I had a construction company owner tell me this week that he had to tell his client he didn’t have enough people to complete the project within the schedule. He went on to say, “To put it mildly he really didn’t take it well. I need to figure out how to expand my workforce ASAP.”
YOU ARE NOT ALONE
The good news is that you are not alone. The bad news is that it will take a while to bring people up to the level you need.
Now is the time to start!!
One of the biggest barriers the industry faces is that people are not coming into construction today in the numbers needed. There are 500,000 empty construction jobs today, and more openings are coming as journeymen continue to retire in the next couple of years. This scenario is something we are seeing on more and more projects. There just aren’t enough people to do the work.
So, why not look to half of the population to fill this need? Women.
And of course, others who are not now drawn to the industry. But women are a great place to start.
12 LESSONS LEARNED
I’ve been doing a series on my podcast on Bringing Women into Construction. This is the brainchild of Emily Cohen, EVP of UCON. And wow, I have learned a lot! I’ve conducted over twelve hours of interviews of some remarkable women working in the industry. They come from all levels and perspectives. From a President of a billion-dollar company, to a CEO of a construction tech start up, to construction craft trainers, construction field superintendents, and construction project managers. These women are remarkable. Most have been in the industry for a while and have some key lessons for all of us to learn. Here are twelve lessons we can all use starting today.
Lesson #1: When recruiting people to your company, people who have a family member in construction or farming are more likely to come.
Lesson #2: Many women (and others) don’t come to construction, because they don’t know it is an option. Make it known that construction is an option for women.
Lesson #3: Create a good home for women who are good at what they do. You need your current employees to welcome the women (and others) to the company. Many people don’t come because they don’t feel welcome.
Lesson #4: If you are a woman in construction and you aren’t in a company that supports and welcomes you, there is a company that will love having you.
Lesson #5: Women can do the work! They need the same kind of support any newer hand would need. Be a mentor.
Lesson #6: Women (and men) want to have other women around, so they aren’t isolated. When you hire, hire more than one woman.
Lesson #7: Women need to see role models to know what is possible in construction as a career.
Lesson #8: We do need a path for women with children, maybe an off ramp to estimating or a job where with more flexibility for those few years. Or the father can have the off ramp. Either way works.
Lesson #9: We need to start helping our girls see construction as a wonderful career and show them the different paths they can take.
Lesson #10: Women enhance communication and foster collaboration. Research shows that with more women, and diversity on your team, you get better problem solving and decision making.
Lesson #11: Women you recruit need to be okay with the nature of construction: get up early, work outside, get dirty. Also, work as a team, achieve success together, build things. They will appreciate the wages and fringes too.
Lesson #12: The Construction Trades are starting women focused apprentice and pre-apprentice programs. Check them out, and if you don’t see what you need, ask for one to be started.
A NEW YEAR DESERVES A NEW WAY
I hope that this gives you several ideas on what you can do today to build up your workforce. Women and others who are not typically in our industry are who you need to start recruiting. Start now and make sure you ask your people if they have daughters, sons, etc., who might want to become a part of your company. Gone are the days you can expect to get someone from the union bench. You need to create your own bench and help the union help you train them. If you start now, you might find some good people and then keep going to make sure you can grow and sustain your company over the years to come. Of course, you can pick up people from other companies, but this will not grow the workforce needed for the industry. We have to address the need for more people coming to the industry now. And we have to be creative in our approach.
Have you found a creative way to bring more people into your company? Let me know!
Happy New Year, Construction Nation,
Sue
Sue Dyer, MBA, MIPI is a Master Partnering Facilitator & Founder for OrgMetrics LLC, WSJ bestselling author on Trusted Leadership for construction leaders, Founder of the International Partnering Institute, and President of sudyco® LLC. You can contact Sue at suedyer@orgmet.com or 510 504-5877.
