Well, it’s that time again to check out what is arguably our most popular issue of the year: Our annual Made In America issue. Like past July issues with the Made In America moniker, this magazine has a theme. July 2021 RV News is all about American heroes. It celebrates the American blue-collar workers who exemplify loyalty and longevity.
In the 20 years I’ve been doing this, I’ve never done a concept front cover like this one. I promise you’ve never seen an RV trade magazine with a cover like this July’s cover. I’d love to hear your thoughts on the cover alone as some believed the concept was risky. You know I like a little “risky” now and again. Tell me what you think of our coverage within the magazine’s superhuman 160 pages.
If you are like me and believe your company’s greatest asset is the employees who make it successful, you will love this issue. Click the magazine cover to the left or click here to read the magazine.
Superheroes or Villains?
Who doesn’t love a good villain? Well, employers for one but a good villain always makes for a good story. All good stories have main characters, a setting with a time and place and some element of conflict.
The conflict in today’s story centers around how the industry has been facing a labor shortage for some time now. There are a host of reasons. The pandemic being one of them. Our industry’s vehicle manufacturing being hyper-focused in a single geographic location with a relatively small labor pool (when compared to major American cities) is another factor. Just-in-time delivery is another facet as is off-shoring components and materials.
RV companies like suppliers, distributors and dealerships throughout the U.S. are universally struggling with labor pool villains. It’s not just Elkhart county. So many forget how much of the industry is outside of Indiana.
Let’s highlight the characters of our story: the dastardly labor pool villains all good companies must face. Like all villains, they are sneaky and show up at the most inopportune times. Sometimes they are in disguise.
For many companies looking to add staff, the labor pool is like a rail car filled with hobos. Many businesses are finding that the only applicants they see are unemployable.
To be politically correct, I’ll refer to the first segment of labor pool villains as “the transients.” These workers are the increasingly common professional interviewees. They apply, accept the position and go through training only to immediately quit to lounge in a new company’s training class until it also finishes. Rinse and repeat… they keep a job for so long as the introductory training takes place and then move on to a new company.
If the next group were a supervillain team their name would probably be, “The Unintenders” Members of The Unintenders intentionally apply for jobs they are in no way qualified for, specifically, so they will not be offered a position. Some do this to meet the qualifications for staying on state unemployment.
“Oh, you are hiring an emergency room nurse? Here is my resume, please note I never finished high school and couldn’t unwrap a band-aid if someone’s life depended on it. Please don’t make me interview. If you take my application seriously, I’ll make you regret it on Glass Door.”
Then we have that notorious group of villains who apply intending to immediately redefine the job description, its duties and responsibilities to their own set of terms… job description or company needs be damned.
Here’s an example: “I will happily accept your position so long as I can work from home with unspecific hours, no supervision and absolutely no requirements for completing responsibilities on any given schedule or timeline. I want to work when I want to work, where I want to work, doing what I want to do, with no accountability or time-sensitive responsibilities or deadlines, oh, and I’d like to be paid a premium for this.”
The last group I’ll call the Greener Pasture gang of villains. They switch jobs frequently at the drop of the hat for instant gratification. Some stay at a company for three, six, or nine months. Some hop to the next position at the one or two-year mark. Sometimes, something as simple as a $0.25 per hour raise is all it takes.
They often think, “I’m for me, first, and everyone else should be too. I just finished my first shift on the job so can I have a raise, oh, and a promotion?”
Facing these types of potential employees and these labor pool demographics are now commonplace for nearly all U.S. employers. Villains like these cost American companies a truly staggering amount of money each year.
Examining this growing trend, I want to encourage all RV companies to institute retention programs that truly reward those employees who bring dedication, loyalty, experience through longevity and hard work to your company. Tier and escalate the rewards for those employees who stay with you and work hard.
The July issue highlights those people in our industry who exemplify what a great American worker embodies. It highlights the companies that truly value their workers. They are the superheroes who counter the villains who appear in the workplace or HR department.
In my opinion, a hero is someone who has characteristics that exceed the average, go beyond the normal and stand out from the mundane. They embody what we all should aspire to be. This issue has them.
Dana Nelsen
Very Proud Owner of RV News magazine
