While identifying and recruiting supply chain talent can be a headache for many companies, Charlie Saffro of CS Recruiting has made it her mission to help them find the right fit, one position at a time.
FINDING AND MAINTAINING adequate staffing is arguably the biggest challenge supply chains face today. Warehouse managers struggle to find enough workers to keep their facilities running. Trucking companies are chronically short of drivers. And technology companies and service providers can’t find the talent they need to move their operations forward. For many companies, hiring challenges also put a strain on current employees, creating difficulties in retention. Seeing a need for direct recruiting/retention services within the logistics, transportation, and supply chain markets, Charlie Saffro, president and founder of CS Recruiting, has made it her mission to help these companies tackle the complexities of hiring and retaining talent, one job at a time.
With a background in advertising, Saffro says she “fell” into both recruiting and the supply chain industry. “Yet looking back, there's no doubt that this was always my path,” she says.
Over the past 13-plus years, she has dedicated her time and energy to matching many different types of talent—individuals that do everything from sales to operations, customer support to planning, and everything in between—to the right companies. “Every job we take on is an opportunity to learn from our client and the candidates we meet,” explains Saffro.
During a recent CSCMP “Supply Chain in the Fast Lane” podcast interview, Supply Chain Quarterly Managing Editor Diane Rand spoke with Saffro to find out what she’s learned about hiring and retaining supply chain talent—specifically, what works and what’s a waste of time and money.
NAME: Charlie Saffro
TITLE: President and founder of CS Recruiting
PREVIOUS EXPERIENCE: human resources and logistics recruiter at Real Time Freight Services LLC, account supervisor for advertising agency TPN, and account manager at advertising services company Upshot
LEADERSHIP: Executive Committee of CSCMP; the Science Advisory Board at Manhattan Associates; Chair for the Supply Chain and Analytics Advisory Board at the University of Missouri–Saint Louis; member of the McKelvey Engineering Alumni Advisory Board at Washington University
EDUCATION: Bachelor’s degree in business from University of Illinois Urbana–Champaign.
Q: You presented a session at last fall’s CSCMP Edge Conference with the intriguing title “You can’t recruit if you can’t retain.” Can you explain what you mean by that?
Yes. We see ourselves as different types of recruiters in the sense that we really focus on matching the right person with the right company, and we are very focused on the **ital{human} as part of the process.
I truly believe that in order to recruit well, you have to start with a solid retention strategy. Assuming a business is established, it already has at least one employee, and that is where the recruiting process begins. Having a culture and a certain vibe in the way a company treats its employees internally is what it’s all about right now. Employers need to start by looking internally and figuring out what they offer to their current team members. Where do they fall short? Because at the end of the day, that all translates right back into their recruiting strategy and tactics.
Not only are you creating “culture champions” and word-of-mouth referrals, but you are also fostering a positive perception of your talent brand when you can retain well. Then, as you transition into that recruiting step, you are able to sell an exciting opportunity to candidates. You can use examples of team members who have had successes and examples of how your culture works and how your employees feel because those are really what candidates are looking for right now. I truly believe that it starts with retention, and then you leverage that culture and that retention piece that you’ve built to recruit new talent for your team.
Q: On the other side of the coin, what are the most common reasons that supply chain managers leave a company? Is it all about the money, or is it something else?
It is not all about the money anymore. Definitely money is a factor—I can’t deny that everybody works to support themselves and achieve financial security. I put money into the same bucket as benefits and maybe some additional incentives.
However, since the onset of COVID, I think the mentality in the candidate market has changed dramatically. Maybe money was the number-one reason people looked elsewhere before the pandemic, but now it is probably the fourth or fifth reason.
When it comes to why people leave a company, I’d say the number-one reason is workplace toxicity—companies that have toxic environments. That is really what we hear most often from candidates that are either actively or passivelylooking for a new opportunity. A toxic environment can stem from a number of things. It can be poor leadership, poor management, lack of recognition, or burning people out by not recognizing or understanding their capacity limits.
There is also a [whole population] out there that feels they are approaching the ceiling in their company, meaning that they won’t be going anywhere unless their boss goes somewhere, and their boss won’t be going anywhere unless **ital{their} boss goes somewhere.
Candidates want to feel challenged. They want responsibility, and they want to do more. So when they hit that ceiling—that is, they feel they’re ready for the next step, but the company isn’t there to support them—they’ll go out and look externally to grow their career vertically.
Those are really the two things that are coming up before money right now in terms of why people are leaving. What I call “culture” is the first reason, and opportunity is the second.
Q: What are some retention practices you’ve seen that truly work?
I can speak from experience here. When I started my firm, I was a one-woman show for the first year, and then I slowly built a team. Today, we have 40 employees, so I really try to practice what I preach. I use my team as an opportunity to beta test and experiment—to take ideas and see how our team responds to them. What I’ve found is that it comes down to employees wanting to be seen and heard.
There are a number of tactics and policies that companies can implement in this regard, but it starts on day one with the interview process. Candidates want companies that communicate with them, that are transparent with them, and that want to get to know who they are beyond their résumé.
