Plumb Pro Plumbing & Heating Corp.’s Post

"On TikTok, the hashtag #bluecollar drew 500k posts in the first four months of this year, up 64% over the same period in 2023. Posts hashtagged #electrician increased 77% over the same time, with #constructionworker and #mechanic posting similar jumps, TikTok says." When it works, social media can drive business, and even inspire new recruits. How does your company leverage social media to help with recruitment? #recruitment #skilledtrades #tradeschool #socialmedia

Another excellent article from The Wall Street Journal on the change in attitudes around blue collar work. The majority of our clients wear boots to work and the employees resemble in many ways the attributes that Lexis in the article posses. Thanks to Te-Ping Chen for the great read and we were particularly struck by the following ideas/items. 1) "The enrollment in vocational programs rose 16% last year." That is great news for all of us and especially the people who enrolled in those classes! 2) "The TikTok hashtag #bluecollar drew 500k posts in the first four months of this year, up 64% over the same period in 2023." While we are seeing a rise in the trades in our work, it seems as if there is a significant trend in that direction. 3) Social media can be/should be an important part of your recruiting strategy as is evidenced by the work Pfizer Faucets is doing on YouTube. Fascinating information! Chris Czarnik John L. Chapman Joseph Erba Brian Stith, MBA Nick Tierney Lucy Wellmaker Ryan Bowles Tracy Simpson Juan Hernandez https://lnkd.in/eZcQAeNK

So, I know we have a lot of influencers in #aviation like Erika Armstrong Shaesta Waiz talking about becoming a #pilot. But what about the rest of the #careers. This article shows how young people are ellevating #bluecollar careers using #socialmedia and teaching young women about careers in male-dominating fields. It's not surprising videos like this are popular given the popularity of Dirty Jobs and This Old House. #aviation and #aerospace are always complaining how tough it is to interest youngsters in our careers. I'm sure they have videos talking about pilots and #aviationmaintenancetechnicians. But what about #flightdispatch #airtrafficcontrol, #manufacturing? I get that manufacturing may be tough owing to #security but we see #plumbing #welding #electricians in this article -- all of which are needed in our industry. "On TikTok, the hashtag #bluecollar drew 500k posts in the first four months of this year, up 64% over the same period in 2023. Posts hashtagged #electrician increased 77% over the same time, with #constructionworker and #mechanic posting similar jumps, TikTok says. "Many posts tout the wages blue-collar workers can make. Pay for new hires in construction now outstrips pay for new hires in professional services like accounting, according to ADP data. Skilled-trade influencers say they’re also trying to combat decades of stereotypes in which practitioners were seen as grease monkeys or stuck in low-end careers. “We’ve made it more appealing. We have nice vehicles. We own homes, we are successful,” says Matt Panella, 27, a carpenter who drives a Tesla “Kids aren’t going to job sites saying, hey, man, can you hire me? They’re getting to know it on social media, giving them the idea that this is a legit possibility,” says the elder Coffman. https://lnkd.in/eStPASCC

🔧 Exciting News! 🔨 The trend of Gen Z workers making blue-collar work cool again is set to reshape the workforce landscape this summer and in the years to come. With more young people inspired to pursue careers in trades like plumbing and construction, we’re anticipating a surge in activity and interest within these industries. This presents a unique opportunity for businesses to tap into a fresh pool of talent and drive innovation and modernization in blue-collar sectors. Over the next five years, we can expect to see a revitalization of these industries, leading to greater economic empowerment for individuals and communities. Let’s embrace and support this trend for a more diverse and robust workforce! #BlueCollarRevolution 💪🔵

It is worth noting here that prior to my "professional consulting" career, I was a "blue collar" worker, ala Mike Rowe "Dirty Jobs" digging ditches and pushing a wheelbarrow in blazing heat, rain, and mud. fixing toilets, repairing sewer lines, building and remodeling houses, and as a machinist. This paved the way for me to get my first modest home, and training in computers to get my white collar job I have today. Side benefit that people do not talk about much: all my experience in my blue collar life pays back in being able to unclog my own toilet, fix my cars, and do many of those "dirty jobs" myself. I have saved hundreds of thousands of dollars in my lifetime (I am 63) because I "invested" in those trade skills.

