MANAGEMENT By Fletcher Wimbush
CAN YOU MEASURE INTEGRITY? Why More Contractors are Using Structured Assessments to Improve Hiring Decisions
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teel erectors do not have much room for hiring mistakes. A bad hire in an office job can create extra work. A bad hire on a steel crew can create real safety risk, missed schedules, turnover, workers’ compensation costs, and damage to a company’s name. That is why many Steel Erectors Association of America members are looking beyond the old hiring playbook of “post the job, interview fast, check a few boxes, and hope it works out.” This is where integrity testing deserves a fair look. Not as a magic filter. Not as a way to replace judgment.
Fletcher Wimbush is CEO of Discovered.ai. He has dedicated his career to tackling the challenges employers face with hiring and is the creator of Big 5 personality and disc style assessment tools. An ethical AI proponent, he is also pioneering AI-powered initiatives for talent selection.or driving digital transformation in the AEC industry.
18 | THE STEEL ERECTORS ASSOCIATION OF AMERICA
And not as a shortcut around training, supervision, and safety culture. An integrity test is a hiring assessment that helps employers evaluate a candidate's honesty, reliability, and likelihood of demonstrating ethical workplace behavior. Integrity testing matters because steel erection depends on people who follow rules when no one is standing over them, speak up when something is unsafe, show up ready to work, and can be trusted around crews, equipment, customers, and job sites. As contractors continue to navigate labor shortages, rising insurance costs, and increasing safety expectations, many are looking for ways to strengthen hiring decisions. Integrity testing has become one tool that some employers use alongside interviews, reference checks, training programs, and other workforce development efforts.