Everybody in this industry complains about how hard it is to find good help...

Almost nobody wants to talk about how hard it is to keep the good help they already have, as turnover is expensive.

You lose the training, you lose the customer relationships, you lose the guy who knew how you like the beds edged, and then you start over with somebody green in the middle of your busiest season.

In this episode Zac breaks down five things that move the needle on retention. It's not free pizza on Fridays, company shirts, or the stuff that makes a man want to show up tomorrow.

Zac talks about cutting loose the miserable employee before he poisons the whole crew, because one guy running his mouth in the truck every morning will cost you three good workers.

He get into what it means to lead with a positive attitude when the equipment breaks and the weather turns, and why your crew reads your face before they read the schedule.

He covers recognition and respect, which cost you nothing and are the two things most guys say they never got at their last job.

And he talk honestly about fair pay and what happens when you try to save fifty cents an hour. And we finish on the ladder, because a man who cannot see where he is going in five years is already looking at somebody else's job listing.

If you run a crew, this one is worth the drive time.

In this episode:

• Removing the miserable employee before he takes the crew down with him
• Leading with a positive attitude when things go sideways
• Recognition and respect as daily habits, not annual reviews
• Paying fair and what cheap labor really costs you
• Building a clear path for growth so nobody feels stuck

The Landscaping Podcast is hosted by Shay Brickhouse and Zac Small of Landscaping Unlimited in Eastern North Carolina. New episodes every week on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and YouTube.