Finding and Keeping the Talent
Make no mistake, we are engaged in a war for construction talent, and we have no choice but to win the battle! What are some ways to do that?
First simply acknowledging that the shortage is real and making it a priority to recruit with a long term focus, not just on the needs you have today.
No shortage in talent today? Great, but recruitment is part of a healthy strategic plan.
Many options are open and available for attracting talent.
- Participate in job fairs
- Have and be building a relationship with trade schools that are union and non-union
- Post on job boards, job sites and other areas
- Form a partnership with local vocational and high schools. Often community colleges have schools such as this which aim to place students prior to graduating from their program
- Offer a paid apprenticeship program.
- Hire someone who is green and teach them
Offer higher starting salaries and/or even a signing bonus to new workers if possible.
However, you choose to find the talent you need, be proactive, not reactive.
If your company doesn’t have in-house HR capabilities, form an alliance with an experienced provider familiar with the work you do. These providers have access and capabilities you do not for finding talent. They also have the bandwidth whereas you do not.
It is always less expensive to retain good talent than it is to have them, lose them, and then must replace them.
Perhaps most important in hiring and retaining talent is the organizational culture.
What is yours? What do you want your employees to experience working for you.
- Feel valued?
- Feel and be appreciated?
- Receive training as appropriate?
Do you want them to feel as though they are big contributors to the success of the business and the work you are providing, customer satisfaction?
When employees feel valued, appreciated – they become more invested and bought in to the work and company. They are engaged and seeking to do good work.
To get and keep good talent, give them a good start when they come on board.
They need appropriate training to fully integrate into the role they have in their daily work and the company in general.
Your onboarding process should include a structured orientation into the company and the culture.
Have and/or establish an environment of true employee value and engagement. In this battle for talent, it is necessary that leaders of the company from the top down to the bottom, treat employees like they are the most valuable assets they are. And your employees are the most important asset you have!!
How? Integrate best practices throughout your organization such as informal interviews, continuing education, mentoring programs, etc to show your employees that you care and are invested in their future.
People today have real employment options. Jobs are plentiful and workers are scarce.
If you don’t try to attract the right prospects, if employees aren’t welcomed and given the tools to succeed, and if workforce culture doesn’t measure up, your talent will seek opportunities elsewh
