One of the keys to success for any organization or business is to get the best employees you can find, and once you have them, keep them engaged so that they remain with the organization when other opportunities may present themselves.
The labor force in public education has changed a great deal in the 25 years I have been in the profession. When I started teaching in the mid-1990s, teaching jobs were scarce. If you found a teaching job immediately out of college you were considered "lucky." Many teachers had to serve as substitute teachers for years before they had an opportunity to find their first full-time job. While the pool of teachers declined gradually from the mid-1990s to mid-2000s, in the last five years, the labor shortage in education has become critical, not just in Wisconsin, but across the nation.
The School District of Monroe has seen the number of teaching applicants drop significantly in recent years. This is not only the case with teachers; we have also had challenges filling some support staff and custodial positions. The simple fact of the matter is, there are fewer people looking for work and there is more competition for those that are seeking a new job.
As I talk to employers across Green County, it seems that recruiting and retaining employees is a matter of widespread concern. We are proud of our community and what Green County has to offer. However, we cannot retain the employees that we cannot get to work here in the first place. When I talk to individuals/employees that we are trying to convince to join us or stay with us, there are three issues that seem to be brought up more frequently than others.
The first issue is housing. I have heard from people who say "Monroe used to have more people and fewer houses so I don't know how housing could be a problem." I can assure you that it is. Many of the new professionals we are trying to get to join us make somewhere between $38-50,000 a year. They likely have not saved up enough money to buy their own home yet, but they want to live in a "nice" place with some modern amenities. I realize the term "Millenials" is overused so I will resist that temptation. Instead, I will indicate that the new employees we are recruiting want access to common spaces for socialization, reliable high-speed internet, indoor parking, and high ceilings. Modern kitchens and bathrooms help too. The reality is that if they cannot find the housing they want, they will commute to work here and that drastically reduces our chances of retaining them as employees in the long term. We need more "modern" one- and two-bedroom housing units and the closer they are to the downtown Square the better.
The second issue is trailing spouses or significant others. Many of the employees we are trying to get commitments from have another person living with them. Because we do not have as many large employers as a city like Madison, Janesville or Rockford, people are under the false impression that their significant other will have trouble finding a job here. On the contrary, local employers are telling me that they simply want resourceful and hard-working people, and they can train them to do what they specifically need within their organization. I never fully understood the diversity of available careers in Monroe and Green County when I served here as a high school principal a few years ago. Employers in our community need to do a better job networking with other employers to find meaningful work for these trailing spouses. Once we get two people in a committed relationship working and feeling valued in our community they will be much more likely to stay and add value to our local economy.
Lastly, many new people to our community feel like outsiders when they arrive. While there are many wonderful people in our community, we can, at times, do a better job of making new people feel welcome. This is something that requires a conscious commitment by all of us. We all get busy, we all have things to do, but we all also need a life away from work. When we are fortunate enough to get talented and optimistic new people in our community we need to welcome them and make them feel like they belong. Inviting an extra couple to a social gathering, a ballgame or a fine arts event will go a long way in helping people feel like they are a part of the community. This is a great place to raise a family, but we have to understand that we will not have families if people keep leaving us before they and their families take root.
You might have noticed that salary or wages are not on that list. While how much a person earns is a factor at times, it has been made clear to me that people we want to keep in our organization are not putting how much they earn at the top of the list. They want to be valued, they want to do meaningful work, they want to feel they are contributing to an organization they believe in, and they want a sense of belonging.
I have had many conversations on this topic with Melissa Even from the Monroe Chamber of Commerce, Cara Carper from Green County Development Corporation and countless other business leaders. We all want the same thing, but we need to be purposeful regarding how we will get there.
In next month's column, I plan to share some important steps the School District of Monroe plans to take in order to help create a better future for Monroe and Green County. Between now and then, let's go out of our way to support and help grow those who are new to our workplace, our neighborhoods and any other group we belong to. We are stronger when we work together, we are more agile when we diversify and we are more nurturing when we share in the joy of what we have.
Have a great finish to the winter season, and GO CHEESEMAKERS!
