Employee engagement is a popular term these days, but it’s not just some buzzword. There are plenty of compelling reasons to promote employee engagement at construction companies. Of course, engaged workers are more productive. But they’re also more attentive and safer, they do higher-quality work, they’re more loyal to their employer, they stay with their company longer (reducing turnover costs), they speak highly of their company to others, and more. Plus, having a reputation for a culture of employee engagement makes it easier to recruit new talent.
It’s important not to confuse employee engagement with employee satisfaction. After all, an employee who feels overpaid, under-supervised, and able to get away with slacking off can be quite satisfied with their job. Engaged employees feel truly valued by their employer in a way that makes them truly value their position and their contributions to the company’s success.
So, here are some pointers for encouraging employee engagement at construction companies.
How to Keep Construction Employees Engaged
- Treat everyone with respect.
- Emphasize strong communication from the top down. Good communication helps everyone feel valued, and of course it keeps everything running more effectively and efficiently. Alternatively, poor communication is one of the very best ways to cause employees to become disengaged.
- Encourage management to get to know employees and actively support them.
- Make it apparent to employees how they fit into the company’s mission and how they contribute to its success.
- Foster a culture of safety so that all employees know the company takes it seriously and to boost morale and camaraderie among the workforce.
- Seek feedback and suggestions from employees regularly, and cultivate an environment where they feel free to be open and honest.
- Pair less experienced workers with more experienced ones to create natural learning opportunities for the former while allowing the latter to help others.
- Provide training and other professional development opportunities so that all employees can learn new skills and grow.
- Create opportunities for career advancement for all employees.
- Talk to employees individually about their career goals and offer a path for achieving them.
- Adopt new technologies that makes work more efficient, safer, and more modernized.
