At a recent industry meeting, there was great concern about the difficulty of finding suitable teammates. Positions are unfilled around the country.

It occurs to me as I listen to these concerns that I’m glad that we have a jump on this challenge. A couple of years ago, we began to survey everyone who works in our company annually. We ask these questions:

Do you know what’s expected of you? People who are clear on what’s expected know how they fit in and the importance of their contribution.

Do you feel safe at work? If you feel your safety is at risk, you will find something else to do.

Do you have the right equipment? If your tools don’t work, your frustration will be high.

Have you been told how you are performing in the last seven days? Feedback is the key to building good habits and improving your performance. Steady improvement in your work activities causes pride and satisfaction

Is someone committed to your development? When the company helps you to plan how to be better, a sense of commitment to each other develops.

Do your opinions matter? Do you have a say in how things go at work? Real pros want to be able to speak up, be heard, be understood and have their best ideas implemented. Having that kind of power is rare. When they get it, people remain on the team

Are you growing and improving? When you look back, did you get better? Did your skill grow? Did you gain ground? Did new things come your way? When you grow and improve, you tend to appreciate your opportunity. You think twice about moving on.

All of us contribute to the sense of well-being. We encourage each other. We teach each other. We thank each other. We recruit others to help in our effort.

As labor tightens up, we have an edge by doing these things. Thanks for sharing with us in the effort. M