One of the things I enjoy about our Keys to Workforce Success section each year is that it gives us the space to talk about one of the toughest challenges that contractors face: hiring. It’s great to hear from experts on the topic and always helpful to approach that issue from multiple angles the way we might not have time for otherwise.
I think the strongest message that has emerged over time is that it’s important to build a career path and help your employees, especially the brand-new ones, discover how they can find a future in this industry. But there’s a corollary that doesn’t always get included. Employees need to be able to feel as though they can work with your company’s culture.
I think the strongest message that has emerged over time is that it’s important to build a career path and help your employees, especially the brand-new ones, discover how they can find a future in this industry.
Tom Borg goes into the specifics of what makes a strong company culture and what it can mean to your ability to hire and retain a strong crew in his article, so I won’t do that here. The part I want to highlight is that it’s an easy mistake to think that your company doesn’t need a culture or doesn’t have one just because you haven’t put effort into building one.
It’s a lot like the old adage that “no comment” can be a comment on its own. Your company’s culture will grow and develop organically, whether you’re devoting energy to it or not. Without something to guide it, that could easily lead to a situation where employees find it easier to complain to each other rather than coming to you with their issues, or where they feel as though they don’t see any connection to a future in the role and just show up for the paycheck. That’s the kind of employee who doesn’t see any difference between where they’re at now and where they’re offered a little extra money per hour.
Developing a positive company culture isn’t specifically about making your employees feel welcome and comfortable, though those both play a part. It’s not about making the work easier, either — there’s really no way to make the job any less difficult, especially at the crewmember level. It’s helping your employees see what you see in the company, and why the services you provide matter both to your customers and to them beyond just a paycheck.
When you realize that it might make the difference between building a supportive team and having to spend more time rehiring and retraining for the same position over and over, maybe putting some more effort into shaping your company’s culture is an effective use of your time.
I want to share a quick reminder that the Irrigation Association scholarship program is currently accepting applications. Head over to the IA update to learn more about that.
