Hays Construction’s Duncan Bullimore on building a happy workforce.
1. Understand the market
Most construction employers are seeing an upturn in activity, but the shortage of staff to meet demand has taken some by surprise. Creating sustainable growth will mean not just identifying new business opportunities, but understanding where the skills gaps and skills shortages are within your organisation and how you will attract and retain people with these skills, both now and for the long term.
2. Nurture your staff
Employees are feeling more optimistic about their job prospects than they have done in some time, and almost half (43%) expect to move jobs within a year, according to our latest Hays Construction Salary Guide (see below).
With few pay rises and little investment in training in recent years, dissatisfied staff may look for the first positive signs to make a move. Rewarding and developing your staff will be critical to retain those people that have stuck with you through the downturn, so ensure that your staff have a shared vision of where your organisation is heading.
3. Understand motivations
Money is not the only motivator when it comes to job satisfaction. Our research found that, after salary, employees rate job security, work-life balance and career development as the most important factors when considering a new role.
Despite the upturn 24% of respondents feel less secure in their jobs than 12 months ago, so emphasising the long-term opportunities in your organisation is important. Personal recognition and making staff feel valued are powerful, but under-rated, motivators.
4. Be flexible
Work-life balance was the third most important factor cited by people looking for a new job. Construction employees are happier with their work-life balance than they were in 2013, and emphasising benefits such as flexible working can help attract those for whom it’s a priority.
Work-life balance was the third most important factor cited by people looking for a new job. Emphasising benefits such as flexible working can help attract those for whom it’s a priority.
5. Don’t delay recruitment
“Time is the enemy” is particularly pertinent to recruitment. The recruitment process is speeding up and employers need to move fast to secure the best people. In-demand candidates are now receiving multiple offers so set clear timescales for recruitment at the outset so candidates know when they should expect to hear from you, give feedback to candidates quickly and ensure they remain engaged with your organisation throughout the process, even if they are unsuccessful in their application
6. Anticipate counter offers
The counter offer is back and employers are offering significant salary increases to keep hold of the most valued employees who resign. While many employees will be tempted to stay by such an offer, those who have handed in their notice are usually doing so for reasons other than pay, so be ready to emphasise other benefits and career opportunities you can offer them in the long term.
If you’re the one making a counter offer keep in mind that salary alone is unlikely to resolve all the concerns of an unhappy employee, and many candidates who accept counter offers still move on within a few months.
7. Know your value
Understand what you have to offer as an employer and be ready to demonstrate this during the recruitment process. A small employer may not be able to compete on salary with a multinational, but if they can offer attractive benefits such as flexible working, career development opportunities and greater responsibility they can be just as appealing.
8. Act before it’s too late
Employers need to ensure they can compete in offering pay, benefits and career opportunities to their best people – before they hand in their resignation. Reviewing pay and benefits on an ongoing basis will help ensure your employees see a clear career path and opportunities for reward ahead of them. Make sure your staff know where the company is heading, to avoid them coming to their own, possibly incorrect, conclusions.
9. Develop your employee brand
As competition for staff increases being known as an employer of choice will become more important. Marketing yourself to potential employees as well as customers is important, and many employers are now using social media to do so. Is your organisation part of the brave new world, or stuck in the past?
10. Look further ahead
Skills shortages will be an enduring feature of the industry for some years to come, so as well as filling today’s vacancies think about the skills you’ll need in the future. Investing in apprentices and supporting schemes to encourage young people to consider careers in construction are part of the way to do this.
Duncan Bullimore is director of Hays Construction. To request a copy of the Hays Construction Salary Guide and Market Overview visit www.hays.co.uk/construction-salary-guide
