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In 2023, South Central Power Co. needed to fill jobs—and fast. Some 70 employees, 20 of them lineworkers, retired or were promoted, creating open positions. The co-op's 24-county service area was growing, and its fiber business was taking off.
The proximity of the co-op’s headquarters to Columbus, Ohio, meant it could draw from a large talent pool for workers. But being next to the state’s capital with a large investor-owned utility came with disadvantages, too: more competition for the same employees.
“Who here hasn’t struggled with that?” Vice President of Human Resources Amy Palmer asked attendees at an NRECA Interact Conference breakout session in Washington, D.C., on attracting and retaining talent in the electric cooperative workforce.
Facing intense pressure, the Lancaster-based co-op knew it had to shake up its recruitment and retention practices. “We really needed to pause and find creative ways to deal with the departures we were seeing,” Palmer said.
At an Aug. 6 breakout session, Palmer and her colleague, Communications Specialist Jake Friday, shared how a revamped strategy led to a record-high 27 new hires in 2023, 43 the following year and 25 so far this year.
The crux of the co-op’s challenge was figuring out how to go toe-to-toe with its competitors and then communicating its advantages to applicants through a variety of channels.
“We first defined who our competitors are,” Palmer said, “and then conducted a comprehensive benefits review and compensation review, using additional sources and geographical data.”
Collaboration between the HR and communications departments was crucial. Hired in part to refresh the co-op’s brand, Friday got internal buy-in to ensure consistency with the new brand.
Ohio’s Electric Cooperatives and Pioneer Utility Resources also helped modernize the co-op’s assets. In addition, the co-op hired a professional photographer to catch employees in action in a variety of jobs.
“Featuring photos of real employees on your website, magazine or social media creates a powerful connection by humanizing your brand and building trust,” Friday said.
Armed with appealing materials and competitive hiring analyses of how it stacked up in the local job market, the co-op began to invest more time and resources in career fair appearances.
“We have to be more intentional about having a presence and developing those relationships so we can keep that pipeline flowing,” Palmer said.
Other successful action steps included:
Deployment of “now hiring” digital ads with specific wage information in targeted job markets. That approach led to a record 21 applications from qualified journeyman lineworkers. Use the ads “to focus on what you do well and what really works for you,” Palmer said. “Because that’s what you want to leverage.”
To help with retention, the co-op started a professional development program called Empower and began providing each employee a total compensation statement outlining not just salary but other perks and benefits.
“Seeing their total package allows them to compare that to other employers,” Palmer said. “They are in a better position to understand we are competitive with market averages, and in many cases better.”
The new strategy’s multichannel approach helps with “first, second and third impressions,” Friday said.
“You never know where you're going to meet your next prospective employee,” Friday said. “Maybe it’s online, maybe it’s through a career fair, but casting a wide net will really allow you to get the highest number of quality candidates.”
