By Rick O’Leary, Resource Manager
The ball is in your court! Now, you have to make the next move or lose the game. The industry labor shortage leaves no room for contractors to miss out on tradespeople with solid construction skills. There are simply not enough professionals to fill the skills gap. Building a strong name in the industry is key to attracting new construction talent and outmatching your competition. Getting there is a great challenge, so it is important to have a plan in place and stick to it regardless. Take a look at these steps on how to become a successful contractor that every craftsman wants to work for.
Invest in Your People
Training is everything. Like a structure that needs to be built on strong foundation, your company needs to be founded on tradespeople with strong construction skills. In order to become a successful contractor, you need to invest in the training of your workforce to ensure that they improve their skillset and stay with you for the long haul. For example, if you fill an electrician job with a young electrician, make sure before sending them on the jobsite that apart from the basic training, you also provide them with ongoing training that helps them excel in what they do and stay with your organization. Have them work with experienced electricians who supervise them and help them gain more knowledge and expertise.
Commit to Safety
There is no way to become a successful contractor unless you commit to construction safety. Keep in mind that every year hundreds of tradespeople with great construction skills get hurt or fatally injured as a result of safety violations. For example, before your crews start working on an electrician job have them walk the jobsite to identify hazards and risks and ask them to hold regular safety meetings and toolbox talks to stay up-to-date with safety guidelines. Make sure that you hold safety trainings for every professional you send on the jobsite. If you partner with other contractors or construction staffing firms, make sure that they also have safety programs in place to control risk management.
Embrace Technology
Are you still relying on traditional methods to collect and store data? Are you able to convert it into useful information? How about on the jobsite? Are you taking advantage of current technology to run your operations efficiently and strengthen the safety of your tradespeople? Embracing technology is not an easy decision and it might look threatening for your budget, but the reality is that it sets the foundation for great benefits long-term. It allows you to complete projects faster, with precision, and always with a focus on safety. Do research to see what technology fits your needs and make it a priority to embrace it. Keep in mind that you don’t have to do it all at once, but the sooner you start, the better.
Encourage Diversity
The recent recession had a huge impact on the construction industry making it difficult for contractors to locate and retain tradespeople with solid construction skills. For example, filling an electrician job is not an easy task because more professionals exit the workforce than join. The generation of Baby Boomers is retiring and construction companies struggle to find talent for their needs. A great way for your organization to overcome this challenge is by embracing diversity. Millennials, women, and minorities are great sources for of construction talent and your company needs to turn to them. Become a successful contractor by introducing and adopting diverse initiatives that attract diverse professionals.
Boost Communication and Engagement
You work in an industry where time and end result are key factors to success. Projects need to be delivered on time and with quality. To make this happen, every construction project needs to stay on track. This means that all the involved parties have to be aware of what is expected of them and more importantly, when it is expected. Changes in the schedule or the conditions on the jobsite need to be communicated quickly and everyone on the team has to engage in order to get things done. In order to become a successful contractor, you must work towards creating a company culture that boosts communication and participation among your workforce from the top to the bottom of the pyramid.
Key Takeaways for What it Takes to be a Great Construction Contractor:
- Invest in the ongoing training of your tradespeople
- Make sure that construction safety is always at the core of your company
- Look into ways that technology helps you become a successful contractor
- Adopt diverse initiatives that attract new professionals
- Create a company culture that boosts communication and participation
About TradeSource
Founded in 1993, TradeSource is a construction labor solutions firm focused on delivering labor solutions to contractors throughout the United States. By supplying skilled tradespeople – where and when they’re needed – we help contractors grow their companies, without the associated costs and hassles of full-time hires. Likewise, we match qualified employees with rewarding and well-paying job opportunities in the construction industry. www.tradesource.com
