LandCare, a prominent national commercial landscape management company, has significantly transformed its talent acquisition strategy through the adoption of Workable, a comprehensive applicant tracking system. This strategic shift has not only streamlined recruitment processes across its extensive network of 76 locations in 23 states but has also yielded measurable improvements in hiring efficiency, candidate quality, and the overall strategic standing of its talent acquisition (TA) team. With a workforce peaking at approximately 4,000 employees during seasonal highs, managing talent acquisition for such a geographically dispersed and role-diverse organization presented unique challenges that a legacy system struggled to address. The successful implementation of Workable in the fall of 2023 marked a pivotal moment, moving LandCare from an antiquated, manual recruitment framework to a data-driven, highly efficient operation, demonstrating a 23% reduction in time to hire and a notable increase in hiring volume for critical branch-level positions.
LandCare’s Expansive Footprint and Unique Talent Demands
LandCare operates as a formidable presence in the commercial landscape management sector, boasting a national reach that underscores the complexity of its human resources and talent acquisition needs. With operations spanning 76 distinct locations across 23 states, the company’s ability to effectively recruit and retain talent is paramount to its service delivery and sustained growth. The landscape industry itself is characterized by specific hiring dynamics, including seasonal fluctuations that necessitate rapid scaling of the workforce, particularly for crew-level positions. This seasonal demand often means a significant portion of the workforce is field-based, operating remotely from traditional office environments, which presents unique challenges for engagement and technology adoption.
The roles LandCare recruits for are remarkably diverse, reflecting the multifaceted nature of its business. These range from crucial on-the-ground positions such as branch administrators, production managers, and account managers, to leadership roles including branch managers, and a variety of corporate functions spanning finance, IT, human resources, marketing, and operations. Furthermore, the organization periodically undertakes executive searches for vice president and director-level positions, demanding a sophisticated and adaptable recruitment infrastructure. While crew-level hiring is largely managed at the branch level, the corporate TA team, led by Alex Kline, Director of Talent Acquisition and Employee Services, provides essential guidance and ensures job postings achieve maximum reach. This hybrid model necessitates a robust and user-friendly system capable of supporting both centralized strategic oversight and decentralized operational execution.
The Pre-Workable Era: A Manual and Limiting Landscape
Before the strategic integration of Workable, LandCare grappled with a talent acquisition process hampered by significant inefficiencies and technological limitations. The company relied on a plugin integrated with UKG, which, while serving as a processing tool, fundamentally lacked the comprehensive functionalities of a dedicated applicant tracking system (ATS). This meant that the entire recruitment effort was largely managed outside the system, with the UKG plugin merely facilitating the final processing stages. As Alex Kline critically observed, "It was a very antiquated process. There was really nothing about it that allowed us to manage our recruitment effort through that system. We were managing it kind of outside and then just processing everything through it."
This manual approach created numerous bottlenecks, particularly in job distribution. The UKG integration was limited to pushing job roles exclusively to LandCare’s internal careers page. To achieve broader visibility on popular platforms like LinkedIn and Indeed, recruiters were forced to undertake separate, laborious manual postings for each role on every individual platform. This redundant effort consumed valuable time and resources, directly impeding the company’s ability to respond swiftly to hiring demands. As LandCare expanded its operations and the velocity of hiring became an increasingly critical metric for business success, the unsustainability of such an inefficient system became glaringly apparent. The absence of robust tracking, reporting, and candidate management capabilities meant that data-driven insights were scarce, hindering strategic decision-making and preventing the TA team from effectively demonstrating its impact on the organization. The imperative to upgrade to a modern, scalable, and intuitive ATS was undeniable.
The Rigorous Search for the Right Solution
Recognizing the urgent need for a transformative change, Alex Kline embarked on an exhaustive evaluation process to identify a suitable applicant tracking system. This meticulous search involved an initial assessment of approximately ten different platforms, which was then systematically narrowed down to a shortlist of five, then three, and finally two leading contenders. The selection criteria were stringent, reflecting LandCare’s complex operational model and diverse hiring needs. While many platforms offered robust features appealing to talent acquisition professionals, a critical differentiator for LandCare was the system’s usability for its field-based hiring managers.
