruiting and matching the right employee to a position are difficult enough without muddying the water with misinformation.

Nevertheless, it is not fair to indict an entire industry for what a few unknowing, and possibly unscrupulous, companies are doing. By and large, most companies are fair and above board in their recruiting. Unfortunately, though, the few that employ unethical recruiting strategies do more damage than just hurting their own reputations among their peers. They show a general lack of respect for the industry and for other companies. The last thing employees want to learn about the company they work for is that its management “does not play by the rules.” How do you think it makes employees feel when they think that their replacements are only as far away as the competitor’s job site?

You should strive to protect yourself and your employees from unethical hiring practices. Do this by talking with employees and making sure they understand that being approached by a competitor during work hours is not only an unacceptable hiring practice but also a likely reflection of a bankrupt company culture. Remind them, too, about the “green grass” proverb. A job is about more than promises of more money and benefits. It is about being treated fairly, starting with the hiring process.

Successfully recruiting employees is an important part of any company’s growth strategy. Those that do it well have a far better chance of being successful than those that shortcut hiring ethics.

By Bill Horn, CLP, CLT, American Civil Constructors, Inc., Bernicia, CA