How to Attract and Onboard New Team Members in the Construction Industry
- Thursday, 13 October 2016
As days go by in the construction industry, Baby Boomers are almost all retired or in the process of retiring, Generation Xers are on top of the corporate latter, and so other senior, middle or entry level jobs are wide open for Millennials. This is normal at any given point in time, however, Millennials are an entirely new generation, one that is full of digital natives and with a completely new work mindset. That said, the process of onboarding new team members is not just a matter of putting someone up to speed, but also a matter of finding common grounds with the new generation in order to successfully collaborate with each other. Here are a few tips on how to successfully onboard new team members in the construction industry.
Reflect on your existing working culture
First things first. Stop for a minute and reflect on your existing working culture. What benefits do you offer to your employees? What do existing employees find attractive about working for you? What could be improved for existing employees? If the answers to these questions feel like they can satisfy older generations, but not the newest one, it's time to shift your working culture to a more contemporary working style that can attract Millennials.
Accept the fact that your company needs to be in constant innovation in order to survive
Construction as an industry is thousands of years old. Today however, it is increasingly difficult to attract young professionals to it. But in the end, is not about the industry as a whole, but about what your company can offer the younger generation. At the same time, Darwin's Law of survival does not forgive anyone, person or company, young or old. How quickly you can adapt to new younger employees as a company, and how quickly you can adapt to new technologies is key for your firm's survival.
Recognition and meaning are key to attract Millennials to your company
Getting right to the point: what do Millennials find attractive? Millennials are a very special generation: they are not motivated solely by money. Of course a decent pay check is attractive, but recognition and meaning are just as important. Give them important tasks and room for their opinion to be heard and implemented. Make them feel like they are making a difference not only for your company, but for your customers and society as well. You'll have a very attractive job position to offer them.
Pair older and experienced workers with young and tech savvy workers
Once you have successfully hired them, it is a great idea to pair Millennials with more senior employees. Let experienced employees coach new team members, and tech savvy newcomers will certainly bring senior employees up to speed with innovative practices. This combination will make a vast difference for your construction firm.
Adopt technologies that make sense for the entire company
Although tech savvy Millennials will be a great addition to your team, just make sure that any new technologies are consistent across the company. You want to avoid internal miscommunication if people are using different versions of the same software, or completely different tools from one another.
Make sure the tools you are using are easy-to-use, and simple to implement. You don't want to be stuck with clunky software that needs special training from outsiders. The simplest solutions are usually the best ones.