A person could be forgiven in thinking that once cannabis started being legalized, the industry itself would begin to boom. This same person would be half right, the industry is booming and the sales from legalized cannabis are increasing steadily with each year.
But there are still some major obstacles that the industry as a whole will need to tackle if it is going to become a real competitor in the job and stock market. There is some real potential in the marijuana industry; unfortunately, this same potential has not been allowed to grow and flourish.
A federal ban still exists
There are quite a few states in America that have legalized cannabis, but this does not mean that it is legal everywhere. Federal laws and state laws can exist in completely different worlds, in fact when it comes to cannabis they do.
The fact that federal law has not been passed legalizing cannabis, means that it’s very difficult for recruitment agencies to recruit for cannabis leadership positions. They have to traverse a whole network of legal nonsense before they can even start the process of matching people to suitable companies.
International tensions are not making matters easier
Due to the proximity of Canada to the United States, it is a fair assumption to make thinking that some employment opportunities in the industry will cross the border. This has unfortunately not been the case. There have been threats issued by the US customs officials prohibiting such movement.
Canadians that are already involved in the cannabis business have been warned that they could be facing lifetimes bans if they try to enter the United States to enter the burgeoning industry. This effectively means that there may very well be candidates for cannabis leadership in Canada who simply cannot be offered the jobs.
How do you know if a person is qualified?
When people start the job hiring process, the first thing that they generally do is to look at a candidate’s qualifications. This is not a perfect system, but it does help set up a bar line.
The overriding assumption being that if a person has obtained a qualification, then they are in possession of a fair portion of the knowledge that is required to acquire such a qualification. This not does work when it comes to cannabis leadership or in the industry as a whole.
The reason for this being that there are no noteworthy or reputable cannabis qualifications that can be obtained. Some institutions are proposing to introduce such things, but this will be next to useless in the short-term.
Onboard training is not extensive
In a perfect world a suitably qualified candidate would be hired and then they would receive further training once they start the job. Every company operates differently, and the skills acquired at a previous job may not be specifically suited to the new job.
This is where onboard training is important. It helps to set a new hire up in the business. They are not only told what is expected of them, but they are shown how to do these things, within reason of course. Without this kind of training. Employees can start to feel overwhelmed.
They can feel like they have been dropped into an impossible situation without even a safety net. This is especially true in the cannabis industry as standard practices are still being developed on the spot.
People want to feel like they are doing something important
Up until his point, we have covered some of the factors that hinder employment in the cannabis industry, but this is not where the hardships end. Once all the hurdles have been overcome and someone has been hired for the position, then there is another set of problems that have to be dealt with.
One of these being that people are at times dissatisfied with the specific jobs that they acquire in the industry. Due to the nature of the work and the jobs, people can land up feeling like they are just going through the motions.
It is repetitive and tedious work and can leave a person wondering why they are doing what they are doing. They do not feel like they are making any real kind of contribution to the business.
If this same person can get a job elsewhere, one that they feel will leave them feeling more fulfilled, then they will leave their current job. Jumpstarting the long and tiresome hiring cycle.
How can employers strive to hire the best candidates and keep them happy?
With all the restrictions that exist in the cannabis industry, it could potentially seem like it is all doom and gloom. Luckily it is not. This may be a new industry, but it is one that is learning quickly. There are steps that people in cannabis leadership can take to ensure that the correct candidates are hired and kept.
The right people need to be hired for the job
We already know that you can’t test qualifications in the cannabis industry because they do not exist. What can you test? People may not be able to present a degree, but you should be able to find out what kind of knowledge they have on the topic.
How much do they know about cannabis? Do they stay up to date with product and the industry? Have they experienced with it? Then you can look at their soft skills. In short, this is what they do with the knowledge and the skills they have? How do they present themselves? How would they talk to customers? Would they be able to help sick patients? One sure-fire way to achieve all of this is to enlist the help of a staffing agency.
Be competitive in your compensation
The easiest way to keep good employees is to offer them fair compensation for their work. If they are producing results, then they should be rewarded for this.
