About this episode:
Most landscape owners don't have an onboarding problem — they have a relationship problem they've been solving with paperwork.
Joey Coleman is the author of Never Lose an Employee Again and one of the most sought-after customer experience speakers in the world. If your crew is walking in March and gone by June, this conversation is the one to listen to.
Spring is the most dangerous time to rely on improvised hiring — and the decisions you make in the first 100 days determine whether your best people become your crew or your competition's.
In this episode:
• Why 20–70% of new hires quit before their 100-day mark, and why hourly seasonal workers skew toward the worst end of that range — plus the three specific phases where landscape teams lose people most
• The Affirm Phase: what needs to happen between the job offer and day one to stop "new hire remorse" from killing your spring crew before the season starts
• How to build a career path conversation that turns a summer laborer into someone who asks "could I own part of this someday?"
• Why 20–70% of new hires quit before their 100-day mark, and why hourly seasonal workers skew toward the worst end of that range — plus the three specific phases where landscape teams lose people most
• The Affirm Phase: what needs to happen between the job offer and day one to stop "new hire remorse" from killing your spring crew before the season starts
• How to build a career path conversation that turns a summer laborer into someone who asks "could I own part of this someday?"
⏱ TIMESTAMPS:
0:00 — Intro & Why Spring Hiring Is Dangerous
1:49 — The Real Cost of Early Turnover
4:28 — Orientation vs. Onboarding: Key Difference
7:12 — Why Warm Welcomes Actually Matter
10:12 — The Four R's of Onboarding
13:03 — Top 3 Places Companies Lose New Hires
19:31 — Malleability, Standards & New Hire Feedback
24:38 — SOPs, Standards & the Email Example
30:44 — The Psychology of the First 100 Days
33:35 — Day-by-Day Milestones Through the Season
40:57 — Helping Employees See the Bigger Picture
43:05 — Titles, Recognition & End-of-Season Celebration
1:49 — The Real Cost of Early Turnover
4:28 — Orientation vs. Onboarding: Key Difference
7:12 — Why Warm Welcomes Actually Matter
10:12 — The Four R's of Onboarding
13:03 — Top 3 Places Companies Lose New Hires
19:31 — Malleability, Standards & New Hire Feedback
24:38 — SOPs, Standards & the Email Example
30:44 — The Psychology of the First 100 Days
33:35 — Day-by-Day Milestones Through the Season
40:57 — Helping Employees See the Bigger Picture
43:05 — Titles, Recognition & End-of-Season Celebration
To learn how the only AI platform purpose-built for landscapers can help your business → https://leanscaper.com/platform
