How do I find new employees for my lawn care and landscaping business?

Employee hunt struggles?
You're not alone in the hiring challenge It's true, hiring new employees today IS A TOTAL PAIN!

For many lawn care company operators, it is one of the most challenging obstacles for growth.

Perhaps it is easy to find a temporary employee from time to time...

But finding one that is willing to put in hard workday after day, week after week is a difficult task. 

So GreenPal asked the lawn care pros what they thought...

Fortunately, some lawn care pros gave us some great suggestions about how to find a new employee for their landscaping company.

Let's check out their conventional, and as to be expected not so conventional methods they suggested to find new worthwhile hires for your lawn care business. 

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 Method #1: Pay Them Well 

Of all of the recommendations from lawn care service providers, the most common was to pay your employees well. 

While this one may sting the pocket, it may also be the only way to find a decent employee is to pay them more. At Least if you want to avoid a lot of unnecessary headaches. 

This is a point that Mike Andes the creator of one of the killer lawn care courses we wrote about some time back. 

Think of it this way, sometimes it's better to pay more to get a better employee now, rather than pay less and risk getting an employee with a poor work ethic who will end up causing more problems than he is worth. 

One of the other tips lawn care pros reiterated a similar tip for attracting new hires or encouraging your part time employees to work longer hours. 

For example, method #2...

 Method #2: Offer Rewards and Bonuses for Working Full time 

One method to retain good employees and encourage them to work full time is by offering them bonuses for working full time.

For example, one of the problems you may run into is that one of your employees may be a hard worker, but they still don’t work for you full time. And chances are if they are a hard worker, you probably aren’t the only one that wants to hire them.

Well, if that is the case. There may only be one solution, come up with rewards and bonuses to entice them to work longer hours. 

Some lawn care pros suggest giving employees a bonus if they decide to work full time rather than part time. It doesn’t have to be much, but perhaps an extra $50 for a 40-hour work week will be enough motivation to get them to commit to your company full time.

 Method #3: Recruit the Friends of Your Current Employees 

Look, if you have an employee with good work ethic, chances are they have at least one friend with a similar mindset. 

One method many lawn care and landscaping companies reported using to find new employees is simply to recruit them through the friends of their current employees. 

You never now what a quick conversation with your employees will bring. If it can save you time hunting for a new employee, you can get more lawns cut, sooner!

 Method #4: Hire Those That Have Fallen On Hard Times 

This may seem a bit funny at first glance, but think about it.

Many hardworking people may be in a tight spot, and you may just be the saving grace they need. 

If you do hire someone who is homeless or down on their luck, it is likely best to avoid those with drug or alcohol addictions. 

While this may be a risky proposition, it can be very rewarding in more than one-way should things pan out well. 

 Method #5: Poach Em’ 

This one is a little sly handed, but if it’s your style, it may be for you. One way you may be able to pick up news employees by poaching them from other lawn care companies.

Ultimately however, you will likely have to pay them more than the other guy or offer superior benefits or hours. 

This one is not for most. Similar to some of the strategies for collecting payments from a non-paying client. 

And it may not be the style most people would got with. But if you like a little drama in your life, you could try poaching hard workers from other businesses, or even your competitors.  

 Method #6: Use Flashy Branding 

Some lawn care professionals have reported that they have attracted new hires through flashy branding. 

A nice truck that stands out from the crowd can strike up a conversation with the young and ambitious. Which may ultimately lead to them wanting to work for you. 

Get this, flashy branding will not only attract potential employees, it can also bring new business your way. 

Be Prepared for Trial and Error

No matter what your hiring strategy is, you are likely to go through a couple new employees for your landscaping business before you ultimately build the right crew. 

Afterall, the best employees ultimately end up starting their own lawn care companies. So, there is a small pool of worthwhile employees to chose from. 

As one lawn care provider put it, some employees will act as a spare tire until you are able to find the right employees for your lawn care crew. 

How to Find New Lawn Care Employees at the End of the Day

Hiring new employees for your lawn care business can be a challenging task. Some conventional and unconventional methods to find and retain good employees include paying them well, offering bonuses for full-time work, recruiting the friends of your current employees, considering those who have fallen on hard times, poaching employees from other companies, and using flashy branding. 

However, be prepared for some trial and error as finding the right hires may take time

At the end of the day, even with the tips laid out by the lawn care professionals above, finding the right new hires will likely be a bit of a process. 

You will likely have to replace new hires until you find the right ones. But if you treat your employees well, eventually you will find the right new crew member/s.

Hopefully these tips will help you avoid some time and headaches associated with finding new hires. And you are more than welcome to check out our blog for lawn care pros.

If all else fails you could try this final method, but be forewarned it is certainly not conventional. 

Quick Summary: Strategies to Find New Lawn Care Employees