Navigating your workforce post-pandemic

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Navigating your workforce post-pandemic

During the coronavirus pandemic, the world changed. There were shutdowns, quarantines, and restricted access to goods and services. It has forced many employees to re-evaluate their jobs and career paths to focus on what matters most in their lives. As with any time of change, there is much that employers will need to consider as companies begin to look past the pandemic to the world of work in the second half of 2022 and beyond. It is time to adapt, change and do things differently, making retaining the right staff the key to success. Director of SiteForce Recruitment, Chantal Penny said the ‘great resignation’ has had a massive impact on the industry. “Employers are afraid to take on more work because they don’t know if they have the staff to complete the job, it has an impact on builders meeting deadlines,” she said. Chantal said some companies were finding it challenging to keep staff with employees chasing the dollar. Master Builders Workplace Relations Manager, Emma Kirkby, said demand for staff meant that top performers were able to seek higher wages. “If employers can’t afford to pay these rates, they may need to hold on to staff that are not a great fit for the skills or workplace culture you need just to get the work done,” she said.

Emma said employers then run the risk of putting time into developing apprentices, just to see them being tempted away after three or four years. “All this means that employers need to test the waters with other benefits that will offset the attraction of higher money. We are increasingly seeing builders considering compacted work weeks or flexible work hours to hold good employees,” Emma said. Chantal stressed that now was the time for bosses to listen to their staff. “Employers need to compromise and listen to what their staff need or want. With fuel and living expenses so high, people are feeling pressured even though they are earning more,” she said. Another staff issue prevalent in these challenging times was the misclassification of subcontractors. According to Emma, when resources are scarce it was difficult to tackle this. “We know companies are very aware of the risks that their ABN subcontractor may be misclassified, leaving them at risk of underpayment claims, fines and WorkCover expenses.”

RECRUITING THE RIGHT PEOPLE

Chantal has many years of experience providing construction recruitment solutions to a wide variety of projects. “When I hire staff, I am looking for people that have a positive attitude and are receptive to my questions. I think also telling them exactly what the job is, be clear about what you expect from the start,” she said. Employers need to ask the right questions during a job interview. The questions should be based on the tasks important to that specific project or business, like; Do you have an apprentice who needs support? Ask about the good and bad experiences the applicant has had with apprentices. Do employees have to deal with clients? Ask for times when the person has gone out of their way to keep a client satisfied. “When you hire someone, take the time to ask some pointed questions about the way they have handled issues in the past,” Emma said.

The most skilled person is rarely worth the space in a team if they are not a good attitude fit

- Emma Kirby

SUPPORTING STAFF

The situation that most employees find difficult is the idea that things are happening around them without them being aware. Emma suggests employers keep staff up to date with the pipeline of work, materials challenges, and business plans. “They would generally be happier even if the news is not ideal. Remember that people will fill in the gaps to make up a coherent story so if you don’t provide information your employees may fill the gaps with a much worse picture,” she said.

ADDRESS ISSUES EARLY

Emma cautioned that good staff would not stay if they saw poor performers not being managed. “Set clear expectations from day one and nip poor behaviour in the bud.” She said managers will need to have hard conversations with staff and avoiding addressing issues will make the conversation harder as time goes on.

IF YOU’RE SEEKING ADVICE, CALL THE WORKPLACE RELATIONS TEAM ON 1300 30 50 10.

Chantal’s five top tips on recruiting talent 5

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Be clear on the role and the expectation

Make it a two-way street – make sure it is working for both sides

Know your strengths and weaknesses as a company – then you can ask the right questions to see if the person suits

Do reviews with your staff so you can find out if there is anything you can fix

Use your network. It’s the best way to find staff because good people know good people.