The construction industry is one of the most fast-paced and demanding industries around. If you are a building contractor, you already know about the headaches that finding tradespeople can bring. Employee retention can be a real challenge. Most are self-employed and work until a project is complete, then look for another within their local community.
When you land a sizeable contract, you need the labour quickly. This article outlines some tips for retaining employees in the construction industry. By following these tips, you can help keep your team together and focused on achieving your company’s goals.
Directly Employed Tradespeople
Fortunately, there is an outsourced construction HR service in the UK as well as in any other country in the world. Always go for a leading consultant who can provide essential services like compiling employment contracts and assisting with any legal issues that might arise. Labour laws are very strict and the risk of personal injury is high; if a worker feels that the company was negligent, they would likely seek compensation and that’s when you need a legal expert in your corner.
Employee Incentives
If you want to hang on to the people you have, you should incentivise – this could be financial, or the chance to take trade courses that improve their skillsets. Extending paid leave is one way of showing your appreciation and the builder that listens to employees will cultivate a positive relationship. The construction industry is very busy at the moment and that means your workers have options. Give praise where it is due and do what you can to help workers, and this will not go unnoticed.
Prompt Payment
Everyone expects to be paid on time and that means a good payroll system needs to be in place; nothing motivates a worker more to leave than being paid late. There is industry-specific payroll software that is easy to configure, taking the strain of calculating and paying wages. If you aren’t using such a software package, Google will help you find a software developer with the right payroll software that will see the end of any payroll issues. You can also use pay stub creator to use pay stub calculator.
Offer Apprenticeships
There are many young people that are looking to learn a trade and by taking on trainees, you are ensuring long-term service. A typical apprenticeship would include the employee stay with the company for a minimum of 5 years after they get their trade papers. A young family man would be looking to stay with one employer long-term and if you have enough qualified tradespeople to accommodate a few apprentices, this is a good way to ensure your workforce is sufficient.
Seek Professional Help
If you are a busy contractor with multiple projects around your country, you won’t have the time to devote to HR. You can join forces with a leading HR consultant, especially from the site https://www.avensure.com/, as they can provide a range of services. From drawing up employment contracts to handling unfair dismissal claims, the HR consultant works in the construction industry and can deal with any legal issues that might arise.
As you already know, being an employer brings with it many liabilities and whether you have 5 or 50 employees, it is important you have the best legal advice on every aspect of employment. Site accidents are thankfully rare, but they do happen and in such cases, you need to have the best legal advice. Should a case end up in the labour court, you have a great legal team in your corner.
