Landscaping is a Skilled Trade
Live Oak: Where landscapers live happily ever after.
Most of us don’t think of Landscapers as skilled workers. To be honest, most of us don’t think about Landscapers at all. They’re the mysterious men and women that swoop in at 7am on Tuesday, make a bunch of noise and magically disappear by 7:30. While their work is essential to the aesthetic of our homes, businesses, and our campuses, they are often seen as mere laborers, not the skilled tradespeople they truly are.
We have a more inside out view when it comes to landscapers. We know that the landscape construction industry or “Green Industry” if you will, requires specialized skills, safety training, and a focus on quality. Despite these demands, retaining employees has been a challenge in this field, often seeing them leave for other opportunities, particularly national companies. Nationals can sometimes offer more benefits. Why wouldn’t a hard worker choose the latter?
The past few years have been particularly challenging for the Green Industry, with the added difficulties brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic and a significant increase in available labor. The pandemic has brought about numerous economic and social challenges, leading to many workers leaving their jobs altogether creating what some have called “The Great Resignation”. This sudden increase in resignations has had a ripple effect throughout the labor market, creating a sense of uncertainty and instability for businesses. Rising labor costs, the loss of experienced workers and increased costs for training and hiring new employees, further compound the challenges faced by the industry. The effects of the pandemic and labor crisis are felt deeply by companies in the landscape construction sector, making it more important than ever to prioritize the well-being and job security of their employees.
Our View
Live Oak values its workers as the foundation of its business and is committed to supporting their growth, providing benefits, and fostering a “Family First” environment of safety and respect. This approach sets Live Oak apart in the industry, creating a loyal workforce and elevating the standard of employee retention. By prioritizing the well-being of its workers and embedding “Family First” as our first core value, Live Oak is paving the way for success in the landscape industry.
It's not all about pay but soft benefits.
We believe that by offering a supportive and inclusive work environment, we can retain our employees and build a loyal core who are able to train new workers. This environment includes a focus on family, opportunities for growth, and flexible leave time. These "soft benefits" are just as important, if not more so, as pay and benefits in retaining employees.
It's a Trade
Landscape construction is a trade that requires specialized skills and training, as well as a commitment to safety. At Live Oak, we invest in our employees by providing them with the training and support they need to do their jobs effectively and safely. We’ve set up Live Oak University, “LOU” for short to help standardize safety training throughout our organization. The result is also a more cohesive and team-oriented work force.
We pay our guys very well.
One of the key factors in retaining employees is providing competitive pay and benefits. At Live Oak, we take this seriously and pay our employees well, even if it may not be popular with clients. We believe that by treating our employees fairly, we can build a stronger and more stable workforce that sticks around for the duration of their career.
We offer health insurance.
In addition to competitive pay and a supportive work environment, we offer our employees’ health insurance, which is a significant benefit in an industry where many workers do not have access to affordable health care. This, along with other benefits such as flexible leave time, helps to attract and retain employees who are committed to their careers in the landscape industry.
Final Word
It's clear that every industry has its challenges, but here at Live Oak, we're taking a unique approach to tackling these difficulties head-on. By treating our employees like the skilled technicians they are and providing a supportive, family first work environment, we're creating a haven for hard-working, skilled teams. Who knows, maybe someday soon, instead of being known as the mysterious 7am-7:30am men and women, landscapers will finally get the recognition they deserve as highly skilled technicians of our outdoor spaces. Until then, we’ll continue to champion their safety, ongoing education, and careers at Live Oak.