It is critical in the life of a construction company to have quality field personnel running each project.

The company owner, project manager, and estimator might have a great plan for how to make a respectable profit, but if the field personnel cannot hold up to their end of the bargain, then profit disappears and the company suffers.

So what does it take to hire the best candidates to run the projects?

Most of the time, the answer focuses on the dollars and cents.

The Solution: Offer an Attractive Salary

I am sure that other industries have ways to lure qualified employees to their respective doorsteps.  But the mindset of most construction folk seems to always boil down to the paycheck.

Sure, everyone needs health insurance and a few of the other standard bells and whistles, but very few who desire to work on a construction site care much about paid sick leave, 401(k) matches, pension plans, or flexible spending accounts.  Most would echo what Rod Tidwell (Cuba Gooding, Jr.) told Jerry Maguire (Tom Cruise) – “Show me the money“.

If you want to catch and retain the best field workers, offer a very attractive salary!

In Conclusion

If your company can afford to drizzle the cake with some colorful icing like extra vacation days, dental and vision insurance, and use of the company’s lake house, then it might help keep the employee on the payroll for a longer period of time.  But when the rubber hits the road, what each worker sees in his envelope on Friday afternoon is what is going to keep him coming back to your job site the following Monday morning!!

Leave a comments below if you have questions or stories of your own.  Also feel free to contact me!