Are we finally leaving crisis mode when it comes to hiring? In early 2010, MDM reported that distributors were focused on doing more with less, cautious as they clawed their way out of the recession.
Doing more with less has been a common refrain among distributors over the past few years – and in some ways, it’s been a positive development as it sparked process and technological improvements that have made distributors more productive and, in turn, more profitable.
However, experts in HR back in 2010 advised distributors not to go too far with the focus on doing more with less. “Managers need to watch for burnout,” John Salveson of Salveson Stetson Group said. “You can only live in crisis mode for so long.”
Over the past few years, distributors have added staff, but not at the rate work forces were cut back in 2008 and 2009.
Fast forward to 2013, and distributors appear to have emerged from lean mode with many planning to hire this year. In the latest issue of MDM Premium, we examine the current hiring environment in distribution and provide insight on what is driving the desire to hire. Distributors are also getting more strategic about who they hire. That may be one reason it is becoming more difficult to find the right talent.
Read the article:
One of the drivers behind the desire to hire right now is the need for talent to lead new initiatives. Some distributors have tapped leaders or salespeople to focus on specific end-markets. We provide a look at one of the newer end-markets some distributors are going after in the latest issue of MDM Premium: solar. The article is the first in a series that provides an update to the 2009 report, Alternative Energy Markets: To Serve or Not to Serve?
Read the recent article on solar markets:
Access the current issue of MDM Premium now, featuring the above articles and an interesting interview with Bishop-Wisecarver Group’s Pamela Kan on the value of social media and shifts in the manufacturing industry.
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