There were two articles in the WSJ that caught my eye. (Apologies for the subscription requirement). One, which is posted below; Gen Z making bluecollar cool. The other; not being a cynic at work. I chose the Gen Z article because I like the positivity. I started out working with my hands and have always been in hands on roles throughout my career. It can be tough but, like mowing a lawn, you know where you are and what you have done. Everyone has been cynical about work at some point, but it is better to be positive and a collaborator. The end result of your day at work may be the same but the way you feel about it is different. I am synthesizing the two articles into one post, the Gen Z positivity about being hands on is encouraging. I do not buy into the notion that some other generation is harder working or better at something. I think that everyone has a desire to do well and work hard. If you read my earlier article about Deming he believed the same. People want to do well. I want to do well. I think that gets overlooked. Maybe that's part of the cynicism. So, two challenges for the week. 1) Think about your work and what you want to get done and be grateful that you have that work to do 2) Try out a little good will, even if someone isn't as kind as you would like, you did the right thing and you can feel good. It's not about them, it's about you. The tone is a little #LinkedIn #positivity but I am sincere. As I have said before I prefer being this way. #GenZ #Bluecollar #manufacturing #Executive #Logistics #logisticsexecutive #manufacturingexecutive #EV #China #WSJ #Genx #Millenial #Boomer https://lnkd.in/eyw5RHmk

Instead of taking out a predatory loan they'll never be able to pay off to obtain a degree in a white-collar field riddled with uncertainty, Gen Z has (smartly) pivoted to the trades. As reported in The Wall Street Journal yesterday, the number of students enrolled in vocational-focused community colleges rose 16% last year to its highest level since tracking began in 2018. With more workers ditching degrees, companies are pivoting as well. In my research last year for Capterra (which I'll 🔗 in the comments), 47% of recruiters said their employer had already or planned to drop college degree requirements from at least some job openings by 2030. If you're still requiring college degrees on job openings, you could unintentionally be missing out on top talent--especially younger workers that increasingly can't afford a degree. In lieu of requiring degrees, #HR departments and recruiters should: 🎯 Prioritize skills-based hiring 💻 Recognize the quality of top-tier "alternative credentials" like coding bootcamps and industry certifications Have you removed college degree requirements from job openings at your employer? If so, how has it affected your hiring? Let me know in the comments.

Turner Construction Company moderator, Herbert Brown, presents question to panelist about importance of Professional Presence on social media and the importance of being mindful and intentional in the things shared. #digitalbranding #professionalpresence #turnerconstruction #tennesseestateuniversity #collegeofengineering

There are 3 species of animal represented in pictures on this blog post. Can you name them all??? This is like a People Magazine "spot the difference" but you also learn how to optimize your recruitment funnel at the same time. https://lnkd.in/eUsAyHuR

Internal comms isn’t one-size-fits-all. To hire well, you need to know what problem you’re solving for—and what you’re not. Here are three common types of internal comms profiles, and when not to hire them: 1. Executive Comms Executive communicators get energy from mind melding with company leaders. They are often superlative writers who can extrude an executive’s stream-of-consciousness into a variety of formats, from blog posts to live presentations to tweets. Hire an executive communicator if most of your internal comms strategy hinges on the voice of a small number of executives. This is often the case at early stage companies with a strong founder/CEO. An executive comms hire may want to grow by taking on additional operational internal responsibilities and special projects within their executive’s team, à la a chief of staff, or by assisting with external as well as internal executive comms. 2. Crisis Comms Crisis communicators typically get their start in external comms, moving over to internal either full- or part-time when a media crisis starts to metastasize internally. Crisis communicators tend to be great at media relations. They get energy from working end-to-end across internal and external comms and thrive when the role is scoped to allow them to do both. At places where internal comms is periodic rather than always-on, hiring a crisis communicator with a good eye for internal might be all you need. Don’t hire this person if you want someone to plan regular internal events or send a weekly “What’s Happening” newsletter to the company. 3. Employee Experience Employee experience strategists are HR professionals at heart. They are excellent at planning events and are extremely detail-oriented—they are, in other words, excellent project managers. They are the people you want directing traffic day-to-day, when things are business as usual. Their growth path tends to involve getting involved in more areas of HR, like employee relations, DEI, or recruiting. Employee experience strategists chafe in environments where internal comms is infrequent, hyper-direct, and/or executive-driven. One of the most common mistakes I see hiring managers make is looking for an employee experience strategist when they need one of the other two profiles. Read more at https://lnkd.in/g25WaJK7.