'Tis the season

My babies are growing up

The greenhouse business is a seasonal business.  Many businesses are.  For a lot of greenhouses the spring season makes their year.  Meaning that most of the real money is made then.  Some greenhouses have profitable year round business.  Others, only operate fully for Spring. We operate year round, and we do alright year-round.  But winter liners and spring finished is our black Friday.   Almost everyone knows that "Black Friday" gets it's name because that is when most retailers can really be "in the black", as opposed to "in the red" which is not a good thing in accounting terms.

As growers of mainly annuals, our greenhouse world revolves around springtime.  Annuals, for those who do not know are those plants that cannot survive the winter and therefore do not come back year after year (those are perennials).  The average homeowner likes perennials because you only buy the plant once.  Different perennials flower at different times of the year and so if you are a grower of perennials your business tends to be more evenly spread across the year. I think they are still pretty busy in the spring though- that's the nature of the business.  Perennials though tend to be less dramatic.  Nothing compares to the flower power of the annuals.  The colors are vibrant and full of life and that is why people keep buying them year after year.  And that is why we have a business.  However, their shelf life is short and production of these lovely colorful things is not easy. 

Isn't it pretty?

Every year I stand in front of our employees and tell them towards the end of January: It's game time.  I did it last Friday.  I give them the speech about how the next 10 weeks will make or break us.  How every single body is needed and that no frivolous time off will be approved.  I tell them that effective February 1st and until late March no one will get vacation days.  I tell them to save their time off requests for the court date or the sick child that they cannot change.  I tell them not to come to me and ask the question that I find most annoying after eight Spring seasons in a greenhouse which is: "Do you need me here tomorrow?"  It drive me nuts!  I try to preemptively avoid that awkward conversation by stating out loud: "If you have a job here and I am paying you, I need you every single day from Monday to Friday and sometimes I will need you on Saturday and Sunday."  If I did not need you I would not be paying you to be here.  End of story. 

Most of my people get it though.  If they are permanent employees and have been through at least one spring they get it.  They know what's coming.  They make their kids' well visit for 4 pm on a Thursday because they know the impact will be less.  They come to me and say "I need half a day on Friday, but if you need me on Saturday I can come and chip in."  They will ask me:"Should I make that appointment first thing on Friday, or after 3 pm, those are my only options you tell me what works for you."  I tell the seasonal workers who want to become permanent workers every year if they want a year round slot they need to act like they want a year round slot.  They need to be a part of the team.  Year round we do not reach 25 people.  That includes Michael and I, two managers, an assistant manager and two supervisors.  That means that there is only typically around 15 people among growers and production staff, that is not a lot of people. As this is my ninth year I can say that personnel wise at our lowest we had maybe 15 people total on payroll.  At the peak we have had 38.  That is a big swing and a lot of chaos. 

That is one good looking plug

A very familiar siteI have had employees quit right before the season because they were scared of it.  Some admitted to it.  Some came up with some other reason but looking back it is obvious that they were terrified of screwing up.  So much can go wrong when you work with plants.  It is not for the faint of heart.  The hours are longer as the days grow longer and the pace gets faster.  Some of us thrive on it.  There is a unique energy that comes from every single person working like they know time is money and the only way out is through.  Put your nose to the grindstone and do it.  There is nothing like it.  I dare say I have worked with some people that were a little addicted to it.  The fast pace, the demand and most of all the challenge.  Those are my people though.  The ones that look you in the eye and say "Bring it! What else you got?" The work is not hard, but it is not easy.  It is rarely consistent.  As a manager I can spend my day making excel spreadsheets or cleaning geraniums.  I prefer the days when I get to do a little of both.  There are days when all I can do is talk employees off the ledge because everyone is tired and starting to get testy with each other.  There are days when all I can do is try to track a shipment of pots or tags or plants that are two weeks behind delivery.  You never know.  Like I said before, it ain't hard but it ain't easy.  Your attitude is everything.  In the middle of all the March madness I have had employees quit and ask the question: Do you need me to stay two weeks? Every fiber of my being wants to yell at the top of my lungs "Are you kidding me?! Are you that clueless?!" Instead I take deep breathes and try to convince them to give me 4 weeks.  Most of the time I fail.  I try not to let it get to me because I know that big picture they are not my people anyway.  But I would be lying if I didn't confess right here right now that I have used my kids more than once and told an employee "If you leave right now you will be hurting my family because daddy will not come home until Mother's Day". 

Yeah.  I've been that person more than once.  I don't apologize for being that person.  I usually apologize to the employee after and tell them that I am sorry I was unprofessional.  But you know what?  I apologize because it is the HR thing to do, not because I think I should.  The people who work for us know they are working for a small, intimate family business.  My girls know the names of most of the people that work there and consider them family.  So you know what, if you are going to work for me and then do something to hurt us, you are going to know you are doing it.  And may karma have mercy on your soul. 

The flip side of that is that we do treat our employees like family.  We laugh and cry with them and that is the God honest truth.  So you know, if you are in you are in.  We are in too.  Who's in?  I'm serious. Because February starts next week and I am hiring!

It is filling up quick!