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Fulton Cure is a quality control manager in the Dallas, Texas office of Jordan Foster Construction. The opinions are the author’s own.
I have a few theories about why we have such a hard time acquiring and retaining labor in the trades.
The labor market is very skewed in the face of a tipping point that we as a society fear. And if we’re not, we should be. We are seeing bigger, more experienced people starting to retirehanging the helmet
Cure Fulton
Permit granted by Jordan Foster Construction
These are guys and girls who have been in the trades for over 20 years. These are people who are certified experts in their field. They are hanging him and letting his body rest, finally.
At the same time, we are seeing a lack of involvement in the trades of the younger generations. Some do join a crew, but end up choosing not to stay. Better avoid it altogether.
While it’s hard to pinpoint the exact reasons why this is, as each person’s experience varies, I believe there are three key factors that all younger traders experience. One or more of these factors often prevent them from getting involved or cause them to quit soon after.
Impatience in training
Training new talent takes time. It’s hard to train people. Especially someone who has very little knowledge of the subject as a whole. I have an assistant who didn’t know what a “header” was when he was hired. That was over a year ago, and he is now solely responsible for quality management of door and framing installations.
It took time, patience and sacrifice on my part. But I was able to train him to where he is now. It’s all worth it, knowing that I can delegate some of my responsibilities to him without worry.
People in the construction industry often don’t want to dedicate themselves to training new people. They get frustrated when someone doesn’t know what they’re doing. But if you establish a training regimen and find someone who is good at dealing with others, training new hires can be extremely beneficial for any contractor.
Blue collar work is dirty and tiring
I have worked as a laborer on a framing crew, as a foreman on a concrete crew, and as a maintenance team leader in a water operations department. I’ve come home covered in everything from mud to sawdust to concrete to chlorine. Blue collar work can be dirty. It often didn’t smell good.
But when I saw my paycheck at the end of the week, it looked a lot better than those of my friends who had to wear pants and ties every day. And now, my favorite game to play while driving with my wife is to point out everything I’ve been involved in building.
I feel very proud of my work. It’s good to see the fruits of my labor. Blue collar work is very rewarding.
Difficult managers
Everyone has a story of a terrible boss or co-worker: that person you had to work with every day and just couldn’t get along with. Understandably, not everyone you work with is your best match.
Now, imagine that that terrible boss was actually five different people, and those people were responsible for managing whatever project you were working on. Send nasty emails if you make a mistake. Threatening to charge your boss thousands of dollars if you can’t finish as fast as someone else has promised you. They were called because the materials were late, when you didn’t even ask for them.
All these are scenarios that unfold daily in a play. Working for a bad boss can make anyone hate their job. If GCs can understand the general need for younger (or newer) traders in the industry and help make it a more enjoyable environment, I guarantee we’ll see a lot more retention and interest in the industry.
As I said, each person’s experience will vary, and these three factors are not a set. But I would go so far as to say that they are, at the very least, a maximum catch.
To help solve the problem, let’s get excited about training new people, welcome them into the industry and show them how rewarding the trades can be.
