Author Archives: Brad Humphrey

[AUDIO] Welcome to Our Company!

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Be aggressive and creative on welcoming your new workers.  Have some fun and make it clear that you are glad the new worker has accepted your job offer.  Remind them that you are there to help them be the best that they are capable of becoming as a worker, professional, and person in the community.  That sort of commitment, made by Owners and Senior Leaders, can go long in getting that loyalty and commitment that all Contractors want from a worker!

 

[TRANSCRIPT]

Every construction worker I’ve ever met could tell me what their first day with their new employer was like.  Consider a few of the memories expressed to me, from workers, when I asked them to share some remembrance of their first day.

 

  • “Oh man, it was like, ‘Go work with Joe, he’ll take care of you.’ I felt like a kid a day-care.  It got better after a few weeks but man, I almost left when they made me feel like a kid.”
  • “I remember my first day. My foreman told me to just do what he told me to do and don’t let my ‘new guy ass’ slow the crew down. I lasted about thirty-days, then I had to get out of there.  They didn’t want employees; they wanted slaves.”
  • “Actually, I did a little training before I went out with the crew. They gave me safety training first and then showed me some of the tools and equipment I’d have to learn.  It was mostly through watching videos, but they did have some tools in the room for me to hold.”
  • “My old company didn’t do squat; just, ‘Get your butt out there and start doing what you’re told.’ The company I’m working for now was great.  They actually made me feel pretty welcomed and special for the first whole week.  Pretty cool.”

 

I’ve got hundreds of these memories that I keep.  It has always amazed me how some contractors treat their new workers during their first day.  Why do some contractors “Get it,” making each new employee feel wanted and special, while other contractors seem to be pained by the effort needed to get a new worker prepared to work?

 

Because many of today’s younger and newer workers care about their work environment, it pays contractors to spend more time on the welcoming part of bringing a new employee on.  This effort is not just for the laborers and field craftsman, it is just as critical to bring the new estimator, project manager, or administrative assistant on with the polish and class of an organization that values people.

 

In past articles, I’ve addressed some of the topics supporting employee retention, and I want to continue that a bit with more focus on just welcoming the new worker, no matter their position, experience, sex, or age.

 

Welcome “How-Tos”

  1. Prepare for the Employee’s 1st Day

I’m still surprised how many contractors will hire an employee and then not prepare for the employees’ first day.  This will leave a negative first impression on a new employee…every time.  I actually was told by one employee who said that their Foreman and crew, got into their trucks and left him standing at the shop.  The Owner showed up about fifteen minutes later and assumed that the new worker had been late to work.  When they told the Owner that they had arrived thirty minutes earlier than asked, the Owner became mad as a coiled-up Rattlesnake, took the new worker to the job site personally, and then chewed out the Foreman in every manner of descriptive words that I shall refrain from writing now.  Needless to say, this was less than a great start for both the new worker AND the Foreman.

 

  1. Prepare a Greeter & a 30-Day Buddy

Part of preparing for the new employee is to assign an official Greeter.  This person might be the HR Manager, who did the hiring, or a Foreman, or even one of the better attitude employees.  Heck, if your company is smaller, it’s great to have the Owner actually be there to greet the new worker.  The Greeter needs to be upbeat, positive sounding, smiling, and quick to extend a handshake when the new worker arrives.  Then, the Greeter should do a little introduction around the office or shop to make sure that everyone knows we have a new employee.  Just as important is then handing the new worker off to their “30-Day Buddy.”  It doesn’t really matter what you call this person but they need to be schooled on what their additional duties are for the month in getting the new worker accepted, acclimated, and educated in the first four weeks.  The Buddy is also a good resource for the new worker when they have a question.  I’ve always observed that a co-worker serves best in this role.

 

  1. Develop a Welcome Package for New Workers

Most contractors are pretty good about giving a new worker some company T-shirts, hats, etc.  However, just a little more effort can really do up a nice Welcome Package.  Here’s what I’ve seen in Welcome Packages from different construction companies I’ve worked with over the years.