The competing finalist in the selection process presented a suite of advanced features, including sophisticated reporting capabilities and tools designed to impress seasoned TA experts. However, LandCare’s unique operational environment, where many hiring managers are frequently on job sites, in company vehicles, or otherwise away from traditional office desks, posed a significant challenge for adopting a complex system. Alex Kline articulated this concern, stating, "If we would have put the other platform in front of our hiring managers, we would have never been able to get the buy-in from them that we have now. Workable makes it so simple for them."
Workable ultimately emerged as the clear choice, striking an optimal balance between functional depth and user-friendliness. It provided the essential reporting capabilities and comprehensive tools that the TA team required, while simultaneously offering an intuitive and accessible user experience tailored for field-based managers. The platform’s simplicity and ease of adoption were paramount, ensuring that hiring managers, regardless of their location or technical proficiency, could genuinely engage with the recruitment process without extensive training or disruption to their core duties. This combination of powerful functionality and unparalleled ease of use proved to be the decisive factor in Workable’s selection, positioning it as a strategic enabler for LandCare’s talent acquisition objectives.
A Phased Implementation Built for Scale and Synergy
The implementation of Workable at LandCare was orchestrated with meticulous planning and strategic execution, personally spearheaded by Alex Kline, who served as the project manager for the comprehensive rollout. This phased approach, conducted in close collaboration with Workable’s dedicated implementation partner, Kashaw, prioritized a deliberate and systematic integration rather than attempting an overwhelming simultaneous launch of all features. This strategic delegation of components was instrumental in ensuring a smooth and efficient transition.
For instance, the internal TA team was tasked with building out and customizing candidate communication templates within the new system, ensuring consistency and professionalism in outreach. Concurrently, the HR team focused on aligning LandCare’s intricate organizational structure within Workable, meticulously mapping it to the company’s existing HRIS (Human Resources Information System). This critical step guaranteed a seamless candidate flow and data integrity across both systems, preventing data silos and ensuring that all employee data was synchronized and accurately reflected throughout the hiring lifecycle.
The collaborative spirit between LandCare and Workable’s implementation team was a hallmark of the project. Alex Kline highlighted this synergistic relationship, noting, "The relationship was very symbiotic. We’d bring things to their attention in the afternoon and come back the next morning to viable solutions." This rapid responsiveness and collaborative problem-solving approach significantly accelerated the implementation timeline and addressed potential challenges proactively.
As a result of this well-structured and collaborative effort, the TA team achieved full operational capability on Workable within a remarkably swift six-week timeframe. Following an additional two weeks of intensive internal use, during which workflows were refined and edge cases documented, the platform was confidently launched to the broader business. This meticulous, phased rollout culminated in full company-wide adoption within an impressive eight weeks of the initial implementation. This rapid and effective transition underscored the robustness of Workable’s platform and the efficacy of LandCare’s strategic implementation strategy.
Unveiling the Value: Visibility Elevates TA to a Strategic Partner
One of the most profound and perhaps unexpected benefits arising from Workable’s implementation at LandCare was the unprecedented clarity it brought to the entire organization regarding the intricate work performed by the talent acquisition team. By granting hiring managers direct access to the platform and their specific job pipelines, Workable demystified the recruitment process, making the considerable effort involved in securing each hire transparent and quantifiable. This newfound visibility significantly enhanced the TA team’s internal standing and credibility.
A compelling illustration of this transformative impact came from LandCare’s marketing director. When she posted a graphic designer role and was confronted with an overwhelming deluge of 2,000 applications within a single month, her perspective on the TA team’s responsibilities was profoundly shifted. Alex Kline recounted the enlightening experience: "For her to understand that yes, you may only be seeing five candidates you like to talk to, but this is the level of effort that went into it. Out of 400 candidates, we disqualified 350, scheduled calls with 50, only 30 showed up, we liked 15 of those, 10 made it through the behavioral assessment, and those are your top five. It really gave the TA team a lot of street credit in the business."
