Grain Journal - July/August 2008 - (Page 150) Recruitment and Retention HOW ONE COMPANY HANDLES A PERENNIALLY DIFFICULT ISSUE This article is based on a presentation by Rebecca Goranson,Employement and Training Manager for The Andersons Inc., Maumee, OH (419-893-5050). She spoke in February at a pre-conference workshop at GEAPS Exchange 2008 in Omaha, NE. In the grain industry, one of the toughest jobs managers report is finding and keeping qualified employees. That’s a tough enough challenge for a country cooperative with 50 or 100 employees. The Andersons Inc., on the other hand, has to recruit and retain 2,900. Yet the company is getting the job done. In 2006, the latest year for which statistics were available at the time of GEAPS Exchange 2008, employee turnover was an oustandingly low 6%. What’s a little unusual in the grain industry is that The Andersons has written up a a formal “Employee Bill of Rights:” • To know what your job is. • To know what your job pays. • To know how you are doing. • To know how you can improve. These principles may sound basic, but they establish a corporate reputation that is key in recruitment efforts. Recruitment The Andersons looks to three methods for finding and recruiting qualified employees. • Employee referrals, which is often the best source of job candidates. • Networking where Andersons employees are active in the community, such as schools, churches, and social organizations. • Advertising, which is the more traditional route for employers. This can be expensive, which gives an advantage to the first two methods. For example, the Toledo Blade (the daily newspaper serving The Andersons’ corporate headquarters community in the D I S T R I B U T O R S Grain Belt Supply Co. Electric Distributors • 800-255-2742 Sizes range from 6 in. to 14 in. in diameter and are equipped with a fully automated, long-life Omron programmable logic controller and interfaces, which can be linked to an overall control system. A linear actuator allows for the distributor's nosecone to slip down into the outlet spout forming a sealed, immovable flow line through the distributor. Available in painted, galvanized and stainless steel construction. Positive locking inner spout to eliminate cross contamination. No. 1501 www.grainbeltsupply.com See ad on p. 96 Schlagel, Inc. EDI 4-Wire Control • 800-328-8002 4-wire control for any of our distributors— any number of ducts. No mechanical limit switches to adjust. Can interface to plant control systems. Field customized operation. No. 1502 • www.schlagel.com • See ads on p. 114/170 150 GJ J/A http://www.schlagel.com http://www.grainbeltsupply.com http://www.schlagel.com http://www.grainbeltsupply.com
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