Attract and retain young talent in your business.

Anthony Adams is co-founder of Engage, a self storage management and consultancy business that helps maximise occupancy and profitability. As a board member for the Young Storage Network, he is keen to support the aim of attracting more young talent into the UK self storage Industry. Here he gives us his thoughts on the best ways we can do this.

I think we are all honest enough to admit that very few teenagers currently working their way through school are planning a career in the self storage industry. But there are school leavers who are looking for promising roles with a future in business. We just need to show them that self storage is one of the options – and a really great one too. Here’s just a few things we can do to make that happen.

Think beyond the salary

Young people today are more switched on to business and career opportunities than ever before. They leave school with more education than previous generations, and yet struggle to find work that utilises their talents. A recent report from the CIPD found that only just over half of young people surveyed were satisfied with their job, with the main factors being poor career progression, poor quality line management and a lack of effective training programmes. A good starting point for us would be to consider what we want from our own careers – beginning by feeling valued and appreciated. A good salary is obviously important, but it’s important to realise that there are other benefits we can offer as well – from good pensions to medical packages and cycle-towork schemes.

Health matters

Today we are more aware of the impact of work on mental health. And it’s fair to say that running a self storage business can be quite a sedentary job, despite the odd burst of activity. Employees who feel unhealthy and stressed are more likely to suffer from low morale or increased sickness absence. Show that your employees matter to you by offering incentives that provide for their mental and physical health – with complimentary access to apps like Calm or fitness trackers or gym memberships as a part of your employee package. Provide a pathway for progression New employees want to know that there is not just a job available, but a route to career progression. That doesn’t just mean working their way up the ladder – in fact many people today take a sideways or lateral move to enhance their skill set. The opportunities you can offer in training and development will not only satisfy their desire for personal development but also keeps them engaged, challenged and enthusiastic. And remember to give them regular and helpful feedback on their performance. Don’t feel that all the training opportunities should be business focused either. Why not offer your employees the chance to do something they’ve always wanted to try? One of our members is currently learning Sign Language – fulfilling a personal ambition and adding a skill to her tool kit that could benefit the business too.

Using the talents on offer

Of course, it’s not satisfying to attend course after course and not put that new skill to use. Give your team challenges – don’t be afraid to share tasks, ask their opinion on business decisions and ask them for their own ideas. One of our young talents, a training store manager, was challenged to improve van hire profitability for the business she had recently joined. As a result, they lowered prices to be more competitive with the area and saw an increase in sales and bookings. Don’t forget to open up the opportunity to learn from others in the wider business, by shadowing the sales team, site managers or HR, for example. That way they can try different areas of the business for themselves, ready for openings when your business expands to your next site. And, dare I say, there may even be some things that they know more about than you. Young people today have grown up with social media. While you have the experience of marketing your industry, they know how to put your ideas onto the right platform, keep up with trends and stay relevant and engaging to their own age group. After all, the young talent today will be the house movers of tomorrow – make sure you’re marketing to your future customers.

Consider the wider role your business plays

It’s also fair to say that not all young people are motivated by benefits. Today’s young talent is also far more aware of their impact on the environment. They are potentially more likely to choose an employer that has a strong approach to corporate social responsibility and does things the RIGHT way. Does your business already have ethical business practices in place, clear policies for how you treat others and an approach to social responsibility? Or, is improving on these one of the challenges that will form part of the job role you offer? After all, we don’t just want to recruit young talent to follow the same old worn pathways. It’s important to consider what they might teach us too.

Join the Young Storage Network

We know there are more ways we can make self storage an attractive career prospect – and we would love to hear your own ideas too. A first great step would be to sign up to the Young Storage Network Charter and encourage any of your employees under 40 to join us too.

Email us at [email protected] for more information.