High Staff Turnover? 6 Ways to Reduce Employee Turnover in the Construction Industry
Pure Human Resources Ltd
Award-winning HR, Recruitment and Training experts, established in 2012: delivering excellence in everything people.
To run a successful construction company, you need a reliable workforce. Employees are a construction company's most valuable asset. No matter the number of employees you have, you need them to work together efficiently and effectively to meet deadlines.
If employee turnover in your construction business is high, this could significantly affect your team’s productivity and, inevitably, the profitability of your business.
A high employee turnover rate in any industry is never good, but a high employee turnover in construction can be extremely costly for the business. When employees leave, you face the headache of finding new employees, plus disruption and delays on projects, which can be expensive for the company.
The cost of high staff turnover in the construction industry
In the construction industry, having a high staff turnover rate can be particularly devastating. Losing one highly skilled worker can be hard enough, but if high turnover is a reality, you could face costly setbacks while you go through the hiring process to find the best employees for your business.
The cost to the business could be high if you're constantly searching for talent and filling positions. You could be spending your valuable time creating job descriptions, spending money searching for talent, and then time and money training every new hire.
With every new construction job, you'll be planning time and budget and selecting the right employee or team for the job. However, if one or many employees decide to leave work during a construction job, this could be hugely costly for your business.
Turnover can also affect employee morale with added pressure on the remaining team to pick up the slack or learn to work with new colleagues.
Leading causes of employee turnover in construction
Employees don't tend to leave work without a valid reason. Sometimes an employee may leave for reasons that are out of your control, but often there are common causes of construction employee turnover rates.
Common reasons construction workers leave:
If turnover is one of the most significant issues facing your business, it's time to find a way to reduce and prevent employee turnover.
Why does your staff turnover rate matter?
The staff turnover rate measures how often employees leave and are replaced. A high turnover rate can be expensive and disruptive to a business, leading to a shortage of skilled workers and a loss of institutional knowledge.
A low turnover rate, on the other hand, can indicate that employees are satisfied with their jobs and are less likely to leave. Therefore, the staff turnover rate is essential for businesses to track.
6 Ways to Improve Employee Retention in Construction
If you need to reduce employee turnover and improve retention, there are several things you can do to ensure existing and new staff are likely to stay.
1. Offer a competitive salary and benefits
The construction industry is competitive, primarily due to the lack of skilled labourers. So if you offer competitive pay, not only are you showing you value your team, you'll be helping to keep employee turnover from costing your business time and even more money.
2. Gather employee feedback and ask for input from employees
One of the simplest ways to increase employee engagement and to help every employee know they are valued is to give your employees a say. If a company's values are focused on keeping employees happy, they will improve job satisfaction and, in turn, reduce staff turnover.
3. Offer career development and invest in your team
Make your company one that nurtures and supports its workforce. Offering employees a career path can go a long way if you want to retain them. By putting them through further training and investing in the right tools and equipment so they can work smarter, you'll create an employee experience that builds loyalty and improves your business.
4. Reward hard work and celebrate achievements
To help keep employee turnover down and have productive employees, you need to celebrate employee achievements. Employee recognition goes a long way and doesn't have to be costly. Celebrating and acknowledging your employees' accomplishments will ensure you keep hold of your top talent.
5. Focus on building a good workplace culture
Happy employees are going to stay. To reduce your staff turnover, make a supportive and healthy working environment one of your company values and align this with your mission and vision statement. Build a strong team where no one employee is undervalued, regardless of education or background.
6. Offer flexible work schedules
Offering flexible work schedules is a great way to show employees that you value their time and commitment. It can also help with employee retention, allowing employees to better balance their work and personal lives. For example, it can be hard in the construction industry on specific projects, but you could offer flex time and compressed work weeks where possible.
Want to learn more about employee turnover and how to reduce it?
If employee retention is keeping you awake at night, it's time to look at ways to improve it. Here at Pure Human Resources, we have a range of HR services, training courses, and recruitment services which could help you build and maintain an efficient and productive workforce.
Get in touch today for a free, informative chat to see how we can help.?
Call: 01794 329470 Email: [email protected]