Construction businesses all over North America are facing huge challenges in attracting and retaining talent. There’s a high demand for skilled workers and rising wages across the industry, so right now employees are holding the aces up their sleeves.  

The immediate solution to this problem might seem like raising wages, and while it might work in the short term, it’s not the only answer. In fact, to ensure you can retain the best employees you hire, an effective onboarding process and a strong company culture can be the key that many business owners are overlooking. If your onboarding process makes new hires feel confident in their roles, and like they’re joining a growing company with a bright future, they’ll want to stay along for the ride. 

With the right approach, you can transform your onboarding into a powerful tool for retention, and get new hires invested from day one. What does this look like in practice? You’re in the right place. This article will explore some of the factors that are contributing to this difficult job market, and give you actionable strategies to improve your onboarding process, and boost your employee retention rate. Let’s dive in. 

Why Onboarding Matters Now More Than Ever

Before we dig into the nuts and bolts of what a solid onboarding process looks like, it’s crucial to understand that onboarding is more than just a series of paperwork. The first couple of weeks on the job will determine whether a new hire feels welcomed, informed, and valued in the team. In other words, it’s the gateway to your company’s culture.

Starting a new job only to feel sidelined by the team or a manager for not knowing things, or not being included in inside jokes and lunch trips will feel disheartening. This often leads to a feeling of isolation, resulting in employees clocking out each day feeling exhausted and worn out—ultimately leading to resignation. 

New Workers Want Something More Than Just Money

While a construction jobsite should not be a place for socialization, the new entrants to the job market (Generation Z) have experienced a social landscape completely different from those that came before them. Not only did they go through COVID-19 during some of their most transformational years (post-graduation), they are also living in an increasingly digital world. 

To nail this point home, recent data from ONS shows that workers aged 16-29 are more than twice as likely to feel lonely compared to those over 70. Even those in their 30s and 40s aren’t far behind, with many reporting similar feelings of isolation.

So, for many people, work is no longer just about earning a paycheck. A strong company culture that welcomes new hires and makes them feel like a true part of the team is a huge part of retaining them. When they don’t find that connection, they’re much more likely to hop ship and look for it elsewhere. 

It’s a Job-Hopping Labor Market 

It is no secret that the current labor market favors the employees, and especially among younger generations, job-hopping has become a very common practice. Many young workers are less afraid to move from one job to another, especially when they don’t feel fully connected to the company they’re working for.

Sure, money may be a factor in this trend, but it isn’t the only factor. Like we discussed earlier, younger employees are looking for a workplace where they can grow their careers, friendships and feel like they’re truly a part of something. If they don’t find that at your company, it won’t be long before they move on.

But here’s the good news: a solid onboarding process tackles both of these issues. However, it’s not just about fitting in with the crew. In construction, mistakes on a jobsite can mean thousands of dollars lost, so you’ve got to make sure new hires are equipped for the job from the get-go. That means giving them the right tools, training, and know-how to get started on the right foot. 

So, let’s roll up our sleeves and get into the real meat and potatoes of an effective onboarding process.

Creating a Solid Onboarding Process

The first two weeks for a new hire is your chance to set the tone for their experience with your company. Are they going to feel left out to dry? Or will they hit the job running? The answer is going to be determined by your onboarding process. Even before your new hire’s first day, you’ve got to have all your ducks in a row, so let’s break down the essentials below:

Pre-Onboarding Preparation

• Gather All the Paperwork: Ideally, send these all through email before the first day. But if you want to go through them in person, ensure all the required forms, contracts, and HR documents are organized and ready to go. This will show that you mean business and that you value their time.
• Set Clear Expectations: Give them a nice welcome email! Include what their training schedule will look like, what clothes and PPE they need to wear, and introductions to the names and roles of their new coworkers. They’ll feel more at ease if they can arrive on site already knowing a few names and faces. 
• Prepare Resources: Have resources for the specific equipment or software they’re going to be using available from day one. If they’ve new to the tools, have the tutorials and handbooks on hand.

First Week and Orientation

• Warm Welcome: Kick off their first day by greeting them at the door, or at the jobsite. Introduce them to your key team members, and let them have a conversation. You want to set the tone for what their experience will be working under you and your team. 
• Give Them a Roadmap: This is way too often overlooked. When hiring, you obviously need more hands on site, so it’s easy to just “throw them in the trenches” so to speak. However, this can lead to a lot of confusion about their job role, and what tasks they’ll be doing in the future. Preferably, this will be written on paper for them to refer to as they go through the process.
• Set Clear Expectations: What’s expected of them in their new role? Are there any specific skills or competencies they’ll need to develop during their first week? Let them know this, and how they can find help or clarification if needed.

Hands-On Training

• Get Them in the Action: We all know this, but hands-on training is non-negotiable. Once they’ve settled in, get new hires to roll up their sleeves and get a feel for safety protocols and duties of their role. If you have required modules or courses, be sure to split “classroom time” with real-world practice
• Keep It Engaging: If they’re learning to operate a forklift, let them take the wheel for a bit while under supervision. Or, if they’re going through safety training, run them through a mock scenario to identify potential hazards on site.
• Boost Their Confidence: Regularly check in with them. Ask them what they have enjoyed, and what they think could be improved. If you catch them doing something right, give them a pat on the back! It’s all about building their confidence and making them feel like a valued member of the team . 

Mentorship Programs

Who doesn’t love a good workplace pal? Especially when they’ve got all the answers to your question in their head. Pairing new hires with more experienced team members will make a world of difference in their onboarding experience. Not only will they have a reliable resource to lean on, they’ll be monitored as they complete tasks to ensure nothing goes wrong while on site. 

But above skill-building, setting up good mentor-mentee relationships bakes community and connection into the onboarding process. Like we mentioned earlier in the article, this goes a very long way in ensuring a successful onboarding but even farther for ensuring a long tenure with your company. 

How Bolster Can Support Your Onboarding Process

As you’re setting up your new hires for success, integrating the right tool can make everybody’s lives a whole lot easier. If you’re onboarding for managerial, estimation and sales roles, you’ll know that this process can take months on end, and cost you thousands of dollars if done poorly. 

That’s why contractors are leaning on Bolster to simplify and streamline the learning curve. No matter the past experience, new hires can pick up Bolster and jump into quoting, scheduling or project managing from day one. 

With Bolster’s user-friendly design, and built-in templates and automatic scheduling tools, new employees will feel comfortable from day one, and you can minimize costly quoting errors and their need for constant support. 

Project management can feel very nuanced and hard to understand for new hires, but with Bolster, anybody can pick it up from day one. Our built-in tools for client communication, automatic scheduling, and change order management, guide users through every step of the processes. Even someone with no past experience can start managing tasks efficiently from the moment they come up.

So, don’t want training to be a bottleneck for your construction business, Bolster is your solution. Start transforming your onboarding process, and equipping your team with the tools they need to hit the ground running today by scheduling a demo with Bolster.