531: Cultivating Construction Company Productivity Through Staff Training

This Podcast Is Episode Number 531, And It's About A Guide To Building A Solid Construction Company Marketing Plan

When it comes to the construction industry, employee training and development is crucial for success. Providing employees with the necessary skills and knowledge can make their work more efficient and effective, leading to higher-quality results and increased productivity. From safety training to technical skills development, a variety of areas can be focused on in construction employee training and development programs. Investing in these programs not only benefits employees but also improves the overall success of the construction company.

Don't have an employee? As a construction company owner, it's important to prioritize investing in yourself and your growth. By paying yourself first, you'll be better equipped to make intelligent investments in your construction business and provide valuable training and development opportunities for your soon-to-be employees in the industry. This can lead to a more skilled and efficient workforce, which can ultimately help your business thrive.

Let's say that you have two people working for you, one is your apprentice, and the other is your office administrator; developing employee skills for them and yourself creates a situation where your construction company benefits from a more knowledgeable and capable staff while your whole team gains additional skills or qualifications. This can allow employees to further their careers and possibly increase their earning potential in the long term. 

Training and skills development can assist underperforming employees and be used to encourage talented employees, allowing them to grow within the business. This helps both individual employees and your business achieve their full potential.

Some business owners worry that training and development can cause an employee to seek additional responsibility elsewhere. But it's also worth bearing in mind that driven and successful employees will lose interest in their job and leave if it doesn't allow them to develop their skills.

To develop skills as a construction professional, starting with a solid foundation of knowledge and experience in the industry is essential. Here are some steps you can take:

1. Set a training budget

Consider setting aside money for staff training and development in your annual budget as you'd budget for other necessary business expenses. You could claim the training costs as a business expense or negotiate more expensive training as part of a salary package with employees.

2. Draw up a training policy

A training policy doesn't need to be too in-depth, but it should set out any special requirements so your employees know what training you'll consider and what requirements they'll have to meet to benefit from company-sponsored training.

You could require that:

• • Training needs to be job-related for the company to pay for it.
  • Employees pay 50% of the course fee if training is helpful to the company but not necessary for their job.
  • Employees reimburse costs (if completely necessary) if they don't complete or pass the course.

3. Discuss career goals and opportunities.

Discuss short- and long-term career goals during performance reviews or employee conversations. You can decide how to match their goals with any short and long-term opportunities available in your business.

Training in areas that do not further your employee's short- or long-term career goals will not be embraced as enthusiastically, so it makes sense to plan future development to balance business needs and employee goals.

4. Identify employee strengths and weaknesses

One of the best ways to get agreement on the appropriate training is to collaboratively identify the strengths and weaknesses of each employee for any current and future roles they m