Commercial Integrator November 2021 - 16

SMB INSIGHT
Recruiting Tips for Small AV Businesses
The COVID-19 pandemic changed the way businesses hire, and these tips can help small integrators
find qualified talent in an industry already plagued by workforce challenges. by Zachary Comeau
SMALL BUSINESSES - including small
integrators looking to find qualified talent
in this highly specialized industry need to
think outside of the box and differentiate
themselves from their larger competitors,
offer good benefits, stay nimble enough to
adapt to changing workforce dynamics and
market themselves to potential employees.
We spoke with small business recruiting
expert Matt Abbott, general manager of
recruiting firm The Sourcery, about how to
attract the same talent as the big guys.
Understand Who You Are
Small businesses can be great places to
work if they have that family-oriented business
culture that prospective employers
find attractive.
Rather than look at it as competing with
the larger companies in the space, Abbott
says small businesses should instead understand
who they are and buy into that.
" If it's cash compensation, you may not
be able to pay that. If it's equity, you may
not be able to pay that, " Abbot says. " You
may not be able to have all the benefits,
and you might not even be close. "
Rather than focusing on what you can't
do, focus on what differentiates your company
from the rest of the field.
" Know that so that you can talk to people
and get them excited about your company
first - not about the role, " Abbott says.
Small businesses can do this via marketing
and branding and then source from a
large talent pool rather than individual people
and whittle the list down from there.
Differentiate Yourself
One big thing larger businesses have that
small ones don't is a competitive salary.
According to Abbott, businesses should
ask themselves what they can offer instead of
a highly competitive salary that would attract
talent away from their larger competitors.
One of those things is transparency.
Small businesses allow managers and
executives to be abnormally close with their
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As the AV industry becomes more consolidated and increasingly dominated by a
handful of larger integrators, finding talent for your small business is becoming
even more challenging.
lowest-level employees, which should foster
some sense of collaboration throughout
the entire organization. This begs for a level
of transparency not usually obtainable in
larger businesses.
Opening the books up to your employees
and having regular meetings to go over
the company's financials can help motivate
employees and make them feel like they're
a larger part of the organization.
Abbott says another differentiator is
benefits. If you can't match your larger
competitor's salary, then make a concerted
effort to offer better benefits and regularly
evaluate your offerings to see if they're on
par or better with other local businesses.
" Think about those small things that you
can ask your whole team that would make a
difference, " Abbott says.
You can start small and incrementally add
low-cost things to your benefits package,
like pet insurance, for example.
Buy in to Remote Work
When the pandemic took hold last spring,
remote work became the new normal for
workers around the world, and studies
suggest that employees want to retain
some of the flexibility that came with it.
Commercial Integrator NOVEMBER 2021
Now, work from home is the new baseline,
Abbott says.
Larger companies have more real estate
than small businesses, so executives at larger
firms may be more apt to bring employees
back to the office.
" Smaller businesses can be more flexible
long term, " Abbott says.
Forcing employees to come back to the
office can result in employees quitting, as
evidenced by what is becoming known as
the great resignation.
" I had spoken to a few people back in
February when I said, 'You're gonna see the
greatest attrition rates we've ever seen in
Q3 and Q4,' " Abbot said. " And we started
to see that highest attrition rates we had
ever seen. "
This is because people are just now
getting used to remote work and a new
way of life but are then asked to abruptly
overhaul their work lives again and go back
to the office, especially if certain positions
are remote while others aren't.
" This is an opportunity for small businesses
to be in a position to move quickly, "
Abbott says. " Whereas the other companies
are more like big ships, and it takes a
lot longer for them to turn. "
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Commercial Integrator November 2021

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