The shortage of skilled laborers is a reality facing all companies in the remodeling industry. It adds pressure not only to attract the right employees but also to ensure that current employees are happy. Recent findings from a survey by the Harris Poll shows companies will need to do more than hand out a paycheck to keep employees engaged and happy.
One way to keep employees engaged is to create opportunities for team members to learn and develop their skills. Remodelers Advantage reports that 70% of respondents to the Harris Poll survey would leave their current job to work for a company known for investing in employee education and development. Remodelers Advantage highlights several ways remodelers can support employee training and development within the organization.
Training on the Job
While some training can be done on-the-job and on the fly, having a more structured and repeatable process makes it easy for your team to understand and use it—and it can help you in finding the kind of workers you need.
You can talk to your suppliers, manufacturer reps, and trade partners to set up short, specific, training opportunities for your production team.
Other Learning Opportunities
While taking someone off of a job site or out of the office during the kind of business surge remodelers are experiencing seems like it would put you behind, making that kind of investment in your people will pay dividends later. You’re more likely to keep that employee, and they’ll learn skills that will make jobs go faster, cut down on mistakes and wasted time, and ultimately make you more profitable.
Trade shows are filled with educational opportunities, and you don’t have to be out an arm and a leg on air fares and hotel costs—look for those regional events that may be a day trip. Even if there’s no conference program—or you’re not sure you want to pay extra—just being on the show floor and watching live demonstrations can teach new skills and techniques. It’s also a lower-cost way to dip your toe in and see what you and your team can learn.
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