The Last Placement

You Just Gotta Love ‘Em!

It's important for those of us in ownership and leadership to stand back and just appreciate the workers involved in the day-to-day jobsite grind. I had a simple but great reminder of how much I appreciate the construction worker in the field plugging away, every day, at his or her craft. Nothing fancy here; just raw, transparent, and hardly “PC” people who really want nothing more than to make a living, work with people they respect and like (most of the time), and be thought of as a good person who can be counted on.

In this current environment where we are “employee challenged,” (i.e. we are more than one million workers short of what our industry needs) most contractors are realizing that the people they have working for them today might not necessarily be there tomorrow. While an owner would like to believe that all of his employees are loyal and would never leave, the fact is a growing number of contractors need little encouragement to pursue “pirating away” other contractor’s workers for a few dollars more an hour.

I want to refresh your perspective to reconnect with your workers. Take a look again at the primary reasons that your company is still in business.

Consider that many of our hourly workers are responsible wage earners, just looking to find a way to raise their kids, maybe buy a new fishing rod and reel occasionally, take their spouse out for dinner on a Friday night, and take their family on a little vacation. Oh, and don’t forget, most of these same workers dream of assisting their kids to attend college or to some post-high school institution. Most of our people comply with what we ask them to do; they don’t always like it but they do it anyway.

The sense of humor of some of our workers is stuff you can’t script. It wouldn’t make for material for a standup comedian but, captured in the right context, it can bring you to your knees. Having one of your guys get stuck in the jobsite “Porta-Potty” can get the entire crew laughing. “Crapper Bob” will live with this nickname for the remainder of his career.

As funny as some of our workers can be, we also are blessed to have many employees who are brilliant—those with natural smarts that allow them to solve some for the most complex issues of the day. Like the foreman who, challenged with how to get around an unsafe area in the ground, actually developed a better and safer, approach.

Another observation is the ease at which the crew guys can make an outsider feel welcome. As owners, leaders and even this ol’ consultant know, it is easy to forget that for many construction workers, their crew mates represent just about the closest thing to a family or some close-knit fraternity that they have ever known. It is within this construction “priesthood” that workers share their joys, hurts, pains and hopes. Within this environment they provide and receive counseling. With all the pressures to find great workers, and to retain them, it is still the construction workers who you now employ that will have the most influence with new workers. Whether the new worker stays or leaves after two days is almost always dependent on the way in which your current workers treat them.

Perhaps one of the best things I like about construction workers is how so many of them will sacrifice their own personal time to help someone else. Listening in on a conversation between two crew workers, one of them thanked the other for having spent all day Saturday helping him finish painting his basement the past weekend.

I realize that a few of our workers can be a royal pain in the you-knowwhat sometimes. But, how many more workers are really productive and actually pretty fun to hang out with during the day? Yes, we need to set our expectations and goals consistently and yes, we need to ensure that we’re getting the right work completed the right way the first time. But past that, isn’t it just as important for those of us in ownership and leadership to stand back and just appreciate the workers who are dealing with the consequences of government compliance mandates, extreme weather conditions, over-zealous inspectors, and not always great running equipment?

Do yourself a favor. Try spending some extra time with your workers over the next few weeks. Just hang. Don’t try to dominate the conversation. Let the conversations develop and let them come to you. Reflect on your workers’ sense of humor, their humanity at times when few others will extend the same, and their efforts to present a positive image of your company when you’re not around.

Tell your workers just how much you appreciate them and their contribution. Sure, hold them accountable, but add a bit of recognition and appreciation for the individuals working for you. God knows we’re having a hard time finding and keeping good workers.

Observe. Reflect and appreciate.

Brad Humphrey’s podcast, The Contractor’s Best Friend, sponsored by AC Business Media and Caterpillar, continues to be one of the favorites of suppliers and contractors alike. As Vice President of Pavecon Ltd., Brad continues to develop, teach, write, and share his 35-plus years of industry knowledge.

For articles, podcasts and more, visit ForConstructionPros.

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