The inability to find good employees is a nationwide epidemic, and in the 37 years I have been a contracting consultant, I have never seen it worse. Contractors are notorious for poor hiring practices. The vast majority of companies only look for people when there is a desperate need and are too quick to take the first warm body that comes along.

Having a quality workforce starts from the ground up. We recommend you start with a sound evaluation of your existing employees. Take a moment and fill out the chart in Figure 1. List your best field employee first and your weakest last.