The labor shortage in remodeling is a fact of life, and you’ve got to do more than just hand out a paycheck to keep your employees happy and engaged. One of the best ways to do that, according to a recent survey by the Harris Poll, is to create opportunities for your team members to learn and develop their skills.
A whopping 70 percent of employees surveyed say they’re at least somewhat likely to leave their present job to work for another company known for investing in workers’ education and development, according to the survey.
Three out of four respondents say they feel they’re on their own with their development.
Put those two findings together, and it’s clear that keeping good employees depends on supporting their training and development, and providing a way to help them learn and add skills and knowledge.
Training on the Job
While some training can be done on-the-job and on the fly, having a more structured and repeatable process makes it easy for your team to understand and use it — and it can help you in finding the kind of workers you need.
At Harth Builders in Spring House, PA, a longtime Roundtables member, it’s called the ladder of opportunity, a step-by-step systematic approach to training and keeping good people. It’s a roadmap they’ve developed to show the potential growth to their field workers, and acts as a valuable recruiting tool. You can hear more about it on Episode 28 of The Tim Faller Show.
You can also talk to your suppliers, manufacturer reps, and trade partners to set up short, specific, training opportunities for your production team.
Other Learning Opportunities
While taking someone off of a job site or out of the office during the kind of business surge remodelers are experiencing seems like it would put you behind, making that kind of investment in your people will pay dividends later. You’re more likely to keep that employee, and they’ll learn skills that will make jobs go faster, cut down on mistakes and wasted time, and ultimately make you more profitable.
Obviously, we here at Remodelers Advantage strongly believe in education and skills building in every facet of the remodeling industry. We’re not alone though — our friends at NARI have a variety of continuing education courses and certifications that will sharpen the skills of your field staff, as well as regional events.
Trade shows are filled with educational opportunities, and you don’t have to be out an arm and a leg on air fares and hotel costs — look for those regional events that may be a day trip. Even if there’s no conference program — or you’re not sure you want to pay extra — just being on the show floor and watching live demonstrations can teach new skills and techniques. It’s also a lower-cost way to dip your toe in and see what you and your team can learn.
