Tag Archives: coaching

Engaging Millennials in Construction

A new study has come out from Gallup, and it has big implications for employers throughout the US and how they interact with the millennial generation.

Millennials desire to be engaged with their job. This goes beyond the standard “9 to 5” mentality – this generation wants to be engaged and passionate about what they do. Despite this, only 29% of millennials int he study reported being engaged at their current job.

Additionally, this new generation of workers is not interested in following

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policies and procedures unless they understand the reasoning behind them. If they do not agree with how decisions are being made, they are also more likely than not to address their concerns with they supervisors. Linked with this, millennials want more than a professional relationship with their employers. They want to their boss to “care about them as an employee and a person.”

Lastly, millennials want opportunities to personal growth on the job. The Gallup study found that 87% of millennials view “professional development or career growth opportunities” as being very important to them in their jobs.

Engaging Millennials in Construction

These findings have implications for the construction industry. For starters, employers may consider implementing the following:

  • Providing a thorough explanation of company policies and procedures during the on-boarding process. If it takes your employees six months to fully understand why your company operates the way it does, your probably going to lose younger workers at a higher rate.
  • Holding formal and informal job reviews with your employees. Millennials want to know how they are doing on the job, so continue with performance reviews. However, you may want to schedule informal review sessions with your younger workers to engage them on how their life is outside of work.
  • Providing regular opportunities for professional development. Send your employees to conferences, enroll them in continuing education, bring in outside coaches – there is no set formula, but take the steps necessary to engage your employees and provide opportunities for them to advance in their careers

Millennials are challenging employers across the US, and the construction industry is no exception. However, you can take simple steps such as these to bring the most out of this generation and improve your company for years to come. 

Colby Humphrey is the Director of Pinnacle Development Group’s Center for Competitive Intelligence and Development. He focuses on marketing and market research. For more information on engaging millennial in construction, contact him at colby@pinnacleccid.com.

Source: What Millennials Want From Work and Life

Risk Management: Safety First

Risk management is essentially the effort you take as a contractor or construction leader to limit, reduce or eliminate any construction effort that would pose a safety risk.

The legality and science of risk management is quite well known among general contractors and is growing in need to be embraced, understood and practiced by all specialty contractors. Our country is one of the most litigious in the world and, sadly, this certainly has found a home in the construction industry.

Let’s first address safety in your organization. While this article will not fulfill the entire educationalsafety first needs for a total safety program at your company, there are some key learning points that have been successfully implemented by many contractors that can bring value to your company.

Safety First

I don’t know what else to call this first point other than safety must be first everywhere possible in your company. I know of no contractor that will admit to NOT believing in the importance of safety — but once again it is in the actions and behavior of our most senior of leaders, including the owner, that sells safety first.

Therefore, what can you do to demonstrate in action and behavior that safety really is first? Consider a few suggestions below:

  • Personally invest in safety education… be the “guinea pig” for all new training education.
  • Lead safety training workshops personally
  • Make safety-related questions part of your daily discussions with field leaders, office workers, field workers, etc.
  • Personally investigate when there’s been a safety failure and be the first, or second, to recognize great safety results
  • Publicize Safety First via signage, posters, proposals, contracts, “graffiti” on company trucks, business cards, and all marketing pieces and Internet outlets

Resource Safety First

The resourcing of Safety First is to consider all literature, tools and equipment that should be reviewed, updated and replaced as needed as they relate to safety. Again, some quick highlights:

  • Commit a budget amount each year to inspect, replace and maintain all equipment, vehicles and power tools
  • Inventory your hand tools and consider what needs “sharpening” and what needs to be replaced.
  • Make sure your educational materials are clear in their intent to teach safe practices
  • Use clear and visible signage in your shop, yard and especially on each jobsite
  • Create informative “5-S Maps” that indicate where everything is kept on trucks, trailers, your shop and yard. The 5-S Map can contribute to faster inventory management and keep workers from pushing and pulling tools, cords, shovels, etc. to find what they are looking for
  • Keep an ample supply of barricades, flare tape, emergency kits, safety vests, tie-offs and just about every other “safety tool” that can help prevent any issues

Teach Safety First

Teach Safety First most certainly includes actual training workshops and live demonstrations of safe working processes and techniques, but it also affects your company in a few other areas. Consider:

  • Purchase of hats and shirts that have a clear reference to safety
  • Commit 3 to 5 minutes of stretching for all workers and leaders…office and field employees.
  • Require part of your “pre-con” start-up to address every safety “risk” potential on the new job
  • Take a brief “safety debrief” after each project from the hourly workers involved with job. If you perform more than one project in a short time span, review multiple projects once a week
  • Incorporate one positive safety story a week in meetings or share a learning lesson from another company who may have had a safety problem

Recognize and reward Safety First

Not much secret here, and many contractors are practicing some degree of this suggestion. If you do not or are in need of upgrading your company’s approach, consider a few of the following:

  • Recognize all new milestones of “incident free” goals and the people who are making it happen
  • Engage rewards to include company logoed giveaways such as shirts, hats, gloves, etc.
  • For exceptional safety performance and results look to some cash rewards or tickets, coupons, dinner cards, etc. Be careful here due to the taxing of such items but provide some form of “hard” proof that safety is saving you money
  • Engage proven workers to conduct the safety training for newly hired employees
  • Consider appointing a “Safety Coordinator” for each work crew and your office. The “SC” isn’t the safety czar but instead another outlet for employees to go to with questions, resource needs, etc. The SC for my old crews used to also assist our foremen on scouting out potentially unsafe work areas, inspecting equipment and tools needing repair, and assisting in placing orders for new safety equipment

Accountable Safety First

All of the previous suggestions and examples are for naught if we do not practice what we preach and hold people and processes accountable. Now for some tough love, consider:

  • Hold leaders accountable to invoke safety discussions before every project and at the beginning of each new day
  • When leaders do not practice the previous, coach, counsel and discipline as needed
  • Clearly educate your workers on safe practice, and when they do not comply with such practice, coach, counsel and discipline as needed
  • When “repeat offenders” continue to be non-compliant about following safety rules and practices counsel, document and fire! Do not allow such people to stay with your company. It sends the very bad message that Safety First is really “Safety Whenever it’s Convenient.”
    Make Safety First mandatory for every employee. Absolutely no favoritism!

Our industry has indeed come a long way in the area of safety, but our insurance rates continue to be a bit high compared to other physically involved industries. Accidents happen, but there is a tremendous amount of prevention that we really can do

Prevention is the key word here. Prevention in the form of educating, reminding, and having needed safety resources and safe working equipment and tools can reduce your risk ten-fold. But, we need to clearly communicate safety and be consistent in practicing what we are preaching about safety.

 

This article originally appeared on ForConstructionPros.com .

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