This transparent insight into the rigorous screening, qualification, and engagement process—from initial application deluge to a refined shortlist of top candidates—eliminated previous misconceptions and fostered a deeper appreciation for the TA team’s expertise and dedication. The ability for hiring managers to visually track the journey of candidates through various stages, understanding the filtering and assessment layers, cultivated a stronger, more collaborative relationship between TA and the departments it serves. Crucially, this enhanced transparency also elevated the function’s credibility with senior leadership, positioning the talent acquisition team not merely as a transactional service provider but as a strategic partner capable of demonstrating quantifiable impact on business objectives.
Measurable Growth and Efficiency: Quantifying the Workable Impact
The strategic implementation of Workable in the fall of 2023 quickly translated into tangible, measurable improvements in LandCare’s hiring metrics, demonstrating a compounding positive impact year over year. A direct comparison of hiring volume for four core branch-level positions reveals a clear upward trend. In 2023, the last full year operating on the legacy UKG system, LandCare successfully hired 122 individuals for these critical roles. Following Workable’s integration, this number saw a significant increase to 136 hires in 2024, further growing to 138 hires in 2025. This sustained increase in hiring volume for foundational positions underscores Workable’s effectiveness in enabling LandCare to scale its workforce efficiently to meet operational demands.
Concurrently with the increase in hiring volume, LandCare achieved substantial improvements in recruitment speed. The time to hire, a critical metric for operational efficiency and candidate experience, moved in a decidedly positive direction. From 2024 to 2025, LandCare experienced a remarkable 23% decrease in its average time to hire. This acceleration meant that more qualified candidates were being brought into the organization faster, without compromising the quality of individuals reaching hiring managers. This dual achievement of increased volume and reduced time to hire signifies a profound enhancement in the overall efficiency and effectiveness of LandCare’s talent acquisition function.
Furthermore, while attributing reductions in employee turnover to a single factor is complex, Alex Kline noted that turnover rates have also improved since Workable’s implementation. The ability to move candidates faster through the pipeline, reach a broader and more diverse pool of applicants, and provide hiring managers with genuine, real-time visibility into their recruitment efforts has collectively contributed to better hire quality and, consequently, stronger retention outcomes across the organization. The holistic improvement across these key metrics firmly establishes Workable as a powerful catalyst for LandCare’s talent strategy and operational success.
Key Features Driving LandCare’s Recruitment Success
Workable’s suite of features has directly addressed LandCare’s specific challenges and enabled significant operational improvements:
One Click, 15+ Job Boards: Amplified Reach and Brand Visibility
The operational shift in job posting capabilities alone has revolutionized how LandCare recruits. The previous UKG plugin’s limitation to the company’s careers page, requiring tedious manual reposting to external platforms, was a major bottleneck. Workable eliminated this inefficiency by offering a single-action distribution to over 15 leading job boards. While LinkedIn and Indeed remain primary candidate sources, the expanded distribution provides a crucial brand awareness benefit. As Alex Kline noted, "Just having your brand out there in all the different areas ultimately drives applicants to you in other ways as well." This broad exposure not only increases direct applications but also enhances LandCare’s employer brand recognition across the talent market.
The Mobile App: Tailored for the Field-Based Workforce
For a company like LandCare, where a significant portion of its hiring managers are consistently on job sites, in transit, or otherwise away from a traditional office setup, the Workable mobile app has proven to be an indispensable tool. It functions as the primary interface for these field-based managers, enabling them to remain fully engaged in the hiring process regardless of their physical location. When a candidate progresses to a new stage in the workflow, the hiring manager receives an instant notification on their smartphone. From there, they can click directly into the Workable app, review the candidate’s resume, and provide immediate feedback or approval. This seamless mobile functionality eliminates the need for laptops, prevents delays, and ensures that critical hiring decisions can be made swiftly. Alex Kline emphasizes its importance, stating, "That is probably one of the biggest highlights of the system. Our hiring managers – that’s all they use." Even Alex himself leverages the mobile app daily, approving offer letters on the go, highlighting its utility across all levels of the organization.