  • Company shirt & Ball-Cap
  • Work Gloves
  • Rubber Boots (For Concrete Finishers)
  • Company Pens or Pencils/Pad of Paper
  • ID Card with Important Contact Info
  • Bottle of Water, Gum, Cracker Jacks, Jerky, etc.
  • Tool Belt
  • Tape Measure, etc.
  • Process Book of Company SOPs
  • $100 Gift Card for Hardware Store

 

I recently wrote a book that is now available to give to your workers entitled:

Construction: The Best Industry in the World!

Twenty & One Reasons You Have Made the Greatest Decision for Your Career

 

I actually wrote this little 27-page book for exactly this purpose, to “close the deal” with new employees that they have made the best decision of their life to join the construction industry by working for your company.  In fact, the book is available in the Spanish version as well.  We must work harder at keeping our new workers; making it difficult to even think about leaving our company.

 

  1. Follow-up; Follow-up; Follow-up

There really isn’t anything bigger for the new worker to experience than to have the regular follow-up by different individuals who are welcoming them to the company.  You can give more or less hats, gloves, pens, etc. but if your consistent follow-up with the new worker is there, it outweighs all forms of gifts, coupons, etc.

 

Consider a few ways and excuses to follow-up with a new worker.  The following is just for the first thirty-days, but it can easily be expanded to the traditional first 90-Days.

 

Week #1             Greeter & Buddy is Assigned

Weeks #2-3        HR, Ops Mgr., Foreman Contact Worker

Weeks #4-11      HR, Ops Mgr., Owner, Senior Leaders

Week #12           Owner, HR, Senior Leaders

 

The effort during any of the first eleven weeks should include asking the new worker how they are adjusting, asking if the new worker has any questions, ensuring the new worker understands their job duties, etc.

 

You will also notice that Week #12 involved the Owner, HR, and any other Senior Leader who can be available.  Since “90-Days” is still the recognized time period in which most companies decide to move the new worker to a full-time employee, there should be a greater emphasis placed on the welcome.

One idea for the 90-Day is to celebrate it with a cake or pizza at lunch for the crew.  This is a great, and inexpensive, way to really solidity your welcoming the new worker to your company.  If statistics can be believed, what you do in the first ninety-days of a new workers time with you may go a long way to holding on to the new worker.

 

Be aggressive and creative on welcoming your new workers.  Have some fun and make it clear that you are glad the new worker has accepted your job offer.  Remind them that you are there to help them be the best that they are capable of becoming as a worker, professional, and person in the community.  That sort of commitment, made by Owners and Senior Leaders, can go long in getting that loyalty and commitment that all Contractors want from a worker!

 

Here’s to creating a great welcoming experience!

 

Brad Humphrey

The Contractor’s Best Friend

 

 

 

Employee Development, , , , ,

[AUDIO] Benefits to Written Procedures

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What moves a Work Process to a Work Procedure is the step-by-step efforts that must be made in order to be successful. So, in short, a Work Process names what we do, while Work Procedures document “How” we do it.

Learn more in this episode from Brad Humphrey, the Contractor’s Best Friend!

 

 

 

[TRANSCRIPT]

Benefits to Written Procedures

 

Recently, I was asked to facilitate a meeting of field leaders with the objective of writing and updating work procedures.  Besides being a grueling experience, for all involved, I assure you, the benefits will be realized.

 

Before I share some real benefits to having written Work Procedures, let me briefly provide a some small, but important differences between Work Processes and Work Procedures.

 

Work Processes represent the many efforts we do to complete our projects.  For example, we may have any number of work processes, similar to a few examples below, including:

 

  • Loading & Tying Down Equipment
  • Site Preparation
  • Forming Steps and Ramps
  • Grout Preparations
  • Clean-up of Equipment & Tools
  • Preparing Site for Safe Work Flow
  • Site Housekeeping
  • Securing Needed Tools & Components from Tool Crib

 

Any contractor may have thirty, fifty, even a hundred or more Work Processes for the field.  Even Estimating, Accounting, Business Development, and HR have a multitude of work processes that must be followed.