Then once that candidate has joined the company, employers really need to pay attention to the onboarding and development process to ensure the new hire feels connected to the team from day one. Introduce them to various team members, and maybe let them shadow [their new colleagues] and get to know the people they’re going to be working with.
Then as they start to notch up some wins, you need to have a really solid recognition and appreciation program in place. Recognition and appreciation don’t always have to cost money. They certainly can, but it can also be public and private shout-outs, handwritten notes, or announcing internal promotions on a public platform like LinkedIn. What all of these retention tactics come down to is one-on-one attention from leadership. Employees want to be seen and heard.
Q: What are some retention practices you’ve seen that are not effective?
We joke about it now, but putting in a ping-pong table or hosting a happy hour at five o’clock every Thursday doesn’t work anymore. I personally worked at a really great company in my second job out of college. It was in marketing, and the company’s “retention tactics” included some amazing perks. We had an in-house chef who would make us three meals a day. We had an in-house masseuse, and believe it or not, we were required to get a massage once a week. While it was great and it really appealed to me at that point in my career, now I look back and I kind of chuckle because those were just strategies to keep me at the office and keep me working.
What is working is flexibility. When employees have flexibility, they feel trusted, and when employees feel trusted, they are happy, and they’re going to be more productive and more passionate about the work they’re doing.
Residents and businesses along the Florida panhandle today are keeping a close eye on Tropical Storm Helene, which is forecasted to strengthen into a major hurricane by the time it strikes the northeast Gulf Coast on Thursday.
Hurricane and storm surge watches are already in effect for that area, which could see heavy rain and flash flooding across portions of Florida, the Southeast U.S., Southern Appalachians, and the Tennessee Valley, according to predictions from the National Hurricane Center.
The storm would come a month after Hurricane Debby delivered drenching rainfall for days over Florida in August and after Hurricane Beryl hit Houston in July, knocking out power across the region.
As Helene continues to gather strength from the warm waters of the Gulf of Mexico, experts are warning that the storm’s impacts could include the Port of New Orleans, agricultural operations throughout the Southeast, and additional citrus and fruit farming business in Florida, according to a report from Everstream Analytics’ chief meteorologist Jon Davis.
From a supply chain perspective, additional disruptions could include rail and road transportation stoppages, closures of interstate highways I-10 and I-75, widespread power outages, and shutdowns of offshore energy operations in the eastern portion of the Gulf of Mexico, Davis said.
As the third potential hurricane to hit the area within as many months, the arrival of Helene shows that extreme weather events aren’t just anomalies, but rather they’re the new normal for shipping companies and port authorities, according to Frank Kenney, Director of Industry Strategy at the technology consulting firm Cleo.
To cope with that constant battering, businesses need to adopt a new mindset, he said. “The only way to keep supply chains running smoothly is to build resilience into every aspect of operations. This starts with diversifying logistics strategies. If a shipper is dependent on a single route or port, they’re setting themself up for trouble. Instead, it’s crucial to have multiple backup routes and options ready to deploy when the unexpected happens,” Kenney said.
Following that strategy, inland ports such as Savannah and Macon, Georgia, will likely gain importance in coming years since their locations offer proximity to ocean ports while also providing access to major highways and some protection from coastal flooding. “In short, the storm isn’t going away, but by embracing diversification, leveraging technology, and ensuring supply chain visibility, U.S. ports and shipping companies can stay ahead of the curve. The companies that prepare for these challenges now will be the ones that continue to thrive, no matter how extreme weather events rock the boat," Kenney said.
Container imports at U.S. ports are seeing another busy month as retailers and manufacturers hustle to get their orders into the country ahead of a potential labor strike that could stop operations at East Coast and Gulf Coast ports as soon as October 1.
Less than two weeks from now, the existing contract between the International Longshoremen’s Association (ILA) and the United States Maritime Alliance covering East and Gulf Coast ports is set to expire. With negotiations hung up on issues like wages and automation, the ILA has threatened to put its 85,000 members on strike if a new contract is not reached by then, prompting business groups like the National Retail Federation (NRF) to call for both sides to reach an agreement.
But until such an agreement is reached, importers are playing it safe and accelerating their plans. “Import levels are being impacted by concerns about the potential East and Gulf Coast port strike,” Hackett Associates Founder Ben Hackett said in a release. “This has caused some cargo owners to bring forward shipments, bumping up June-through-September imports. In addition, some importers are weighing the decision to bring forward some goods, particularly from China, that could be impacted by rising tariffs following the election.”
The stakes are high, since a potential strike would come at a sensitive time when businesses are already facing other global supply chain disruptions, according to FourKites’ Mike DeAngelis, senior director of international solutions. “We're facing a perfect storm — with the Red Sea disruptions preventing normal access to the Suez Canal and the Panama Canal’s still-reduced capacity, an ILA strike would effectively choke off major arteries of global trade,” DeAngelis said in a statement.
Although West Coast and Canadian ports would see a surge in traffic if the strike occurs, they cannot absorb all the volume from the East and Gulf Coast ports. And the influx of freight there could cause weeks, if not months-long backlogs, even after the strikes end, reshaping shipping patterns well into 2025, DeAngelis said.
