Finding, Attracting, Keeping Talent Among Paper Industry's Most Pressing Challenges.

The number one reason for job dissatisfaction in the pulp and paper industry today is perceived lack of loyalty from company to employee. Our industry has gone through some tumultuous times-including mergers and acquisitions resulting in downsizing and “rightsizings.” This has created a feeling of uncertainty and general dissatisfaction among employees, and a common question for recruiters these days is, “do you have anything outside the paper industry?”

In the ensuing years it will be necessary to change that perception to keep the technical resources interested in our industry. Generation X and Y are interested in different things. While they are ambitious and competent, quality of life is a top priority. And that might be the second reason candidates call recruiters today, in search of new opportunities.

More often than not, today's employees are interested in more vacation time and less salary. Salary.com cites some interesting polls that suggest more than one-third of respondents would prefer time off to a $5000 increase in pay. They go on to suggest some possible reasons, which include a total reevaluation of priorities as well as dual income families and family-first attitudes-unlike the baby boomer generation. These polls suggest September 11 had a profound impact on work and employee priorities.

Quality of Life Issues
Another reason for calling recruiters today is employee “burnout,” and in the paper industry this has been prevalent-trying to do more with less. Many times, I have gotten calls from engineers asking to “please find me a job where I can build something rather than tear it down to reduce costs.”

Quality of life, however, isn't just a vacation/time-off issue. Locations and mobility enter into the total picture, as well as overall job satisfaction. Does the employee feel part of the team? Does the employee have a coaching/mentoring relationship? Are employees recognized as valuable people to the organization? Do they respect their senior leaders?

So, what can be done about these problems? First, we have to recognize the differences between retiring baby-boomers and their replacement Generation X and Y employees, and learn how to address their different expectations. What everyone really wants in the end is a motivated talented work force to stay competitive and make top quality products.

Motivation vs. Experience
We might have to look very seriously at hiring practices. Most hiring managers today are looking for candidates with experiences exactly matching the job they are trying to fill. But the best “A” candidates are often in the market because they want a “new” opportunity to do something different.

Maybe in today's paper industry, and into the future, we should allow for a slightly longer learning curve to bring on motivated people. Maybe we need to think “outside the box” and try to find people who have the right attitude but not necessarily the right experiences.

In this regard, boomers can play a critical role. A practice that is more prevalent in Europe than in the U.S. is to transition a long-term, invaluable employee to retirement by keeping him or her on in a reduced-time status. The employee gets a reduced work week but keeps earning a fair wage and (some) benefits, and the company gets to keep the perfect trainer for the new person coming on board who has fabulous potential but might need a mentor for a while.

Many of these seasoned, highly talented employees are now leaving companies that are unable or unwilling to change their retirement policies. Hiring managers sometime put too much emphasis on years of service rather than years of knowledge.

Continuing Talent Drain
In our industry, as well as many other businesses, things are continuing to change at a fast pace. NAFTA, and possibly CAFTA, as well as a rapidly developing paper industry in Asia and South America are causing our talent to move all over the world.

Today, companies outside of the paper industry are calling recruiters looking for all types of employees with paper industry background. Paper industry hiring managers who think talented employees don't have a choice and wait too long in their hiring process need to rethink their game plans. Everything has become portable these days, including skill and talent.

Gilly Hitchcock is president of FPC of Bangor, a recruiting firm specializing in pulp and paper placements, and Mike Luciano is a senior consultant with FPC.

PaperAge. Copyright © O'Brien Publications, Inc. All rights reserved.