256: Find The Perfect Employees For The Long Run, with WorkStep

Today I’m joined WorkStep, a people-focused provider of hiring and retention technology for supply chain teams. WorkStep is the market-leading provider of Frontline Workforce Retention solutions, purpose-built for the modern supply chain. With customers including manufacturing, warehousing, retail distribution, and transportation employers across North America, WorkStep solutions provide HR, operations, finance, and c-suite executives with what they need to hire frontline workers, engage them throughout their employment journey, and seamlessly act on critical insights to drive organizational change and ultimately reduce turnover. Today Dan Johnston, Co-founder & CEO at WorkStep, joins me to chat all about the company: what they do; the ins and outs of hiring and retention; the truth behind the current ‘talent shortages’; and the upcoming workforce trends to look out for.   IN THIS EPISODE WE DISCUSS:   [07.03] Dan’s founder story, and how his experience as an ‘Entrepreneur in Residence’ gave him the time to reflect on his previous role as a warehouse manager and how he could innovate to solve some of the problems he saw there. “I’d seen just how detrimental the temp staffing model was… just how challenging a constant rotating door of frontline workforce turnover was to every level of an operation.” [10.47] How Dan’s previous education technology businesses led him to found a business in supply chain staffing. “When we started WorkStep, we thought of this as really a matching problem – supply and demand. And what we realized over time, is that it’s much more than that. It’s more than just matching an available worker to an available job.” [14.16] An overview of WorkStep – what they do, and how they help their customers. [17.04] From talent shortages to new ways of working, a look at some of the key challenges happening in staffing right now. “A lot has changed in the last two years, but actually a lot of these trends were already underway.” [19.57] WorkStep’s employer solution for hiring new staff – how it works, the benefits and the power of data and automation. [22.37] WorkStep’s employer solution for staff retention, why retention is so important and the huge impact it has on both a company’s top and bottom lines. “We’re talking about hundreds of millions of dollars in turnover spend that these large logistics and manufacturing companies are incurring every year – so this is a very important bottom line problem.” [26.14] Why WorkStep is the best solution for job seekers. [29.22] The importance of diversity and inclusion in the workplace, and how WorkStep’s solution can help aid your DEI strategy. [33.15] The ideal client for WorkStep. [35.41] A closer look at WorkStep’s competitive pricing model. [37.16] A case study, showing how WorkStep helped a 3PL achieve an 18% decrease in overall staff turnover, and a 36% decrease in new hire turnover, resulting in significant savings to the customer's bottom line. [40.07] The future for WorkStep. “Our goal is really to make the front line a better place to work… we help workers improve their jobs, so they can live a better life.”   RESOURCES AND LINKS MENTIONED:   Head over to WorkStep’s website now to find out more and discover how they could help you too. You can also connect with WorkStep and keep up to date with the latest over on LinkedIn, or you can connect with Dan on LinkedIn. Check out our other podcasts HERE.