It seems whomever you speak to, no matter where, when to comes to finding reliable long term employees willing to refinish hardwood floors the answer is the same, they are few and far between. It has been noted, for some time, that there is a shortage of skilled tradespeople in the workforce.  In the past it was generally quite easy to find ones willing to work for a fair day’s wage. Today, however, the struggle is real. Too few available, many other opportunities available, and changing job expectations are just a few reasons why many find it a challenge to hire or to even keep a current employee. Let’s take a closer look at a few of these reasons and see if there is anything that can be done about it.

Too Few Available

Not enough people available in the workforce. This is one of the primary reasons for the lack of being able to find candidates to fill the positions needed. In the trades, including wood floor refinishing, the skilled workforce is getting older. Many who have developed their craft over 20 or 30 years of working on and perfecting it are coming to the point in their working life where they are looking  to slow down some, and perhaps even consider retirement. Sadly, the natural turnover of older construction workers leaving is not being offset with enough younger adults to fill that void.

Opportunities Available

As more of the younger generation enters the workforce, the “social media” influence has had a large effect on what jobs are perceived as desirable. Often Tech is considered as more socially acceptable. Whereas a laborer is a less desirable vocation.  As a result, fewer young adults look to this sector as a viable future.  Fewer bodies to draw from, leads to high demand, which often promotes inflated wages to attract potential candidates. Employees now have the situation open to them to pick and choose where they work as there is always something available.

Job Expectations

Any long time, experienced wood floor refinisher knows that certain aspects of the job require some hard work.  Edging for example.  Edging requires being bent over, on your hands and knees, sanding and blending hundreds of linear feet, for many hours at a time, job after job. This creates a 2-fold crisis.  1) doing this type of work for decades is very hard on the body and at a some point your body says, “enough is enough, get someone younger and stronger to do this”.  And 2) Younger stronger hires when given edging as their daily task, don’t seem to stay very long.

Alternatives?

Most are not in a position to just stop working. But equally can’t grow the business without help. The alternative is to find way to standout and perhaps attract the few available candidates to you instead of your competitors, while at the same time making the work easier on both you and your future employees. Working from a comfortable standing position, the RASP from WerkMaster, offers you exactly that.  Being able to do the edging at the same time as field, and virtually eliminating the need to edge on hands and knees is beneficial to both you and your employee.  The 6 counter-rotating, fixed discs make it easy to operate, even in the hands of a novice. Thereby giving you a competitive advantage to not only hire but keep them long term.

Click here for what wood floor professionals have already said about the RASP™