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The moving industry has always had turnover. It’s physical work, long days, and weekends. Many operators accept that as the cost of doing business, but I never really bought into that mindset.
I think people leave jobs when they stop feeling valued, stop feeling seen, or stop believing somebody is invested in them. That’s true whether you’re running one location or 20.
At Two Men and a Truck, I’ve been fortunate to build teams with a lot of long-tenured employees. We’ve had movers grow into drivers, drivers become leaders, and leaders help train the next group coming in. It happened because we made the employee experience part of the operation itself.
If your employees dread showing up to work, customers eventually feel that too. In service businesses, especially, culture always reaches the customer eventually. That’s why I believe your employee experience is your customer experience.
Most operational skills can be taught; character usually can’t be.
When interviewing, I’m looking for somebody who treats people well and carries themselves with energy. I want someone who can handle customers respectfully on stressful days.
Moving is stressful for customers. Sometimes, they’re leaving a home they’ve lived in for 20 years. Sometimes, there’s divorce involved. Sometimes, somebody has passed away. Our crews walk into emotional situations all the time.
You can teach somebody how to wrap furniture. You can’t easily teach empathy.
Many hiring mistakes happen because operators hire solely for availability or experience. Everybody needs labor, but bad culture spreads fast in physical-service businesses. One negative employee can drain an entire crew.
We slow the process when needed. We stay selective. I’d rather operate slightly understaffed for a short period than bring in somebody who damages the culture we’ve built.
A lot of operators misunderstand training. It is not orientation. It’s not a two-day process where somebody watches videos, rides on a truck, and then gets thrown into the schedule permanently.
The best teams are constantly coached. That applies to sports, restaurants, retail, moving, and anything involving people. Once operators treat training like a one-time event, performance usually plateaus.
We continuously train. Sometimes, it’s formal. It could involve small conversations after a job. Or we might pull somebody aside to recognize how they handled a difficult customer in the right way.
Most employees only hear feedback when something goes wrong. That’s a mistake. Positive reinforcement builds confidence, especially among younger employees.
Hourly employees want clarity. They want consistency. They want to know that somebody notices the effort they’re putting in. That doesn’t require expensive systems. It requires attention.
A lot of people think culture comes from big events, and we sometimes cater breakfast. We organize employee events. I cook for the staff regularly. Those things are fun, and they matter.
But culture is usually built in smaller moments. Employees figure out fast whether leadership means what it says. You can’t fake that for long. The ones who’ve been around longest usually have the clearest read on it.
Employees can tell whether leadership cares about them or just talks a good game. When I was working hourly jobs during college, I noticed that good managers understood that employees have lives outside work. The job is important but shouldn’t consume someone’s entire identity.
As an owner, I try to approach leadership the same way. My role isn’t just to get productivity out of people. It’s to create an environment where they can succeed professionally while still being human beings outside the building.
When employees feel respected personally, accountability conversations become easier because trust already exists.
The bigger you grow, the easier it is for culture to weaken. That’s reality.
Once you add multiple locations, you can’t rely on personality alone. Communication, leadership development, and recognition must become intentional. Otherwise, the culture starts becoming inconsistent depending on which manager is working that day.
I try to stay disciplined about visibility. Even as responsibilities grow, I still want employees to see me regularly, talk with me regularly, and know I’m accessible.
Frontline employees pay attention to what owners prioritize. If owners only show up for financial meetings or operational problems, employees notice.
The best operators I know stay connected to their people even while scaling.
This industry is demanding. There’s no point pretending otherwise.
People are carrying heavy furniture in the Texas heat. They’re solving problems all day. They’re dealing with traffic, difficult staircases, emotional customers, and long hours. If work only feels stressful every day, eventually people burn out.
I think operators sometimes underestimate the importance of energy and enjoyment in a workplace. That doesn’t mean being unprofessional. It means creating an environment where people can laugh, feel supported, and enjoy being around their team. People stay where they feel connected. I’ve seen it hold up across every stage of growth we’ve been through.
Keeping your team together isn’t a complex puzzle, but it requires more than just good intentions. Most owners understand the fundamentals of what employees want. The difference is that successful operators turn those ideas into consistent, everyday actions.
Employees remember those things.
And when employees stay, customers notice the difference too.
Taylor Suman is a multi-unit franchisee with Two Men and a Truck in Texas, where he oversees operations in Fort Worth, Arlington, and Weatherford. He was recently recognized with the brand’s Heart of the Brand award after being nominated by his employees.