I recently read a national workforce report that states 80% of employers are actively seeking employees. This does not come as a surprise to me at all. Weekly, I hear from members who are in need of finding and retaining qualified employees. Monroe is no different than most communities in Wisconsin. We are at a record low unemployment and the need for connecting talent to employers through all avenues is making people take notice. We are almost conditioned to see “now hiring” signs everywhere we go, even on Facebook! 

Some might wonder with the recent loss of a major retail provider in Monroe; does that mean things are changing? I know there are plenty of opportunities for people who find themselves losing their careers. I worked with the dislocated worker program for a while and I hope people are able to take advantage of the program now. We are a far cry from where we were less than a decade ago and with the ebb and flow of the economy, many with higher levels of experience than I do say we will return to a more balanced workforce and normal unemployment rates. Until that time comes, we need to make sure we are finding and retaining the best candidates we can. So, what do we do to assist in the matter? 

On May 23, the Monroe Chamber of Commerce hosted an Employee Retention Strategies Lunch and Learn. This free class was attended by over 40 chamber members who were interested in learning from the experts on how to attract and retain talent. Who are the experts we heard from? Local business owners and human resource professionals. We were delighted to have a panel discussion led by chamber members from all sizes and types of businesses. Hearing from multiple perspectives and experiences brought opportunities for businesses to see unique, as well as common, challenges throughout our workforce.

Thank you to Tim Wolff, Sara Fredrickson, Mellody Haug and Tracy Hamilton for their presentations. These were just a starting point of the conversation. We had a very robust conversation regarding the elements that cause lower retention rates in employees. Having a strong business culture and opportunities for advancement were two very clear winners in retaining talent. 

Everyone’s favorite topic right now is commuting and available housing. That conversation in itself could fill an entire edition of the Monroe Times. Monroe has several employers that are draws to our community. With most families, dual incomes are the required norm so many families are seeking careers for both spouses when considering relocating anywhere. We need to work united to offer career opportunities to trailing spouses as well as the candidate we want to hire. We can’t answer and solve all the questions right away, but we can take some action. 

Where do we see the next steps taking us? One of the projects we are working on this summer will be to update our career center on the Chamber of Commerce website. In addition to the individual efforts by the Chamber members, we are hoping to enhance employment opportunity efforts by offering a centralized location for potential employees to find their future employers. Anyone interested in finding career opportunities is welcome to add this link to their search routine: monroechamber.org/workforce/. If you have any questions regarding the Chamber of Commerce please feel free to reach out to me! 

Thanks for keeping Monroe an awesome place to live, work and play. 

— Melissa Even is the executive director for the Monroe Chamber of Commerce. She can be reached at melissa@monroechamber.org.