With an eye on those consequences, importers are also looking at more creative contingency plans, such as turning to air freight, west coast ports, or intermodal combinations of rail and truck modes, according to less than truckload (LTL) carrier Averitt Express.
“While some importers and exporters have already rerouted shipments to West Coast ports or delayed shipping altogether, there are still significant volumes of cargo en route to the East and Gulf Coast ports that cannot be rerouted. Unfortunately, once cargo is on a vessel, it becomes virtually impossible to change its destination, leaving shippers with limited options for those shipments,” Averitt said in a release.
However, one silver lining for coping with a potential strike is that prevailing global supply chain turbulence has already prompted many U.S. companies to stock up for bad weather, said Christian Roeloffs, co-founder and CEO of Container xChange.
"While the threat of strikes looms large, it’s important to note that U.S. inventories are currently strong due to the pulling forward of orders earlier this year to avoid existing disruptions. This stockpile will act as an essential buffer, mitigating the risk of container rates spiking dramatically due to the strikes,” Roeloffs said.
In addition, forecasts for a fairly modest winter peak shopping season could take the edge off the impact of a strike. “With no significant signs of peak season demand strengthening, these strikes might not have as intense an impact as historically seen. However, the overall impact will largely depend on the duration of the strikes, with prolonged disruptions having the potential to intensify the implications for supply chains, leading to more pronounced bottlenecks and greater challenges in container availability, " he said.
A coalition of freight transport and cargo handling organizations is calling on countries to honor their existing resolutions to report the results of national container inspection programs, and for the International Maritime Organization (IMO) to publish those results.
Those two steps would help improve safety in the carriage of goods by sea, according to the Cargo Integrity Group (CIG), which is a is a partnership of industry associations seeking to raise awareness and greater uptake of the IMO/ILO/UNECE Code of Practice for Packing of Cargo Transport Units (2014) – often referred to as CTU Code.
According to the Cargo Integrity Group, member governments of the IMO adopted resolutions more than 20 years ago agreeing to conduct routine inspections of freight containers and the cargoes packed in them. But less than 5% of 167 national administrations covered by the agreement are regularly submitting the results of their inspections to IMO in publicly available form.
The low numbers of reports means that insufficient data is available for IMO or industry to draw reliable conclusions, fundamentally undermining their efforts to improve the safety and sustainability of shipments by sea, CIG said.
Meanwhile, the dangers posed by poorly packed, mis-handled, or mis-declared containerized shipments has been demonstrated again recently in a series of fires and explosions aboard container ships. Whilst the precise circumstances of those incidents remain under investigation, the Cargo Integrity Group says it is concerned that measures already in place to help identify possible weaknesses are not being fully implemented and that opportunities for improving compliance standards are being missed.
By the numbers, overall retail sales in August were up 0.1% seasonally adjusted month over month and up 2.1% unadjusted year over year. That compared with increases of 1.1% month over month and 2.9% year over year in July.
August’s core retail sales as defined by NRF — based on the Census data but excluding automobile dealers, gasoline stations and restaurants — were up 0.3% seasonally adjusted month over month and up 3.3% unadjusted year over year. Core retail sales were up 3.4% year over year for the first eight months of the year, in line with NRF’s forecast for 2024 retail sales to grow between 2.5% and 3.5% over 2023.
“These numbers show the continued resiliency of the American consumer,” NRF Chief Economist Jack Kleinhenz said in a release. “While sales growth decelerated from last month’s pace, there is little hint of consumer spending unraveling. Households have the underpinnings to spend as recent wage gains have outpaced inflation even though payroll growth saw a slowdown in July and August. Easing inflation is providing added spending capacity to cost-weary shoppers and the interest rate cuts expected to come from the Fed should help create a more positive environment for consumers in the future.”
The U.S., U.K., and Australia will strengthen supply chain resiliency by sharing data and taking joint actions under the terms of a pact signed last week, the three nations said.
The agreement creates a “Supply Chain Resilience Cooperation Group” designed to build resilience in priority supply chains and to enhance the members’ mutual ability to identify and address risks, threats, and disruptions, according to the U.K.’s Department for Business and Trade.
One of the top priorities for the new group is developing an early warning pilot focused on the telecommunications supply chain, which is essential for the three countries’ global, digitized economies, they said. By identifying and monitoring disruption risks to the telecommunications supply chain, this pilot will enhance all three countries’ knowledge of relevant vulnerabilities, criticality, and residual risks. It will also develop procedures for sharing this information and responding cooperatively to disruptions.
According to the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS), the group chose that sector because telecommunications infrastructure is vital to the distribution of public safety information, emergency services, and the day to day lives of many citizens. For example, undersea fiberoptic cables carry over 95% of transoceanic data traffic without which smartphones, financial networks, and communications systems would cease to function reliably.
“The resilience of our critical supply chains is a homeland security and economic security imperative,” Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro N. Mayorkas said in a release. “Collaboration with international partners allows us to anticipate and mitigate disruptions before they occur. Our new U.S.-U.K.-Australia Supply Chain Resilience Cooperation Group will help ensure that our communities continue to have the essential goods and services they need, when they need them.”