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By Lisa Mackinder | MiBiz
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WEST MICHIGAN — Across the region, a phenomenon dubbed the “trailing spouse” — which refers to one spouse getting hired at a company in the region and leaving the other spouse in search of work — has demanded more attention and become increasingly significant during the employment recruitment process.

Ron Kitchens, CEO of Southwest Michigan First in Kalamazoo, understands the importance of assisting the out-of-work spouse, explaining that a company doesn’t just recruit an employee — it recruits an entire family.

“To get great talent to move into a community, you have to have a great strategy for the spouse,” Kitchens told MiBiz.

During his six years at Southwest Michigan First, the organization has directly addressed this matter. According to Kitchens, it receives about 100 calls annually for assistance with trailing spouses — especially during July and August and November and December — from human resource departments working toward recruitment. He recognizes the significance in helping with those requests.

“It’s very important these days to understand, as a community, we have a strong interest in a company’s ability to recruit,” said Kitchens.

A company only gets stronger by addressing the trailing spouse in its recruitment practices. He said taking care of that aspect has a big impact on a region’s talent attraction and retention.

“Trailing spouse is a restatement of what companies have known for generations and forgotten,” he said, identifying that overlooked factor as taking care of employees and being cognizant of their significant other.

Kitchens sees the phenomenon as becoming more and more of an issue because a family member may lose a job. And, with corporate partnerships emerging to confront the situation, it appears other regional leaders have similar feelings.

Established a year ago, Grand Rapids-based Quaeris is a regional collaborative effort of leading employers that works to attract and retain talent in West Michigan. It currently has more than 30 member companies representing the largest area employers, including Amway and Bissell. According to Kevin Stotts, director of Quaeris, the collaborative stemmed from a conversation between CEOs who faced the challenge of attraction and retention. The trailing spouse represented one of the foremost and persistent challenges Quaeris looked to address.

“There was no question as to how significant it was,” Stotts told MiBiz of the trailing spouse phenomenon.

In its first year, Quaeris unveiled a new and improved www.hellowestmichigan.com, which compiled hundreds of resources for introducing employment candidates to the area. Stotts said the website explains what it’s like to live and work in West Michigan and connects potential new hires to resources. With the trailing spouse phenomenon happening across the country, Stotts feels West Michigan must showcase what it has to offer.

“We just have to be more implicit that those opportunities are here,” he said.

The recently introduced Connect Sixty-Four in Kalamazoo provides direct assistance to trailing spouses, offering exclusive exposure to the area’s hiring agents and priority consideration for interviews. Formed by a collaborative of business partnerships dotting the 64-mile stretch from St. Joseph to Battle Creek, it aims at building and strengthening the area’s professional talent pool. Some of the partners include Eaton, Stryker and Bronson Hospital.

According to Robyn Rosenthal, career consultant at Connect Sixty-Four, the organization “morphed” out of conversations between area employers that focused on candidates holding back because a spouse couldn’t find employment.

Connect Sixty-Four works at addressing this problem. It helps the trailing spouse by examining resumes, flushing out aspirations, honing interview skills, offering exclusive exposure to hiring agents and looking at employment opportunities with the organization’s partners.

“Not just blindly submitting resumes,” said Rosenthal. “It will be a very personal hand-off.”

Echoing Kitchens, Rosenthal noted that taking care of the trailing spouse also impacts retention. To retain new recruits, that means getting the individual and his or her family invested in the community.

Connect Sixty-Four also looks to grow its partnerships. Rosenthal emphasized that there is no cost to being a partner. Cost only comes into play when a company uses Connect Sixty-Four’s services.

According to Rosenthal, the trailing spouse phenomenon is happening across the country, but she said, “The way communities are responding isn’t as aggressive as this.”

Right now organizations are re-evaluating their relocation packages, and most companies couldn’t buy a candidate out of a house anymore. Including Connect Sixty-Four services for the trailing spouse into their recruitment package, she said, provides West Michigan’s companies with an attractive option for candidates.

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• kevin stotts
• robyn rosenthal
• ron kitchens
• southwest michigan first
• west michigan