 

What moves a Work Process to a Work Procedure is the step-by-step efforts that must be made in order to be successful.  So, in short, a Work Process names what we do, while Work Procedures document “How” we do it.

 

And it is in the process of documenting the step-by-step Work Procedures that many successful contractors have painfully, and patiently, brought discipline and differentiation to their company.  Many contractors, who fail in this effort, will forever be frustrated with the many different means of accomplishing work.  As long as you have accountable and knowledgeable leader doing what needs to be done, you’re good.  But, you may also be on “borrowed time” before that crew leader is gone, and the next leader may have other ideas about how to perform the work.

 

Here in lies one of the benefits to having documented Work Procedures.  So, let’s share a few benefits to making the time, and enduring the frustration, to making Work Procedures formal and used faithfully.

 

Benefits from Having Documented Work Procedures:

  • Commits your company to how, “We do it here.”
  • Allows your best performers to review and update when needed.
  • Prevents any leader from just doing what they feel like doing.
  • More quickly educates new workers, and leaders, to how your company performs the same Work Processes at their last employment.
  • Serves as a training document.
  • Serves as an accountability document, to make sure workers are following what the company has designed.
  • Ensures that your different workers and crews, working on different projects, are all performing the same Work Procedures.
  • Provides greater flexibility and options for project schedulers in moving needed workers to other projects or crews, knowing that they are all using same Work Procedures.
  • Builds a consistent experience for customers, suppliers, other contractors, etc.
  • Allows quicker solutions to process challenges because all the leaders are working from the same Work Procedures.
  • Speeds up communication between office and field staff when addressing confusion on required processes.
  • Provides confirmation if more than one crew is succeeding or suffering from the same Work Procedure. If it’s not working for everyone…may be time to address needed changes.
  • Company projects should realize greater productivity, less “re-work,” better utilization of manpower and resources, and, in the end, growing profitability!

 

Now, realizing any of benefits listed above comes at a price.  It takes time to document Work Processes and Work Procedures.  But the benefits, as shared above, can be achieved.

 

A few suggestions on how to make the actual documentation process smoother, more accurate, and “humane” for those completing the documents are in order.  Try integrating a few important techniques that can keep those documenting from going crazy.

 

  1. First, spell out what the formal Work Processes are in the company.
  2. Select 2-5 individuals, the most familiar with the Work Process, and that have proven record for consistency and “brains.”
  3. Let this team know that what they are about to begin will make the company better, workers more consistent, and separate our company from the competitors.
  4. Map out a simple Flow Chart that captures 7-11 boxes that provide a “high level” of major contribution to one selected Work Process.
  5. Take one Work Process, and begin listing the needed actions to effectively complete each “box” of the process.
  6. Use a Word Document format, or similar, to record all the needed steps of completion.
  7. Encourage the team to discuss the steps, balancing between recording how often a worker is to take breathes and overlooking things like starting points and end points. (Just joking on the number of breaths a worker takes.).

The final steps should be detailed to the level that the leaders feel that things need to be followed and taught.  This is where the stress comes, “How much is too much detail?

 

Without being overly detailed, realize that some of the Work Process may have more or less detailed in the Work Procedures, depending on what has been the history of the company.  If anyone process hasn’t experienced too much quality challenges, then perhaps a less than anal look is adequate.   If a process has been very troubling, I would encourage more detail.

 

Even following every suggestion in this article will still not result in a painless effort to bring formality to your Work Processes and Work Procedures, BUT…it might just put more responsibility and accountability into your people.  And that’s got to translate into a more productive and profitable company.

 

Brad Humphrey

The Contractor’s Best Friend

 

 

 

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