As a prestigious and well-recognized construction company, hiring reputable physical laborers is non-negotiable. They must be qualified, capable of meeting your company’s deliverables and providing quality results. However, the construction industry seems to be experiencing a labor shortage and high workforce turnover, despite the increasing demand for construction projects.
The shortage of reputable physical laborers poses a challenge to construction companies as this affects their costs and ability to meet deadlines, among other issues. Furthermore, hiring unqualified physical laborers exposes you to different types of common accidents on construction sites. For these reasons, here are our tips on how to find reputable physical laborers.
1. Create your hiring foundations.
Any construction company looking to source the best talents in the industry should have suitable materials for an effective hiring process. This means you need to understand your company’s goals and tailor your job ads to fit these goals. A good job posting should have specific details of the skills you want the ideal applicant to possess.
For instance, if your construction company needs an efficient forklift operator or an industrial truck driver, you’ll need to include it in your job ad. This will help you attract the right laborers who are comfortable using these types of equipment. Additionally, on your part, you’ll need to ensure that you have the right equipment and that they are functional. Things like your lift truck fork replacement should be sorted out and made available before you start recruiting.
By having specific details of the type of jobs your company handles and the skills you will need, it becomes easy to attract physical laborers who understand what you expect from them and meet the qualifications while repelling those who don’t. This makes your selection process quicker and more efficient.
2. Try to ask for referrals.
It’s always a good idea to ask for referrals when trying to find reputable physical laborers. Laborers who are employed through referrals tend to fit into company cultures easily, and they stay longer. So let people know that you’re looking to hire and what qualifications and skills you’re looking for. Ask trusted employees, material suppliers, and clients to refer potential physical laborers to you.
Alternatively, you can consider attending career seminars or a training program for skilled technicians, like an automotive and diesel technology program. These programs typically train participants to fix a diesel engine, heavy equipment, brakes, truck mechanics, automotive service excellence, and electrical systems.
This means you’re likely to come across talents like a diesel mechanic or diesel technician who’ll be beneficial to your company if you use gasoline-powered automotive machinery. The bottom line is, referrals make it easier for you to find reputable and qualified laborers because they’re recommended by people you trust and top-notch institutions.
3. Conduct background checks.
Similar to how marinas request boating and fishing licenses (to ensure that all boats and canoes are qualified to carry out activities within an area), you’ll also need to conduct background checks on all your applicants to ensure they meet the necessary qualifications. This can mean asking for a certificate that proves their qualification or confirming their provided referees or previous employers about their work abilities.
Conducting a background check on potential physical laborers helps you identify applicants who have possible red flags that could constitute a nuisance to your construction company and affect its quality of work and reputation. Besides, this is one of the best practices you should adhere to when recruiting.
Where the laborer is reliable, their referees or previous employers should be able to vouch for their behavior confidently. However, where they’re incompetent, the previous employer will most likely warn you of communication issues and potential behavioral problems they experienced while working with them.
4. Present your company as a competitive brand.
In the past, working with a hard hat meant society judging you as someone who can’t make a lot of money. However, times have changed, and people now are more appreciative of the contributions of physical laborers. Perhaps, this shift in mindset is coming too late because fewer people are going into this field of work.
Therefore, to find reputable physical laborers, you’ll need to help them understand the impact of their contributions to your construction company, as well as the great perks they stand to benefit from working with you. A great starting point would be to identify what other construction companies are recruiting physical laborers and review what bonuses they offer that gives them an edge over yours.
An example of a competitive perk a construction company can offer is mentorship programs or training. For instance, if you’re a construction company that deals with roads or tracks, you can provide a running track repair guide to fresh graduates and employees. This should teach them how to handle things like a small crack on a running track surface.
Also, bear in mind that running mentorship and training programs will be beneficial to both you and your employees. On the one hand, they offer knowledge to the employees and help them establish relationships that promote team building. On the other hand, you as an employer can reduce the turnover of your laborers as it encourages retainment.
Conclusion.
The shortage of physical laborers in the construction industry has made acquiring reputable workers more challenging than ever. Therefore, as a top-notch construction company that wants to ensure that your company continues to deliver quality work, it’s not enough to hire every Tom, Dick, and Harry you find in your local area. The truth is that you’ll need to position yourself strategically to ensure that you attract only the best talents.
Furthermore, remember that when you build a good reputation for your company in terms of employee management, like paying them handsomely, providing attractive incentives, and a sense of security, you are more likely to attract quality physical laborers who know their onions.
So, make sure you follow these tips when next you are looking to find reputable physical laborers, as it’ll certainly make your hiring process efficient and productive.
