{"id":19226,"date":"2021-09-10T09:57:43","date_gmt":"2021-09-10T13:57:43","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.foundationsoft.com\/?p=19226"},"modified":"2025-05-13T10:57:21","modified_gmt":"2025-05-13T14:57:21","slug":"why-its-time-for-construction-companies-to-take-a-hard-look-at-onboarding","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.foundationsoft.com\/learn\/why-its-time-for-construction-companies-to-take-a-hard-look-at-onboarding\/","title":{"rendered":"Why It\u2019s Time for Construction Companies to Take a Hard Look at Onboarding"},"content":{"rendered":"

Guest Contributor: Bryan May, Arcoro<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n

The shortage of skilled workers in construction is something the industry has been dealing with for years and employers can expect more of the same labor shortage headache ahead.<\/p>\n

According to the Associated General Contractors of America’s (AGC) 2024 Workforce Survey<\/a>, the construction industry is experiencing acute labor shortages. The survey found that 94% of construction firms reported having open positions they are trying to fill, and among those, 94% are having difficulty filling at least some craft positions-the skilled trades that perform the majority of onsite construction work.<\/p>\n

To keep up with projected demand, it\u2019s estimated<\/a> the industry will need to hire a million people in the next two years. Competition for both seasoned professionals and entry-level workers will be intense.<\/p>\n

Getting people in the door is half the battle, keeping them is the other. These days, both skilled and entry-level workers have options, so it\u2019s important to make a positive initial impression. This includes both the pre-hire experience along with how you get new talent ramped up and ready to roll.<\/p>\n\"UG<\/a>\n

The first weeks and months of a new job are the most promising and precarious. How you manage the transition is critical to employees\u2019 short-term success and long-term prospects with your organization. Onboarding can create a foundation of engagement, trust and knowledge or \u2014 if done poorly \u2014 can leave a new recruit without the tools to be productive.<\/p>\n

One earmark of poor onboarding is whether it\u2019s labor-intensive for existing staff. Some companies rely on managers and supervisors in the field to orient new employees. While these people are key to the strategic parts of onboarding\u2014like explaining safety protocols and work policies\u2014their time is not well spent collecting paperwork. Whether you bring on a lot of employees at once to staff a project, or one or two at a time, an onboarding process that\u2019s repeatable and can scale for each cohort of hires is the most efficient.<\/p>\n

<\/span>Seize the day<\/strong><\/span><\/h2>\n

Strong onboarding can increase productivity and retention, but unfortunately, it generally falls short.<\/p>\n

Just 12%<\/a> of employees say their company delivered a great onboarding experience and 9%<\/a> have actually left a job because of poor onboarding. In this labor market, you can\u2019t afford to lose even one hard-won employee because they didn\u2019t have a good start with your company.<\/p>\n\"Watch<\/a>\n

<\/span>Create a better experience<\/strong><\/span><\/h2>\n

To ensure your onboarding is meeting your workforce management goals, consider doing the following:<\/p>\n

    \n
  1. Audit your current onboarding process<\/strong> to identify areas for improvement. Consider how you\u2019re using technology including the level of employee self-service available, especially if you\u2019re onboarding in the field.<\/li>\n
  2. Survey new employees<\/strong> about their onboarding experience. Ask specifically what went well and where the experience could be better.<\/li>\n
  3. Determine what employees really need to know<\/strong> to perform. In addition to relevant training, are they getting solid exposure to a positive company culture?<\/li>\n
  4. Look at who\u2019s delivering onboarding. <\/strong>Are you taking supervisors away from their regular work to do administrative tasks? Does the HR function spend a significant time onboarding new employees?<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    Onboarding is important but shouldn\u2019t be burdensome. This is especially true in construction where companies need to work smarter to leverage the staff they have. Appropriate technology can help you deliver a positive new-hire experience while minimizing the time your key staff has to devote to getting people up and running.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

    The shortage of skilled workers in construction is something the industry has been dealing with for years and employers can expect more of the same labor shortage headache ahead. To keep up with projected demand, it\u2019s estimated<\/a> the industry will need to hire a million people in the next two years. Competition for both seasoned professionals and entry-level workers will be intense.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":20,"featured_media":19227,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_searchwp_excluded":"","inline_featured_image":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[9,24],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-19226","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-articles","category-managing-your-business"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nRevolutionize Onboarding: Construction Companies Take Note<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"The shortage of skilled workers is something the industry has been dealing with and employers can expect the same labor shortage ahead.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" 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