How to Retain Workers in the Construction Industry
One of the biggest challenges facing construction companies is the retention of valuable employees. Especially as the industry experiences huge growth, lack of skilled workers can lead to project delays and lost revenue without a trained staff to complete a project. Losing highly skilled workers in the middle of a project can lead to months of delay and low morale.
So how do you motivate quality employees to stay with your company?
While of course paying high wages will attract employees, there are other ways to create loyalty amongst your staff and retain your best workers.
Below we’ll discuss four ways to help you retain your best employees.
1. Put Health & Safety First
Making health, safety, and comfort a priority at your company and on job sites is one way to increase employee retention.
Construction sites experience more frequent and debilitating injuries than the average office job, and taking health and safety guidelines seriously can significantly decrease the chances of a dangerous accident occurring.
The reputation of your company can also improve if workers know that you care about your staff and their well-being.
Following OSHA guidelines may feel like a lot of work but can keep accidents from happening.
It’s also important to create a culture that prioritizes safety and adheres to guidelines at all times, regardless of difficulty or inconvenience.
Working in construction isn’t just dangerous; it’s also laborious and exhausting. Allowing your staff some basic comforts that contribute to their mental health can also pay off, such as a dedicated and comfortable space for breaks.
Providing water, coffee, or snacks can also help your staff replenish and feel appreciated.
2. Make Benefits Packages Meaningful
Investing in your employees and their well-being can pay off in the long run.
While many companies believe that salary is the deciding factor in choosing a job, many employees consider the benefits available to them just as heavily.
Employees with families will want health insurance with a low out-of-pocket cost. Contributing to or matching contributions to a 401K is extremely appealing to those looking forward to retirement.
Investing more heavily in the benefits that you offer your employees, can create deep loyalty.
3. Invest in Your Staff
While you need highly skilled workers in order to operate as a company, where do you think these skills are developed? Investing in your most dedicated and eager workers will not only increase your ability to grow as a company but will engage your staff and show that you believe in them and their abilities.
Rather than always looking to hire the most skilled employees, spend some time creating opportunities for advancement for the staff you already employ.
Many workers are excited at the prospect of learning new skills, and having their company pay for that training is a huge motivator.
For most people, feeling appreciated outweighs any amount of salary that you can pay them. You can create that feeling of appreciation by investing in your employees and their careers.
4. Stay Up-to-Date With Technology
While it can be easy and inexpensive to take the “if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it,” mentality, failing to stay up-to-date with technological advances can be discouraging to staff.
Many advances in technology can save time, money, and resources, allowing your staff to move through projects more quickly.
Making sure that your staff has the software and equipment that they need to do their jobs effectively can not only increase productivity but also help to keep them engaged in day-to-day tasks.
Training your staff to use the latest technology can also play into your investment in them. When they are given endless opportunities to learn and grow, they will think twice about leaving your company.
In addition to these retention strategies, showing daily appreciation for your staff can also pay off in the long run. Taking an active interest in their lives and their families, throwing company parties, providing lunch, and accommodating time off requests can all increase employee retention.
Remember that you cannot run your company alone, and your workers are only human. Treat them as such!
