Staff Retention Tips

During the pandemic, about 1.5 million baby boomers retired earlier than anticipated, removing many skilled building trades workers from the industry. Associated General Contractors of America (AGC) has found t at o firm e ect kill ortage to e among t i year’ igge t c allenge n an early ur ey conducted by Bamboo HR in industries including health care, technology and construction, HR and business leaders were asked the top reasons employees are quitting. Answers included the desire for better compensation, discomfort with COVID-19 policies, needing “a change”—often for better work/life balance— an etter enefit

Some strategies to help retain employees:

Examine your wages—Rich Loverde of Loverde Builders, nc recently increa e wage y or all o ition to reinforce his appreciation of employees and as a practical response to rising gas prices. “Many of our workers commute to job sites from Reno, Sparks and Car on City A wage o an our time , annual hours equals an 8k raise.” Loverde would like his team out in t e fiel to reac t e longe ity o u erinten ent , project coordinators and foremen who have been with t e com any etween eig t an year T i ty e o longevity is an indicator of a healthy culture.

Regular check-ins—Diagnose problems before they occur by creating a workplace with mutual respect between managers and workers. “We know each worker, we get out in t e fiel an talk wit t em, ay Lo er e “We all enjoy getting together at events like the company picnic or just casually to celebrate our camaraderie and have fun.” Make safety Job #1—Continue to emphasize safe practices to mitigate the virus as per OSHA guidelines. Al o, ro i e enefit t at make a ifference

Reboot your welcome process—Employees who go t roug a ormal on oar ing roce are more likely to stay with a company for at least three years.

Install a mentorship program—Like apprenticeships, mentorship programs help new hires become acclimated to their job, company culture and co-workers.

Share your goals—Workers who know the company’s goal can ee ow t eir utie fit into t e igger icture

Provide professional development opportunities—

On-the-job training and promoting from within are a iomatic Let worker know t ey’re u or a ancement or job enrichment, so they aren’t cherry picked by a competitor.

In the long run, company purpose, growth and challenge are all important in maintaining engaged workers. One spectacular advantage of our industry that incorporates all three is the psychological paycheck inherent in seeing the results of our labor. Loverde conclu e , Our guy are on t e ro ect rom fir t o el of dirt to when they hand the owner the keys, so when it’ fini e , t ey can ay uilt t at ou e’ Thanks to Laura Moriarty, SPHR, SHRM-SCP, President of Tahoe Training Partners, is a nationally known speaker, trainer, creative strategist, and specialist in attracting and retaining talent. For support implementing any of these recommendations, please contact Laura at 530.307.0011.