Rebounding Market Meets Workforce Challenge

SEELEY LAKE – Pyramid Mountain Lumber Inc. of Seeley Lake announced their new incentive package to help keep their current employees and ultimately help recruit new ones. The announcement comes on the heels of a rebounding market giving them more raw materials to work but a shortage of qualified employees to capitalize on the increase.

To work at the mill there are pre-employment drug screening and quarterly random drug screening. Chief Operations Officer Loren Rose feels that anyone, male or female, in decent health and physical strength is capable of employment with Pyramid. There is no physical requirement for employment and education is not a limiting factor. The mill offers a full benefit package to all their employees.

“We are just looking for someone physically capable to do the work, that is willing to show up every day and do their job and help us understand what we can do to make it better for them,” said Rose.

Rose said the mill announced Thursday, March 16 they will be giving a four percent wage increase to all hourly employees. The mill increased employees’ monthly attendance bonus from $50 per month for not missing a day of work to $100 per month for perfect attendance. Also everyone who qualified for the attendance bonus and had a clean safety record for the month will have their name put into a raffle drawing. This month they are drawing for five, $100 gift cards.

Nearly half of Pyramid’s employees have been with the company less than five years with half of those working for Pyramid less than two years. Pyramid hosted lunches with their employees of five years and less to find out what Pyramid could change to make their job better.

Rose said, through the lunches, management realized that the six days of 10-hour shifts was not working at the planer.

“We are always short three to four people on Saturdays,” said Rose. “This is not productive and everyone has to work harder.”

By the end of March, the mill anticipates it will no longer run a night and a day shift at the planer. They will change to five days of 10-hour day shifts, eliminating Saturdays.

“Insanity is doing the same thing and hoping for a different result,” said Rose. “There is no downside to trying this.”

Pyramid also plans to invest in mechanical and electrical improvements at the planer and make a capital purchase that will make the employees’ jobs easier.

The planer must surface everything the sawmill produces.

“When the lumber piles up, they will be back to two shifts,” said Rose. “However, if everyone prefers five 10’s we hope they will put forth more effort and think and work harder as a team.”

While Rose said Pyramid will continue to examine ways to do things differently, he feels consistency is one of their biggest strengths amidst the industry, rural Montana and aging workforce challenges.

“We’ve heard our employees and we want to be successful,” said Rose. “If the crew is happier they are going to produce better [and be better recruiters for the mill].”