Is attracting and retaining today’s youth in construction really a generational issue?

The construction industry needs a new focus on areas not historically considered

Glen Perry 

There has been an emphasis placed on the laziness of the current generation and their unwillingness to work, thus creating the workforce shortages we are facing in the United States right now, especially in the construction industry. Newspaper article quotes every year since 1894 have also had a common theme when discussing the generational work ethic of the people in all those generations: They do not want to work.

Since this has been the opinion for over a century, is the current issue of attracting and retaining talent to the construction industry really because of this generation or is it an issue the construction industry has created as a whole?

There is no question construction is hard; it is dirty and often requires working from sunup to sundown, but there is also a glamour to construction that has not been well advertised. It is incredibly rewarding to be part of a community of hardworking, humble people who want to work together to build the communities we live in. Construction workers have literally built this country. How cool is that? And why wouldn’t people want to be part of it?

There are a lot of things that have evolved since 1894 within the construction industry, and a lot that can be done better to attract and retain good talent because construction is a fulfilling destination career.

Attracting talent to the construction industry requires a new focus on areas that have not historically been considered. Compensation, company culture and job satisfaction are all items that have not been areas of focus within the construction industry, but they are becoming common themes today more than ever. Construction workers want to be compensated fairly for their ability to do their craft, not necessarily just based on the years in the industry. There has also been an increase on the value of skilled workers. This has created an increase in the rate of pay that is expected within the industry and the industry has been slow to catch up with the demand.

Culture was a term used in “more refined” industries and that has changed. People want to work in a good work environment where the level of communication is respectful and without consistent conflict. This has changed dramatically in the past several years; people do not want to be talked down to and screamed at. There is a level of respect that comes from fair, honest communication and people appreciate that. Creating an atmosphere of teamwork, that people are dedicated to working in, is far more attractive than consistent negativity within a company.

Construction workers want to feel like they are part of something bigger and they are making a difference in their communicates by doing meaningful work that is sustainable for generations to come. It is so cool to drive through a community and see the results of long days of hard work.

Like other industries, there has been more focus on creating a work-life balance within construction. Historically, construction workers travelled where the work took them and worked seven days a week, sunup to sundown. There has been a major shift from the willingness of people to work these consistent long days and hours because of the emphasis on family and having a fulfilled life. Due to the nature of the work, this is not something that can always be accommodated, but the industry is doing a better job at creating a work-life balance for people.

People also want to have fun. Add a little fun to all the above and construction becomes a fulfilling career that people want to be part of. The promotion of this evolution from blue-collar to “new-collar” outside the industry is key to attracting more people to the construction industry.

As the industry continues to evolve and attract more skilled workers, retaining those workers is critical. Construction has historically been an industry that is highly divisive, confrontational and stressful, which creates a high level of burnout and mental health issues, with little to no regard for either. It has typically been a male-dominated industry that was based around taking pride in how hard it was and how much you had to “fight” your way through every day, which added to a lot of safety concerns and turmoil.

These issues created major retention issues because people today do not want to be part of that environment for the long term. Thankfully, there has been some focus on these issues in the past couple of years that has created an upswing in the number of people, including women, attracted to and staying in the industry.

Keeping people fulfilled and with a positive attitude also reduces another major issue for retention and job satisfaction — rework. The impact of doing work again that has been done incorrectly the first time (rework) leads to more frustrations, confrontations, contract disputes, finger-pointing, cost overruns, safety concerns and damaged relationships than any other issue in construction. Rework creates a lot of volatility that people choose to leave companies over, so it is critical that when work is done, it is done right and must be done only once. After all, it does not take any longer to do it right than it does to do it wrong.

People also want to be invested in their work. The opportunities for advancement and training, including the cutting-edge technology that is available, are also not promoted nearly enough. With the technology focus within our society, this is something that is a huge asset to attracting and retaining people within the construction industry that most people are not aware of.

The construction industry will continue to evolve through future generations. It will most likely continue to blame labor shortages on the unwillingness of the current generation to work, but maybe, just maybe, if the industry commits to providing fair compensation; meaningful, fulfilling, profitable, safe, highly productive, relationship — and reputation-building; fun, not highly confrontational cool work, that only has to be built once; the difficulties of attracting and retaining skilled people to the construction industry will be a thing of the past.

Glen Perry is the president and CEO of COP Construction LLC in North Salt Lake. He has over 30 years of experience in all levels of construction management from laborer and crew foreman to his current role, with much of his career in the management of the construction of heavy civil, underground utility and water/wastewater treatment plant projects.