Page 14 - Builder Brief August 2021 Issue

BUSINESS / LABOR
FIND GREAT WORKERS WITH THESE FIVE TACTICS
5 Things You Can Do to Find Great Workers
By Susan Smith, Just for Contractors
I’ve talked with many of the trades and what I hear over and over again is something like this:
“I can’t find good workers. Or when I do, I can’t keep them.”
For others, training a new employee is difficult and when they are fully trained, they quit, and then you’re looking once again.
I have three sons all in the trades (carpenter, electrician, and a plumber). They’ve told me several times just in this past year how the company they work for has hired a new worker only to have that new hire last just a day, a week, some even as long as a month. And then one day they just don’t show up. No phone call. No explanation.
Hiring people isn't the problem. The problem is hiring people who will show up to work on a consistent basis. You’ve spent a lot of time, a lot of energy and a lot of money to find, hire and train that new worker. When they don’t show up and quit within that first month that’s frustrating and maddening!
By leveraging a few strategies you can attract and retain great workers that will stay with your company.
HERE ARE FIVE KEY STRATEGIES
I’ve been able to help my clients leverage to find and retain better workers.
1 Upgrade your website.
One of the first places a potential hire will look is a company website. Make your website applicant friendly. One of the first places people look when considering an opportunity is a company website. What message is yours sending? Do you have a page that is dedicated to the job searcher? What does your website say about your business? Most construction companies that have a good website include a careers page. Include your phone number along with the application form you want them to fill out. You want to make it as easy as possible for them to reach you. It’s not just about the job opportunity, it is also about selling your company... why they want to work with you!
14 AUGUST 2021 | GREATER SAN ANTONIO BUILDERS ASSOCIATION