- Rick Waski is the district administrator for the School District of Monroe. He can be reached at 608-328-7109 or rickwaski@monroe.k12.wi.us.
The labor force in public education has changed a great deal in the 25 years I have been in the profession. When I started teaching in the mid-1990s, teaching jobs were scarce. If you found a teaching job immediately out of college you were considered "lucky." Many teachers had to serve as substitute teachers for years before they had an opportunity to find their first full-time job. While the pool of teachers declined gradually from the mid-1990s to mid-2000s, in the last five years, the labor shortage in education has become critical, not just in Wisconsin, but across the nation.
The School District of Monroe has seen the number of teaching applicants drop significantly in recent years. This is not only the case with teachers; we have also had challenges filling some support staff and custodial positions. The simple fact of the matter is, there are fewer people looking for work and there is more competition for those that are seeking a new job.
As I talk to employers across Green County, it seems that recruiting and retaining employees is a matter of widespread concern. We are proud of our community and what Green County has to offer. However, we cannot retain the employees that we cannot get to work here in the first place. When I talk to individuals/employees that we are trying to convince to join us or stay with us, there are three issues that seem to be brought up more frequently than others.
The first issue is housing. I have heard from people who say "Monroe used to have more people and fewer houses so I don't know how housing could be a problem." I can assure you that it is. Many of the new professionals we are trying to get to join us make somewhere between $38-50,000 a year. They likely have not saved up enough money to buy their own home yet, but they want to live in a "nice" place with some modern amenities. I realize the term "Millenials" is overused so I will resist that temptation. Instead, I will indicate that the new employees we are recruiting want access to common spaces for socialization, reliable high-speed internet, indoor parking, and high ceilings. Modern kitchens and bathrooms help too. The reality is that if they cannot find the housing they want, they will commute to work here and that drastically reduces our chances of retaining them as employees in the long term. We need more "modern" one- and two-bedroom housing units and the closer they are to the downtown Square the better.
The second issue is trailing spouses or significant others. Many of the employees we are trying to get commitments from have another person living with them. Because we do not have as many large employers as a city like Madison, Janesville or Rockford, people are under the false impression that their significant other will have trouble finding a job here. On the contrary, local employers are telling me that they simply want resourceful and hard-working people, and they can train them to do what they specifically need within their organization. I never fully understood the diversity of available careers in Monroe and Green County when I served here as a high school principal a few years ago. Employers in our community need to do a better job networking with other employers to find meaningful work for these trailing spouses. Once we get two people in a committed relationship working and feeling valued in our community they will be much more likely to stay and add value to our local economy.
Lastly, many new people to our community feel like outsiders when they arrive. While there are many wonderful people in our community, we can, at times, do a better job of making new people feel welcome. This is something that requires a conscious commitment by all of us. We all get busy, we all have things to do, but we all also need a life away from work. When we are fortunate enough to get talented and optimistic new people in our community we need to welcome them and make them feel like they belong. Inviting an extra couple to a social gathering, a ballgame or a fine arts event will go a long way in helping people feel like they are a part of the community. This is a great place to raise a family, but we have to understand that we will not have families if people keep leaving us before they and their families take root.
You might have noticed that salary or wages are not on that list. While how much a person earns is a factor at times, it has been made clear to me that people we want to keep in our organization are not putting how much they earn at the top of the list. They want to be valued, they want to do meaningful work, they want to feel they are contributing to an organization they believe in, and they want a sense of belonging.
I have had many conversations on this topic with Melissa Even from the Monroe Chamber of Commerce, Cara Carper from Green County Development Corporation and countless other business leaders. We all want the same thing, but we need to be purposeful regarding how we will get there.
In next month's column, I plan to share some important steps the School District of Monroe plans to take in order to help create a better future for Monroe and Green County. Between now and then, let's go out of our way to support and help grow those who are new to our workplace, our neighborhoods and any other group we belong to. We are stronger when we work together, we are more agile when we diversify and we are more nurturing when we share in the joy of what we have.
Have a great finish to the winter season, and GO CHEESEMAKERS!
- Rick Waski is the district administrator for the School District of Monroe. He can be reached at 608-328-7109 or rickwaski@monroe.k12.wi.us.
