How to Attract and Retain Qualified Construction Staff

As a construction company, it can be difficult to find and retain qualified contractors and it has only become harder with the recent industry labor shortage. So, you have probably already asked, “how do I find these workers?”, “how do I attract them to my company?”, or “once they are hired, how do I keep them happy?”.

Thankfully, that is exactly what we will be discussing today. We will begin by talking about what you can do to find and attract those qualified workers that you are looking for and then progress to discussing what you can do to retain them.

How to Find and Attract Qualified Individuals?

Right now, with the uncertainty caused by COVID-19, it is understandable that many workers are seeking out jobs that offer a sense of security. Because of this, job security is one of the best things you can offer prospective employees. As a construction company, you already work hard to win bids for your contractors. Therefore, you can easily increase job appeal by letting prospective employees know that working for your company as a contractor means having access to jobs and thus a reliable stream of income.

As a construction company, you probably already know the typical ins and outs of the industry. So, you know that subcontractors want to work for general contractors who have a good reputation. Furthermore, general contractors want to attract subcontractors who will get the work done and follow the rules. Because of this, your company can attract workers that fit the company culture by highlighting the company reputation in marketing strategies.

Local colleges and universities have many qualified young individuals who are looking for work. If your company is able to form a relationship with these schools, you can easily connect with these emerging professionals. Therefore, your company can attract these dedicated young individuals with internships, part-time jobs, and volunteer opportunities. If students love the work they are doing by the time they finish one of your programs, they are more likely to be interested in a full-time position.

Your company can connect with local schools in a multitude of ways:

1) Attend networking events (job fairs, career expos, etc.)
2) Sponsor events, programs, or projects
3) Connect with the Career Office (post internships, part-time positions, full-time jobs, etc.)
4) Offer to speak to students interested in the construction industry (talk about your experience, how students can get started, give advice, etc.)
5) Host an event or workshop in collaboration with the school’s student organizations or Career Office

How to Retain Qualified Individuals?

One of the best ways to retain your current employees is to support them. This can be done in a multitude of ways, some of which include: equipping them with the proper tools, hosting workshops, sending them to conferences, and even giving them the time or money to continue their education. Through these efforts, your employees will feel respected and thus more invested in the company’s future.

Lets say your company decided to support its employees by providing a tool that can track the hours associated with certain tasks. With this tool, your workers would be able to see what tasks take the longest and compare estimates to actual values. This would allow them to identify where improvements could be made, which would eventually lead to more accurate estimates. The benefits gained from supporting your team would exponentially increase job satisfaction and thus help you retain your employees.

In light of supporting your employees, you can easily take it a step further by engaging with them. Many of the world’s top companies have recently done this by starting immersion programs, encouraging volunteer work, and offering other unique perks and benefits. However, an article by Beekeeper recommends that construction companies do this by improving workplace safety, being open and transparent with employees, and involving them in the decision making process.

As the COVID-19 pandemic started, the needs and wants of employees shifted. Now, employees look for jobs with benefits that support family care during the pandemic. Some companies show this support through paid leave. Therefore, employees can care for affected and quarantined family members.

The Harvard Business Review posted an article last year that discussed how the pandemic has affected employee benefits. The article discussed the growing want for care options, such as child care and senior care. As well as, the need for mental health programs that service both employees and their families. Companies who think about the benefits that will best support their employees during these tough times, will be able to better support them. In turn, the connection between the employee and the company will be strengthened, making it easier to keep that employee in the future.

In conclusion, finding and retaining employees gets easier when you implement these simple, yet obvious, strategies. Now that we have discussed exactly what your company needs to do in order to find qualified workers and retain the workers that you already have, only one question remains, “which one should I do first?”.