Reporting That Travels Outside the Platform: Data-Driven Insights
Workable provides LandCare with robust built-in reporting tools for immediate operational insights, covering key metrics like hiring velocity and time to hire. These native reports offer a quick pulse on recruiting performance. However, for more granular and strategic analysis, LandCare’s team has leveraged Workable’s data integration capabilities to pull raw recruitment data directly into Power BI, their internal business intelligence platform. This allows them to run highly customized reports through their own data warehouse, correlating recruitment data with broader business metrics. "It’s easy to communicate with the internal mainframe of Workable. We’re able to pull that data into Power BI and run very custom reports," Kline explained. This dual approach—using Workable’s native reporting for day-to-day visibility and integrating its data for deeper, custom analytics—showcases the platform’s adaptability and its ability to cater to sophisticated data needs.
Self-Scheduling and Custom Questions: Enhancing Candidate Experience and Efficiency
Two additional features have significantly refined LandCare’s recruitment process:
- Self-Scheduling Links: This feature has garnered consistently positive feedback from candidates. The ability to receive a stage-advancement email and immediately book a Teams interview at their convenience, without the traditional back-and-forth communication, has substantially improved the candidate experience. It streamlines the scheduling process, reduces administrative burden, and projects an image of efficiency and candidate-centricity.
- Custom Application Questions: These provide LandCare with a layer of precision vital for high-volume recruitment. They are utilized for practical purposes, such as gathering sourcing attribution data from LinkedIn messaging campaigns, which helps optimize future outreach strategies. Additionally, for intern candidates, custom questions allow them to indicate preferred regions, enabling efficient routing and prioritization of applicants to relevant branches without adding manual steps for the TA team. These features collectively contribute to a more personalized, efficient, and data-rich recruitment funnel.
Broader Implications and Future Outlook
The comprehensive integration of Workable has ushered in a new era for LandCare’s talent acquisition strategy, moving it from a reactive, manual operation to a proactive, data-driven, and strategically integrated function. This transformation carries significant implications for LandCare’s sustained growth and competitive standing in the commercial landscape management industry. By enabling faster hiring cycles and increasing candidate reach, LandCare is better positioned to secure top talent in a competitive market, particularly for its critical field-based roles. The improved efficiency translates directly into reduced operational costs associated with recruitment and faster deployment of productive employees.
Furthermore, the enhanced visibility Workable provides has not only elevated the TA team’s internal reputation but has also empowered them with data to inform business decisions. This strategic seat at the table allows the TA team to proactively address workforce planning, identify talent gaps, and contribute directly to LandCare’s overall business objectives. The ability to pull detailed recruitment analytics into Power BI for custom reporting signifies a sophisticated approach to talent management, allowing LandCare to continuously refine its strategies based on empirical data rather than anecdotal evidence.
The consistent positive feedback from candidates regarding self-scheduling and the high adoption rate of the mobile app by field managers underscore Workable’s ability to cater to the practical needs of all stakeholders in the hiring process. This focus on user experience, both internal and external, contributes to a positive employer brand, which is crucial for attracting and retaining talent in a service-oriented industry.
Unwavering Recommendation
Without question, LandCare unequivocally recommends Workable. For organizations operating with a distributed, field-based workforce across numerous locations, the capacity to genuinely engage hiring managers in the recruitment process with minimal training is, in itself, a significant competitive advantage. LandCare’s talent acquisition team has successfully transitioned from a constrained, manual system to a nationally coordinated recruiting function. This modernized approach allows them to tangibly demonstrate their impact with data, accelerate candidate progression, and access a broader talent pool across more than 15 platforms with a single, efficient action.
The quantifiable outcomes are compelling and undeniable: a substantial 23% reduction in time to hire, a robust 138 hires for critical core branch positions in a single year, and a talent acquisition team that has cultivated enhanced credibility with leadership. These achievements are a direct result of the transparency and efficiency Workable brought to their processes, making the crucial work of talent acquisition visible and its strategic value undeniable across the entire LandCare organization.
