Hiring Strategies
“We just spent so much money getting operational, now we need to spend More to staff?”
What’s your Cannabis hiring strategy? Do you even have one? For some reason, even though I think we can all agree that staff is what will make or break your success, many aren’t giving staffing enough thought. I’ve had upper management say “as long as they show up, they have a job”. The problem here? Plenty. A warm body doesn’t mean the person has motivation, dedication, knowledge, the work ethic, the drive, or even the desire to stay employed. Warm bodies are a temporary fix to a long-term need. If you don’t mind turnover, go for it.
Quality, experienced staffing companies don’t order takers. You want 50 people to be in your entry-level positions taking minimum wage? Run an ad in the local paper, but you won’t be finding the best of the best. You want 50 people to be trained and learn and make a career with your company? You need a staffing company to vet these people to assess if they fit with the company culture and brand you are developing. Yes, there are times that manual labor is all that’s required for a short-term fix. But what is your long-term plan?
We all agree that it is very expensive to get into the cannabis hiring game. The applications, attorney fees, the HCA with towns, the facilities, the equipment; the list goes on. With all this investment and effort, are you giving employees the same amount of attention? Is your best friend from college who you grew weed with the one who is your current CEO? How many years do you think s/he will be qualified to manage your growth? Why is everyone talking so many short cuts?
Businesses that are placing people just to get the work done and don’t have a hiring plan in place are going to have problems more than just turnover. As more states become legal and as more businesses are up and running within these states, the competition is going to be Fierce to acquire quality employees. Employees will make or break your business, even if you have the best equipment and grow facility. Just do it the right way to start, and you’ll avoid a lot of problems down the road.
