According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, the construction industry is one of the more dangerous fields in the country. It also offers a work lifestyle that appeals to many who prefer active, physical labor versus being tied to a desk indoors all day. Most construction workers are able to make a decent living and their skills and experience tend to transfer well to other construction jobs, particularly in housing boom eras.
In a competitive market, savvy construction companies look for incentives to attract and keep good construction workers. Like most employees, a good basic benefits package – health, dental, disability, paid sick leave – appeals to construction team members, and is important in a high-risk work environment. However, offering innovative and forward-looking benefits can set today’s construction employers apart from the more generic pack.
Keep ‘em perky
Construction companies benefit from having healthy and fit employees. It not only cuts down on illness-related absences, but reduces the chances of work-related injuries or ailments such as muscle strains and back problems that often accompany heavy lifting. Gym memberships are growing in popularity as an employee benefit, but other options such as yoga classes can broaden the appeal across your employees. You can also consider on-site chair massages that employees can utilize during breaks, a practice that offers workers – and the C-suite – proven benefits.
Delivering healthy but hearty and appetizing lunches to job sites is also a wellness perk. Let your team make their own selection from a set menu of options that account for tastes and various eating habits and diets, such as keto, gluten-free diets, and vegetarian. You can continue to encourage this practice after hours by providing employees with a healthy meal delivery service a few days a week for their evening meals at home. This not only considers their and their family’s health, but also recognizes their life after work and lightens a bit of the stress in their home-work balancing act.
A nice addition to their health benefits package is pet insurance for their four-legged family members. If needed, you can limit it to one household pet to keep your costs down.
A hand to their future
Like most employees, construction workers have an eye toward future goals and advancement, whether it’s a move to a supervisory position, or learning a new skill that will bump up their pay. Consider programs that can benefit you and your team members, such as tuition reimbursement in construction management or other construction-related fields. Sure, there’s always a chance they will take that knowledge and move elsewhere, but if you don’t invest in their betterment and future you won’t be able to take advantage of it, either. It’s also a great way to identify serious and dedicated workers.
Also, as New York Engineers suggests, take advantage of emerging technologies being used in the construction industry. It gives your team members exposure to an up-and-coming way of doing their jobs, and new on-site learning opportunities. Some of these technological advancements increase worker safety, thus keeping your workers’ compensation claims down, along with work-related accidents and absences.
Through ERP-quality software like QuickBooks Enterprise, the technology is also there to ease not only accounting and reporting functions, but to simplify time management and payroll tasks for both your administrative staff and your job site employees. This tool also makes tracking your construction employees’ time and getting them paid easier than ever; they can even log in their time from anywhere with remote access.
Reputational payoff
Your company is only as good as your team, so it makes sense to offer benefits and incentives that will attract the best employees, and invest in them to facilitate continued improvement and growth. Not only will you be surrounding yourself with top-notch and modern talent, but you will be writing your own future by building a solid foundation as a company that builds the best, with the best. Constructing that kind of reputation can withstand many future hardships.
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