How do you find good workers? And just as importantly, how do you keep them once they’re hired?

Those questions are now top of mind for linen, uniform and facility services companies everywhere. Job candidates are scarce on the ground. The few who entertain offers often end up saying “no.” And too many of the ones actually hired go AWOL the first day of work or soon after. It’s all part and parcel of a tight labor market that shows no sign of changing.

The root problem lies in today’s fastest-growing workplace demographic. People under the age of 25—the so-called ...