For decades, business owners across industries followed the same hiring advice: hire slow, fire fast. The logic was sound in a more stable labor market—take your time to find the right fit and move on quickly if it doesn’t work out. But in today’s workforce environment, that approach is proving increasingly ineffective.
Hiring expert William Vanderbloemen recently summed it up succinctly: candidates are more fickle than ever, and employers no longer have the luxury of moving slowly. In the flooring industry, which has long faced labor shortages, sticking to outdated hiring practices can be detrimental to your business. Following are some key considerations:
Shrinking talent pool meets rising expectations. The flooring industry has struggled to attract and retain skilled labor, particularly installers, project managers and warehouse personnel. As experienced workers retire or exit the trades, fewer new candidates are stepping in to replace them. At the same time, today’s job seekers—both white collar and blue collar—are approaching employment differently.
Candidates now apply to multiple jobs simultaneously, expect quick follow-up and are far less patient with drawn-out hiring processes. This shift has forced many owners to question what has gone wrong with their hiring processes.
The cost of hiring too slowly. In flooring, an unfilled position is more than an inconvenience—it directly affects operations and profitability. A missing installer, for example, can delay jobs and frustrate customers. By the same token, a short-handed sales team can result in missed opportunities. Overworked employees are more likely to burn out, make mistakes or leave altogether.
Today’s reality requires a shift in mindset: businesses must prioritize hiring capable, motivated people and invest in training and development rather than holding out indefinitely for perfection.
Recruiting vs. hiring. Hiring can no longer be treated as a reactive process triggered only when someone leaves your employment. Instead, successful flooring businesses are always keeping an eye out for talent, even when they are fully staffed.
Lesson: continuously recruit. This includes maintaining relationships with installers, staying connected to trade schools and encouraging employee referrals.
Protecting knowledge as the workforce changes. Turnover creates another challenge: the loss of institutional knowledge. When experienced installers, estimators or salespeople leave, years of practical expertise can walk out the door with them. To that end, many companies are now focusing on documenting processes, standardizing training and capturing best practices to reduce risk. New tools, including AI-driven systems, are making it easier to preserve knowledge and onboard new employees more effectively.
The old hiring rules were built for a different time. Today’s flooring businesses must adapt to a labor market defined by speed, competition and changing expectations. That doesn’t mean lowering standards; it means adjusting processes to meet reality.
Lisbeth Calandrino has been promoting retail strategies for the last 20 years. To have her speak at your business or to schedule a consultation, contact her at lcalandrino@nycap.rr.com.
