Scarcely a day goes by without news about construction labor shortages. The National Association of Home Builders recently reported the largest monthly jump in construction job openings since the Fall of 2019.

Any thoughts that COVID-19 would diminish hiring needs have largely disappeared. Associated Builders and Contractors, an industry trade group, reports overall construction spending rose 4.8 percent in 2020. If the construction industry’s projected growth rate tops 2021 projections, as some predict, it “… could boost the number of additional construction workers needed this year to nearly one million.”

It’s a huge challenge. JLC periodically publishes stories on the topic, many offering contractors ideas on how to improve worker recruitment and retention.

You’ve probably seen many approaches, most aimed at attracting younger workers, such as Millennial and Generation Z employees. The strategies often take the form of personal and career development, such as:

  • Ongoing training
  • Voice in company decisions
  • Regular goal setting and development path
  • Promotion from within

Then there’s employee recognition rewards.

Surprising Results

You may already use rewards for team building. A recognition reward is a powerful way to reinforce productive behavior, say for beating a deadline, coming up with a money-saving idea, referring a job candidate, celebrating a birthday or start date, helping meet a performance goal, upselling a customer, really any occasion.

The concept works. Consider multifamily owners and operators, for example. Many multifamily pros are under constant pressure to keep occupancy rates high in their properties. They face nearly similar recruitment and retention pressures with Millennials and Gen Z’ers as you do. Over the years multifamily property experts have learned with scientific precision how recognition, reward, and engagement acts like an emotional glue to minimize renter churn. That’s a big deal with a $25,000 lease renewal at stake.

So, how much should you budget for your rewards program?

How does $0 sound?

Innovative Idea

That sounded good to Elizabeth Ringer, co-owner of Ringer Construction, a 27-year-old remodeling and home addition specialist in Bayport, N.Y. Their workforce of 10 are “… extremely busy. We’re in growth mode,” Ringer says.

Ringer learned about a way to generate reward items almost by chance. “A window representative told my husband, George, years ago. He said there’s a way to earn points for purchasing building materials we were already buying. You just submit an invoice as proof of purchase,” she explains. “It snowballed from there.” Among other things, she hands the staff a company-branded sweatshirt each year, courtesy of the points.

Contractors looking to add a no-cost way to obtain rewards for employees or other key partners, should check out Contractor Rewards. There’s no enrollment fee and the 11-year-old service offers a wide selection of rewards from an online catalog of over 350,000 items.

Learn more about a no-cost way to earn high-value rewards for team building and other goals.