Knowing how to hire snow employees can be tricky.
It’s hard to find qualified people, and it’s even harder to find someone that’s going to be the perfect fit for your team.
Keep reading to discover…
Snow removal is a dangerous job that makes your business more liable than traditional landscaping.
This. Is. A. Fact.
What does this mean for your snow removal business?
Well, chances are your traditional liability insurance for your lawn care or landscaping business may NOT cover the snow removal sector.
Since snow removal is more dangerous, you’re considered to be a part of the high-loss group due to the greater risk of claim filing.
Before you hire any employee, you should consider 2 types of insurance. Think about getting workers’ compensation and liability insurance.
Again, these should probably be separate from your lawn care or landscaping insurance.
Want to get more out of your snow employees? See how the right snow plow will boost their productivity! How to Find the Right Plow for Your Snow Removal Company
Knowing when it’s the right time to hire a snow employee is vital to the growth of your business.
There are a lot of things you need to consider, before you take the leap to hire someone.
Here’s a few signs it’s time to hire a new snow employee:
If any of these statements apply to you, then it’s probably time to hire more team members.It’s important to know how to build a team, but it can be difficult to know exactly what steps to take to go about it.
If you’ve never built a team before, here are a few simple steps to help you easily AND safely build your first team:
Now that you know how to build your first team, let’s talk about the questions you should ask yourself before you actually hire someone.
Before you hire a new snow employee, here are some important questions to ask yourself to determine what you need:
Do you have a process set for new hires?
If you answer these questions and follow the steps, your decision to add a team member will be much easier.
When conventional methods, such as job search sites, fail to find you the right candidates — try thinking outside the box.
Find new snow employees by…
Reaching out to your friends and family for referrals is probably the most promising choice… however, hiring friends and family is a whole other ballgame — we’ll discuss this more later.
Snow removal is dangerous, which means a higher liability to your business. It can seem almost impossible to find people with the right qualifications.
In order to ensure you’re hiring the right people, you should look for someone who has:
These qualifications are vital to ensuring you’re hiring the right person for your snow removal business.
You also need to consider the difference between a snow employee and a snow plow driver.
It may seem obvious but...if you don’t ask the right questions during an interview, you won’t hire the right person for your team.
Start by phone screening applicants. This filters out the ones who aren’t qualified or excited for the job. It also cuts down on your interview time, and your time is valuable.
You might ask them…
If they pass the phone interview, ask for an in-person interview. Make the interview on your terms, where you pick the time and place.
The in-person interview should tell you everything you need to know about the candidate. We recommend you ask…
These questions not only show their qualifications, but also help you get to know them.
Just as a reminder… practice saying no to favors. Don’t hire friends or family unless you’re willing to potentially ruin the relationship. There’s a good chance they’ll feel entitled to special treatment.
Want to find the best trucks and tires? 6 Best Trucks and Tires for Your Snow Removal Business
So, you’ve asked the traditional interview questions and their qualifications match up. Now, you need to know if they’re the right fit for YOUR team.
Before hiring a potential team member, you should ask yourself the 7 C’s.
The 7 C’s are a great way to ensure you’re hiring the right employee for your business.
They are…
If the potential team member passes all of these qualifications and questions, then you’ve probably found yourself the right team member.
Having trouble with retention on your snow removal team? 5 Steps to Keeping Your Snow Employees This Winter
Building a positive culture is what keeps your best employees on your team.
We’ve been talking a lot about hiring… but let’s talk about keeping the employees you already have, so that you don’t have to continuously find great employees.
In order to raise your retention rate, you have to give them a reason to stay with you.
While incentives and perks help a great deal with retention, the BEST way to maintain retention is through solid culture.
A good company culture means…
Bottom line: You’re going to lose great employees for different reasons. If you do everything possible to cultivate a positive company culture, you won’t have to hire as often.
If you really want to keep great snow employees, then you should use the best snow software that puts their everyday tasks on autopilot so they can focus on providing amazing services.
When you choose Service Autopilot, you’ll get:
And so much more!
But don’t take my word for it. See for yourself how Service Autopilot will change your life and grow your snow removal business.
Sign up for a FREE snow software tour!
Instant invoicing
Better scheduling
Manage your clients and employees all in one system
Finding the right snow removal team can sometimes seem like a pretty daunting task. If you read this article, we promise you’ll have a leg up on your competition.
This article shows you not only how you can cover yourself, but also how to find the right employees for your team.
So get out there, and find YOUR snow removal team!
Related: How to Add Snow Removal to Your Lawn Care Business
Originally published Dec 6, 2018 4:07 PM, updated Nov 17, 2020 11:25 AM
Tags: Business Operation