The SPPAIn this day and age, we have all witnessed businesses struggling to fill job openings, especially in the service industry. Clearly, the pool industry is a service industry. I have been working in the insurance for pool professionals for 18 years and, in 2021 and 2022, I have seen astronomical turnover of employees for our insureds. In some cases, the employee is added on the policy and just a few days later is taken off. The reason varies: the employee wasn’t qualified enough, didn’t like the labor, wanted higher pay/benefits or simply failed to show up again after the first day. My husband and I own several businesses, and it’s not just the pool industry. It’s been difficult hiring and maintaining employees.
When it comes to insurance, it can be beneficial to increase benefits offered to employees. The more qualified, educated and experienced the employee has, the less likely a claim will arise out of inexperienced mistakes. If you are unable to hire an experienced individual, consider adding the perk of education and training to your onboarding. My father, who has been in the pool industry for nearly 50 years, would have new hires ride along with him for a couple weeks until he let them take on their own route. This way, he could not only educate and train them, but could also get a feel for how the employee could perform on a job and with his customers.
It’s important to make sure your employees are covered under your insurance policy to give you peace of mind. Education, training, paying more and including benefits could favor your company, making it successful and prosperous. Additionally, this may help with turnover and maintaining one of the biggest assets of your company: your employees.
