The bidding process can feel one-sided. You submit something. You never hear back. The construction bid goes into a black hole of project management and construction runaround.
We hear a lot of feedback from our subcontractors about what to do, most recently from J.W. Denney at Binswanger Glass.
Today’s post comes from Ken Y, Training & Development Manager. He shares words of wisdom that every new entrepreneur should read.
As a young man starting my own millwork company, I had all the confidence in the world. I had access to tools that weren’t exactly new, but were capable and dependable. I found a great facility that gave me space to do complicated projects while streamlining the process for production boxes. And perhaps most importantly, I had several talented builders coming to work for me. I had the tools and talent to produce high-end millwork and install it as well as anyone in the industry.
I had a solid business plan and I knew enough people that would feed me consistent work. I got the proper insurance and workman’s comp. coverage, an accountant, and a bank account and I was ready to go. Or so I thought.
The buildings we create inspire us, reflect who we are as a society, and stand tall against everything we throw at them. They protect us against the elements, hold us up, and we admire their beauty and strength. When you work in the construction industry, you see evidence of your job every day, from the site you worked on last week, to the project you’re hoping to get next month. You’re out there, creating something, each and every single day. I don’t know about you, but it’s my favorite part of being in this industry.
There’s a construction worker shortage—but I don’t need to tell you that. While the economy rebounds and the projects roll in, Baby Boomers are leaving but Millennials (the generation born between 1980ish and 2000ish) aren’t taking their place.
Why? Some theories:
Without a doubt, those are all valid theories, but there’s not much you—as an individual employer—can do about them.
So I’ve come up with a guide to managing Millennials in construction: Five characteristics of typical Millennials* and practical ways for a business of any size to adjust. Most of these ideas will be an easy adjustment, others will take more planning or resources, but all should help you find and keep the new workers you need.
(*Obviously, people are different and it’s not fair to lump them all together just because of when they were born. But for the purposes of this blog post, I’m going to do it anyway.)
Our industry is buzzing with the news from TINYpulse: construction really is the best industry to work in. But I still had some questions after my recent blog. So why are construction employees happier? I reached out to TINYpulse for more on the data.
Hiring is a big deal right now in the construction industry.
In fact, according to the Associated General Contractors of America recent “2015 Construction Hiring and Business Outlook,” 80% of contractors are planning on hiring this year. Moreover, of those that report that they’re hiring, 87% are finding it difficult to hire qualified craft workers and 62% are finding it difficult to hire professionals like estimators and projects managers. 81% think finding qualified craft workers will not get any easier in the coming months.
I have a confession: I’m not from this industry originally. I’m what you’d call a non-native, an interloper. Every time I’ve had a conversation with a customer, I’ve had to ask a million questions. Oh, sure, I know iSqFt inside and out, and I know the basics. You can hand me a hammer and I may or may not hit myself on the hand with it (you didn’t hear that, OSHA). But I’m still new, even after all of these months.
To put it bluntly, there’s a lot of information that I just don’t know and that I need to ask about.
You hear a lot about cost in the construction industry, but the fact of the matter is that sometimes it doesn’t come down to cost. So I sat down with Ken Y., Training & Development Manager, and asked him, how do you set yourself apart in the construction industry? Here’s what he had to say:
People love to talk about social media and it can feel like a lot of work sometimes. In the construction industry, you’ve got a lot of work to do and you’re not looking to monkey around on social media, especially when you’re at a conference.
But did you know that using social media at a conference can magnify your marketing and networking activities?
The construction industry is like any other marketplace. In order to be successful, you have to build strong ties, and maintain their integrity going forward. So the question becomes: how do we build relationships in the construction industry? I looked to Kevin G., Market Reporter, for an answer.
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