This article is not intended for people who have attended the National Recruiting and Retention Symposium before, those people already know what to expect. They know the value of going, the quality of people that they will meet and the intelligent information that each presenter shares. Their company is likely encouraging them to attend year after year, because they see the impact that it has on their fleet and on their recruiting and retention numbers.
This article is for people who have not been before, it is for the ones that do not know what they are missing. I always find it ironic that the people that could benefit the most from events like these are the ones that do not attend, they just seem to accept that there will always be a revolving door of drivers at their company. They seem to accept that because “it has always been done this way”, there is no reason to change. That is exactly why there is reason to change, because the results from “always doing it that way” lead to up to 100% driver turn over, tens of thousands spent on recruiting ads and empty trucks parked up against a fence.
How does the National Recruiting and Retention Symposium help? Quite simply, it is a collection of intelligent people that have found a better way to operate that are willing to share their secrets to success.
It can be broken down into three main areas:
- The Guest Speakers – I am generally pleased if I write down one or two notes or ideas after seeing someone speak. I then bring this idea back to my company, tinker with it so that it better suits our specific needs and then watch how it positively impacts my company. After the first NRRS, I literally had pages of notes and ideas. The quality of the speakers are amazing and they speak from hands on experience.
- The attendees – the people that attend the NRRS are all likeminded in the sense that they want to get better. They want to hear what other companies are doing to attract and retain drivers, they want to learn from their mistakes and to emulate their successes. You cannot overestimate the power of networking, and the talented and supportive people that you meet at the NRRS are some of the industries best.
- The panels – though most panels have the opportunity to prepare for the questions being asked, no one reads from a script. They are speaking from the heart and they are speaking from experience. Transportation experts are opening up to share their thoughts on how the industry can improve. The passion that panelists from years past have displayed is matched only by the content of what they are saying.
There are lots of industry events out there to choose from and there are all sorts of ways to spend your recruiting and retention budget. I can say from experience, that the ROI from attending this event has been significant for my company. Just think, if you are able to retain a single driver based on what you learned, the value of this Symposium has been tenfold. If what you learn helps you lower your budget for recruiting ads, or better yet, reduce the need for recruiting ads, the value has been tenfold.
I fully endorse this event, not because it has greatly benefit Wellington Group of Companies (though it has), I endorse this event because it benefits the industry as a whole. If you are on the fence, what do you have to lose by going? You have the choice to either sit on the sidelines and watch everyone get better, or you can attend the event and get better yourself! https://transrep.ca/symposium
Hope to see you there!
PS: Don’t forget to nominate someone from your company for the Recruiter of the Year Award, Download Form
