According to a recent LinkedIn report, 92% or hiring managers said ‘soft skills’ are more important than technical skills, while 89% said bad hires typically lack these skills. In our experience, there is a proven strategy and process to employing and retaining good skilled people in construction.

Construction businesses are always under pressure to cut costs and keep staff to the minimum. This is often exacerbated by the cyclical nature of the construction business which can go from ‘boom’ to ‘bust’ almost overnight. Despite this, it makes sense for construction companies to have training programs to develop their staff to fill roles in the future. People will leave. Companies will obtain new projects. To always think that you will then, at short notice, be able to find just the ‘right person’ is short-sighted.

Sometimes the task of finding and employing someone is left entirely to the HR department who are given only the briefest description of what’s required; “I need 5 supervisors yesterday.” Clients have shared with us, that when they do have to quickly employ new people to replace someone who has left or to fill a position on a new project, they often end with a person unsuitable for the role, or someone who is unhappy and leaves. In some cases they may even employ someone more senior and expensive than is required.

As these positions often have to be filled in a hurry, construction companies sometimes feel they have to make-do with literally the first candidate that walks through the door. Often the main criteria for assessing the person are their skills and experience. However, construction companies and projects vary, and a good candidate for one project or company may not necessarily be the best for another. We have observed that frequently in these situations, there has not been a clear brief, strategy and assessment of the ‘soft skills’ required in each role.

Of course before employing someone to fill a position it may be pertinent to consider the following: 
1.       Is there someone already in the company or in another division who could fill the role?  
2.       Is there someone who could fill the role who will be released shortly from another project that could be released sooner? 
3.       Is there someone in the company who could be trained to fill the position?
 
 
  Employing the right person
 
So here are some things to consider to determine if someone is the ‘right person’ to employ for your construction project and company.
 
1.            They require knowledge and experience to perform the tasks expected of them. An experienced commercial building supervisor used to working as a head contractor is possibly not best suited to supervise a ceiling and partition building business that works as a sub contractor.
 
2.            They need to fit in with the culture of the company and must ascribe to the company’s values.  It is pointless for the company to set high standards for safety and quality, and then employ a supervisor who is unconcerned with these values. They may have all the experience and knowledge for the position, but this misalignment of commitments may affect the company’s reputation.

3.            They should be willing to work in the regions and areas in which the company operates in. Many people are happy and ready to relocate their families for many reasons – lifestyle, schooling, family commitments, a fresh start, or a career advancement.

4.            They must have aspirations which the company can satisfy. Everyone has different aspirations and not all companies can meet these. Failure to fulfil a person’s aspirations eventually results in them becoming unsatisfied and unhappy.
 
5.            Construction is a people business and everyone should be able to communicate and work with others.
 
6.            An important aspect on a large project, is that each person should be a team player. The old days of ‘my way or the highway’ simply do not fit in today’s working environment where there can be a number of supervisors, engineers or managers working together. Each person needs to be willing to share, help out and communicate to achieve a common goal.

7.            On occasion managers or supervisors possibly will, due to the size and complexity of the project, have to report to a more senior manager or supervisor and need to be able to adapt to this. This might not suit some who have been used to working alone or calling the shots on other projects.
 
8.            Project Managers who have become used to working on larger projects where they are able to delegate many tasks to support staff may be unhappy to work on smaller projects where they have to carry out many of the tasks themselves without the support of a team.
 
9.            Some roles don’t require the best or most experienced supervisor or manager. In fact, often more experienced people can become bored or unhappy working on what they consider is a more mundane project. These projects could be better suited to more junior individuals, who may cost less, yet will revel in the opportunity to learn and grow on these projects.
 
10.        Hopefully you are employing someone for the longer term – beyond the current project requirements. In this case it may be prudent to consider how they will fit into the company’s future. What are their aspirations for their own future, their education and professional development. Will they fill the intended future roles you have in mind, or will they become a liability later?
 
Of course you are probably unlikely to find the perfect candidate so you’ll probably have to compromise somewhere. Skills are probably easier to add to, personalities can be hard to change, attitudes make all the difference, and ‘soft skills’ can never be under estimated.

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