If you have a first-time construction foreman who is struggling, the main problem is probably a quick promotion process with inadequate preparation. Research shows that most foremen are unexpectedly promoted based on craft experience, rather than leadership preparation, and receive minimal training in their new responsibilities. To improve results, consider adopting a more strategic foreman development program, where the best candidates are identified, trained, onboarded and supported. NCCER’s Construction Foreman Certification Program is a leading resource for first-time foreman training, helping contractors get started quickly and conveniently.
Why do new construction foremen struggle?
From schedule delays and crew management challenges to high rework rates, it’s common for new construction foremen to struggle to adjust to their new role.
Leading a crew comes with many responsibilities. Young or inexperienced foremen are often faced with situations they have never faced before. Their ability to succeed is influenced by how prepared they are before these situations occur.
To understand why your foremen are not meeting expectations, it is useful to analyze the circumstances of their promotion:
- Timing: How long before they were promoted
- Preparation: How much pre-promotion professional development they were given
- Incorporation: How much post-promotion training and support they had
How do most construction foremen get promoted?
Most foremen are promoted based on good performance as a craft worker. A reliable employee who shows up on time and does a good job is usually on the short list when a foreman vacancy opens up.
Because these vacancies can often occur at very short notice, a top candidate can rise to the position very quickly. It’s not uncommon for someone to spend one day as a craft worker and the next as a supervisor for the first time, with little more than a conversation in between.
What are the challenges of transitioning from craft to foreman?
Being a craft professional is very different from being a field leader. Practical technical skills cover only a small part of a foreman’s job.
Key responsibilities of a construction foreman include:
- Programming and coordination
- Resource management
- Communication with teams, superintendents and project managers
- Monitor security and compliance
- Quality control
- Maintain crew morale
- And much more
In most cases, a craft professional with no prior leadership experience has never handled these things.
While some people are natural leaders and can take on these new responsibilities more easily, others are less intuitive. Things like crew conflicts or unexpected project changes are not random situations that anyone can handle without training.
Most foremen do not have adequate training and induction
In a 2018 study, the Construction Industry Institute (CII) found that front-line supervisors generally receive inadequate training for their roles.
According to the report, most new foremen receive “minimal onboarding support” and are often left to work things out on their own. For those receiving training, it is often limited to general supervisory guidance and security topics.
In fact, less than half of all construction foremen report receiving training in key leadership areas:
- Effective communication: Less than 48%
- Quality control: Less than 37%
- Programming: less than 30%
- Time management: Less than 28%
Because of these gaps in training, most new foremen are ill-prepared to effectively manage many of the unique demands of their position.
As noted in the CII report, “most foremen never have the best opportunity to get it right, and consequently the performance of craft labor on many projects is far less than optimal.”
How to improve the performance of the first foreman
To help first-time foremen adjust more easily to their new role and perform better faster, you can establish a more strategic foremen promotion process.
1. Identify future foremen
- Identify high-potential craftsmen who can be good foremen of the future. Discuss the opportunity and role responsibilities with these candidates and gauge their interest in joining a leadership path.
- The reason: This clarifies your lead pipeline, filters out bad fits, and takes the surprise factor out of quick promotions.
2. Start developing leadership skills early
- Provide leadership development training to top candidates before a promotion opportunity presents itself. Focus on universally beneficial skills like communication, emotional intelligence and critical thinking that can be applied immediately.
- The reason: This prepares fundamental leadership skills that aspiring foremen can practice in a lower-risk environment.
3. Give advance notice when possible
- Try to give as much notice as possible when a promotion is imminent.
- The reason: This will allow the employee to better prepare mentally for the jump from craft professional to foreman.
4. Offer induction training
- Help onboard newly promoted foremen with structured training. This should cover general areas of responsibility as well as more specific tasks, procedures and project requirements.
- The reason: This avoids a “trial by fire” and gives new foremen clear expectations and a better understanding of the nuances of their new job.
5. Offer permanent support
- Continue to support your foreman through weekly check-ins, training or mentoring opportunities, and additional training.
- The reason: This helps you nurture your new leader’s progress and address any pain points as soon as possible.
What tools help contractors provide foremen training?
While training foremen is crucial, many contractors do not have the resources or experience to create a formal development program from scratch. Creating a curriculum, finding instructors, and other administrative challenges are common obstacles.
That’s why some contractors turn to established workforce development resources like NCCER.
NCCER’s Construction Foreman Certification Program offers contractors a ready-to-use option for training new and aspiring foremen, with courses developed in collaboration with more than 50 subject matter experts.
The program covers five key areas of frontline supervision:
- Leadership and supervision
- communication
- productivity
- quality
- Safety, Health and Environment
Contractors can assign the courses as self-paced online training or incorporate them into an internal development program. Participants also have the opportunity to earn formal NCCER foreman certification after successfully completing the assessment.
Click here for more information about the program.
Set up your new foremen for success
Foremen are key to the success of a construction project, but naturally they can struggle when promoted suddenly and without the proper training.
With structured supervisor development, you can build a pipeline of future leaders who are prepared and ready to fill supervisory roles. When equipped with the right tools to succeed, your new foremen can quickly become top performers and lead productive teams.
To learn more about creating a foreman training program, check out our free webinar: Developing Effective Foremen: Lessons from the Field.
