Straight Talk About Labor Shortages and Costs Todd Drummond I have had the same conversations with so many executives concerning the tight labor market and rising labor costs. There is good and bad news concerning this subject. First, the good news is that you can be assured that high labor costs and a tight labor market are not only affecting your... Read More March 2024 Issue #16296 Page 24
Navigating Productivity Improvement Programs: The Vital Role of a Change Agent In manufacturing, continuous process improvement is critical to maintaining profits and quality. Transforming and enhancing operations, however, demands more than good intentions; it requires a dedicated change agent focused on ensuring the program is implemented and ingrained into ongoing plant... Read More January 2024 Issue #16294 Page 72
The Year in People: 4 of LBM’s Top Placement Firms Assess a Tight Market Craig Webb Webb Analytics’ monthly people roundups have tracked changes involving 1,241 folks at hundreds of LBM operations this year. Thousands more jobs that we didn’t spot likely have changed hands, in part through help provided by construction supply’s leading recruitment and... Read More January 2024 Issue #16294 Page 88
Sacrificing Your Family Relationships for Bad Company Employment Practices Todd Drummond If you knew now that a promotion or career move would eventually lead to divorce and ruin your relationship with your children, would you think it was worth the sacrifice? When I’m doing a consultation and ask this during my employee best practices training, everyone thinks this question... Read More August 2023 Issue #15289 Page 25
Is 2022 Like 2006? It wasn’t very long ago, so many of us remember the Great Recession and fear we are going to see a repeat. Hopefully not. It seems regional right now, like it did early in 2007, after the job market had raged in 2006 and the good times rolled! Like in 2006, the 2022 hiring season... Read More February 2023 Issue #15283 Page 78
Building a Gold Standard Design Service Dave Walstad I’ve been in the truss business for 42 years, starting out as a Truss Designer and Architectural Draftsman for the family lumber company in Madison, Wisconsin. After relocating to Green Bay in 1986, I spent 10 years with Stock Lumber as Project Engineer and Plant Manager. Then, I left the... Read More January 2023 Issue #15282 Page 66
What Does It Take to Hire Good Candidates? Working as a recruiter for 30 years, I have seen everything from no jobs to no candidates, and everything in between. Now, with single family slowing and multifamily still strong, what do I expect recruiting will look like in 2023? Competitive yet manageable, especially if you understand the... Read More January 2023 Issue #15282 Page 82
Lessons From the Great Recession? I remember the Great Recession and how many displaced candidates we had. Some stayed active but many went their way, finding new industries and career paths. From where I sat, it was 5 years of trying to find jobs for folks, knowing it was like finding a needle in a haystack. Single Family was... Read More December 2022 Issue #14281 Page 98
JobLine Turns 30! When I think about JobLine turning 30, my first thought is: how did time go by so fast. Then again, with everything we have done over the years, it makes me smile. We’ve achieved a lot, from pioneering the Candidate Profile, which gives employers a “first interview” and... Read More November 2022 Issue #14280 Page 88
Career or Job? With the Great Resignation, Great Reshuffle, or whatever the name-de Jour is this week, people have been changing jobs mostly to make more money. Some left to reset stress levels or find work-life balance. Sure, some are changing to go remote, or go to their perfect place and be remote. Most... Read More July 2022 Issue #14276 Page 74