As a roofing professional, you deal with challenges every day and on almost every job. Familiar issues include where to stage pallets of sheathing and shingles; the effects of weather on your schedule; and crew vehicle breakdowns on the way to the jobsite. What you don’t need on top of all that are problems with employees adding to your stress level. It doesn’t matter whether you have only a couple of trusted workers or multiple crews in widely scattered locations — employee issues can be demanding and difficult to solve.
It’s well documented that one of the most costly things a company must do is hire and train new employees. It’s a drain, not only on the budget, but also on you and your frontline people who must conduct the onboarding and training of new hires. When employees are added to the team to expand the business, the costs seem reasonable. However, when new employees are frequently needed to replace people who left the company, it’s time to take a look at your company’s retention strategies.
Retaining employees can be an elusive goal when market conditions make job switching a common occurrence. As a business owner, there are things you can do to keep good employees on your team for years. Here are some tips to help you keep your workforce strong:
1. Start Them Right
Make sure each new person feels welcome from Day One of their tenure with your company. Be clear with all current employees about how you expect new hires to be treated with no tolerance for hazing or pranks. Let new employees know the chain of command for questions or problems. Make sure you check personally with new hires after their first week and regularly after that for a least a couple of months. Then, get out there and see for yourself what’s going on in the field. Be sure all crews understand the importance you place on teamwork at all jobsites.
2. Listen and Learn
Keep an eye open for budding leaders on your teams. A worker who others look up to is a valuable find and should be nurtured. Do you have a formal plan for advancing new leaders? Communicate with all workers about opportunities for advancement so they are assured they have a long and rewarding future with your company. Listening to them is a vital part of the process. Set aside specific “door-open” times with you and your crew supervisors to hear ideas and yes, complaints. Don’t forget to recognize employees at every level for a job well done or an extra effort expended.
3. Safety First
Make sure all employees know of your commitment to safety on the job. Make safety an integral part of new hire orientation and ongoing training. Recent changes to OSHA spot inspection rules mean that more workplaces can expect visits and fines for lax safety procedures. Make it known that you support any worker calling out a hazard on a jobsite. Your workers will respect you and you’ll sleep better at night knowing you are doing all you can to prevent injuries at work.
4. Work/Life Balance
One of the hottest topics in the workplace these days is work/life balance. Yes, you have the right to expect a full day’s work for a full day’s pay, whether or not you are paying above the market rate. However, workers who are stressed, tired, and haven’t seen their kids all week cannot be doing their best on the job. These days, when more women are entering the roofing field as crew members, or in the office, child care issues have become more prevalent and are no longer a gender issue. There could be days where your “best guy” is home with a sick toddler so his wife can go to work. Forward-thinking companies are promoting cohesiveness by being flexible and showing plenty of sympathy because a culture of understanding and support goes a long way to encouraging good workers to stay with the company.
The Bottom Line
Retaining valuable workers can give your company the edge you need in the marketplace. Your competitors are watching and word gets around quickly if your company is the one with high turnover. It just makes sense to put systems in place to keep your workers happy and ready to grow along with your company.
About the author: Brandon Strawder is CEO of Strawder Family Innovations, parent company of The RidgePro, the premium device in steep-slope roofing safety. The company’s mission is to dramatically reduce the number of injuries and fatalities in the roofing industry. For more information, visit theridgepro.com.
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