Every business must deal with hiring new help, but the construction industry has a more difficult time than others in retaining new hires. There are many factors that play into this, such as generational tendencies, the ability to be flexible, and so much more. Consider some of the following ways you can have a better recruiting and retention experience.
Figure Out Flexibility When Recruiting for Construction
These days employees in any field are just as interested in flexibility as they are in the pay, perhaps more so. This is due to several factors.
First, the generations entering the workforce have known a period where work can be flexible. Then, life through the pandemic taught a large number of people that many tasks can be performed remotely.
The nature of construction work is in-person rather than home-based, which certainly has a role in retention. Additionally, employees in their young 20s may have less of an interest in profit sharing and retirement benefits, which have been a traditional draw.
What you can do to be more flexible is highly individualized. Many employees have stated they want to be in the office, even when their position offers the possibility to work from home. The idea of building a team gets a bit lost in the home environment.
Understand Millennial vs. Gen Z Values
Millennials had baby-boomer parents that wanted their kids to know how amazing they were and wanted them not to work as hard as they did. This contrasts Gen Z, who was raised by GenX.
Gen X came of age during many crises such as the Berlin Wall fall, the Challenger explosion, and Watergate. Their parents spent time stressing over money and cutting back during the economic problems in 2008. This resulted in a generation that doesn’t work from a place of entitlement but feels lucky to have employment.
Their parents told them early on that there are winners and losers, so they look for stability and career advancement opportunities.
This means you need to figure out what values your company offers and advertise those to the right generations. Play up benefits, salary, and how they will advance in their career. This will be a sizeable shift from millennials that wanted to have meaning in their work and wanted to make a difference in the world.
Play Up the Entrepreneur Possibilities
The construction field offers more than just climbing up the ladder with your company. Anything within the skilled trade industry offers an entrepreneur possibility that many careers do not.
While your initial reaction is not to want competition, hiring employees that want to own their own construction company means you are hiring employees with passion. Don’t miss the opportunity to talk about this as possible career advancement and what that can mean for them.
How can we help you?
Searching for an opportunity in the construction industry? Contact The Birmingham Group’s team of seasoned commercial construction recruiters today to discuss your career path or browse our open positions.
Are you a hiring authority in need of construction talent? Submit a search request today.
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