4 Ways To Avoid High Employee Turnover in Construction and Skilled Trades

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Construction Staffing

Employee turnover can be a challenge for any business. But when an electrician or plumber doesn’t show up to the work site, the result can be even more far-reaching. Turnover in this industry means delays in the project, cost overages, and scheduling nightmares. So what can you do to help keep employee turnover from costing your business? Here are a few tips:

Hire good people the first time.

The single best way to reduce turnover is to hire the right people to begin with. Look at your current employees and focus on your superstars–your most reliable and consistent people. Do they share the same characteristics, background, experience, etc.? If you can pinpoint some positive personality traits and characteristics, it will help you better identify top performers during the hiring process.

Try before you buy.

The best way to evaluate a new piece of equipment would be to use it on site. The same goes for employees! Instead of hiring a new employee, consider using a temporary-to-hire staffing firm. This will allow you to try a tradesperson on the job, before committing to a full-time hire. This also helps shield you from unemployment costs if the employee doesn’t work out.

Look beyond the skills.

There are a lot of people with the hard skills you need. You can find a great plumber, a wonderful pipe-fitter, a solid welder. But you need to look beyond just skills to find out if they are reliable and have a strong work ethic. Perform reference checks, consider personality assessments, and do your due diligence before hiring someone. At CCS, we place a big emphasis on work history and look to hire skilled tradespeople who have a strong history of success and a solid work ethic.

Offer competitive pay.

Let’s face it, in this business pay is important. Make sure that you compensate your employees appropriately. Saving a little short-term labor expense by offering low wages can have huge long-term costs. Quality tradespeople who are reliable and skilled will want to know they are being compensated fairly. If you’re unsure where you stand in terms of compensation, call us. We continually recruit in this space and can provide benchmarks on compensation for a variety of skilled trades positions in your market.

Bonus Tip: Partner with a specialized staffing firm.

At some point, turnover will be an issue for you. When turnover does rear its ugly head, we can help. As a staffing firm that only recruits skilled trades professionals, we understand your business, your needs and can quickly provide the person you need to ensure your projects are completed on time and on budget. Contact one of our skilled trades and construction staffing experts today.

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