We are definitely facing some employee challenges with our new incoming workforce. Depending on the part of the country you work, we are seeing a continued influx of Hispanic workers, many who have an understanding of English but some who do not. Of the rest of the mix of worker profiles, one thing is certain, few have construction skills or even a general familiarization with tools, equipment, etc.
In this short series of articles, I want to explore the many ways in which field leaders need to accommodate new workers, and how to gain their trust and interest. We will look at how the leader makes a fast, but accurate, assessment of their new worker to ensure that their continued work is warranted. Too many new workers are “written off” as having no skills or desire to work construction. While this may be the case for some workers, writing them off too early may prevent giving them enough time to demonstrate their potential. No doubt this is a challenging situation for leaders, but it is why we must be engaged early to determine what the potential a new worker may have.
Once a new employee is hired and placed on a crew, there is nothing more critical than how the Foreman handles the new worker on their first day. The effort made, and the support provided, can send the new employee home with no intention of coming back to work the following day or reinforce the worker that they have made the best decision possible.
Day 1 Efforts
On the first day with the new employee, the Foreman should consider several things to make the employee more comfortable while also giving the Foreman a chance to begin the assessment process.
- Shake Hands & Welcome to the Crew
This first action immediately allows the Foreman to get a feel for the new employees’ confidence, strength, and enthusiasm. With a firm handshake, the Foreman may be able to detect how confident the employee is, or by the strength of their grip, the Foreman might detect if the worker has indeed the physical strength to perform some of the tasks. Finally, the handshake can signal a level of enthusiasm that the employee displays that is reinforced with their eye contact and response to the Foreman’s handshake.
The Foreman should introduce the new employee to the rest of the crew, making sure to introduce each member by using their name. While the new employee is not expected to memorize the names of the employees met, this effort does serve as an “ice breaker,” allowing the crew to feel more comfortable with the new face.
- Observe the Tools of the New Employee (Or Lack of Tools)
Notice the tools that the new employee has brought with them to work, if they brought any tools. The tools brought can tell you a lot about what he or she has been doing recently. If they are bringing a “Walgreen-Special” hammer to work, you know they have little to no construction knowledge. If they bring no tools, then your judgement about them could question if they have any construction experience. Before you finalize such judgements, let’s give the worker a little time to prove what they do know and what they are capable of doing.
While the fact that a new worker might bring an older, more used work belt, and the tools that look as used, doesn’t guarantee that your new worker is a gem. However, the tools are an indicator of construction familiarity.
Another quick point on tools. Should a company provide personal tools, such as a hammer, tape measure, pencil, or even a tool belt for the laborer? Good question. Some contractors say absolutely not! Other contractors say, “Let’s see how you do and maybe we will provide some new tools after you’ve proven yourself.” Not sure whether there is only one approach to this effort. The key certainly is that whatever path you follow, be consistent across the board with all new employees in the same situation.
- Match the New Employee with another Crew Member
For a successful first impression and a quick study of the new employee to commence, match up the new worker with one of your existing crew members, unless you desire to work with them on the first day personally. New employees will more often be quiet, too shy to ask questions. Matching the new employee with one of your existing workers will decompress some of the anxiousness of the new employee, allowing them to relax so they can focus more on what they see, hear, and learn.
The benefit of a Crew Member matching up with the New Employee is that the Foreman, and the company, get some field assessment work done by a trusted-worker. Over the course of a few days, the existing worker will be able to discern what sort of work habits exist within the new employee. They should be able to describe the new employee’s attitude, their work strengths, their work attitudes, etc.
- Assign Easier but Needed Tasks
If the new employee comes to you with a five, ten, even fifteen or more years of experience, then perhaps you might be tempted to start them out on more complex work. But, if you have a new employee with little to no construction experience, especially in your area of specialty, then get them introduced to some of the easier, but more fundamental tasks. As much as you want that new employee to fill a huge need in the crew, they will only frustrate themselves and others if they are pressed too early on new tasks, risking either their next day “No Show,” or your crew’s anger. Why not rethink the new employee’s first day and make it as simple or as easy as possible? Plus, if they cannot learn, or struggle to perform even the simplest of tasks, how difficult will it be to push them to learning more complicated tasks and processes.
- Check Out the New Employee at “10 & 2”
That’s 10:00 AM and 2:00 PM! With some early morning discussions and training on a simple but needed task, the new employee will be glad to have a visit by their Foreman to check-up on their current state, what they’ve learned, and their readiness for another task. The afternoon check-in can be used to ask the new employee as to what they have learned on their first day. Such a simple question can tell you loads on how they have embraced and internalized their work day.
- Take the Time to Explain the “Why?” Behind Tasks
“Why?” is part of any good training. It’s easy to teach a worker the “What,” or even the “How,” to do something. But, explaining “Why we do it this way,” begins the process of education and how our company is different from others. You will have to repeat the “Why” periodically but sharing it early, here, begins the process of letting the new employee know that there is a real and significant purpose to what they will be doing today, maybe this week, and for their career.
- Ask the New Worker What They Learned on Their First Day
Give the new worker time to prepare their message for when they leave the job site and return home. Ask them directly not only how they thought their first day went, but what did they actually learn. The new worker who is enthused and wants to work for your company will respond positively to this question. The worker who sort of “hems and haws” in providing an answer may not be nearly so interested in working for your company.
- Tell the New Worker What they did Right & Well Before Leaving
Did you know that many workers have shared with me that they have never been told how they are doing at any time during their career? Hard to believe, but not every construction company conducts periodic performance evaluations. For our new employee, simply telling them how you observed their work effort can ignite a flame of enthusiasm in the employee. Be sure to do this just before they leave for the night. It will be a positive send off, one that they will transfer to those waiting for them at home.
OK, there’s probably a hundred or more efforts that we can make when we have a new employee joining our crew. However, the eight recommendations above certainly put us on the right pathway to learning for the new employee, one that will hopefully prove beneficial for both the new employee and you.
With the number of workers looking to construction as a career choice dropping, contractors must pull out all of the stops to give a new worker every excuse possible to stay with their new contractor, learning more about the many benefits of construction, and to continue their learning immediately.
Here’s to making the very first day at work for a new employee the same day they determined that construction and your company was right for them! Next time…actions needed to take during the first week of a new employee.
Brad Humphrey
The Contractor’s Best Friend ™
