It has become increasingly difficult for the construction industry to stay afloat in these unprecedented times as people in construction are supposed to work in close proximity to one another.
This is in direct violation of the current social distancing norms, which is why construction businesses are heavily impacted. Considering construction site workers are paid wages based on the number of hours, the pandemic has severely affected their finances.
Due to the temporary shutting of work during the lockdown, HR management professionals from the construction industry were faced with the challenge of constantly ensuring the wellbeing of their workers’ physical as well as mental health.
But even before the onset of COVID-19, HR professionals had to always be diligent about work safety standards in order to prevent any mishaps.
Due to the ever-changing nature of work in the construction industry, recruiting the right people for the job and managing them well is crucial.
Great HR software empowers HR professionals to manage all aspects of construction and employee management. Let’s look at the major challenges faced by HR management professionals from the construction industry and how to overcome them:
- Finding qualified individuals:
One of the major responsibilities of an HR professional is to make sure that construction workers chosen for a particular project are a good fit for it. Assessing construction worker capabilities and skill sets is a daunting task. This becomes a big challenge as they need to find individuals who are qualified and properly trained for all kinds of work.
To combat this, HR professionals in the construction industry must not only offer relevant work benefits to workers when hiring them but also keep potential replacement options handy at all times. Offering new hires training opportunities helps in developing skilled workers who can adapt to all kinds of situations.
- Workplace Safety:
Even before COVID-19 posed a safety threat, construction workers were prone to accidents all the time. They prioritize companies that take employee health seriously and provide proper attention to injuries. Ignoring safety protocols and neglecting employee safety can cause a company high medical expenses, which ultimately increases the workers’ compensation fees.
While construction sites are rife with accidents and hazards and it may not be possible to eliminate all the risks, an HR professional can take certain steps to control workplace injuries and build a safe working environment by providing adequate safety training.
It is equally important to provide safe equipment that is in good condition. You can enforce rules for employees operating hazardous machinery to first undergo proper training.
- Retention:
Even after ensuring worker safety, HR professionals face the challenge of retaining workers as there are always other companies offering competitive wages and better benefits. A lot of construction companies stress job turnover but don’t really focus on employee satisfaction. One of the main reasons for workers leaving their construction jobs is not being paid on time.
To tackle this, HR professionals can automate payment processes with certified payroll reporting software that ensures workers always get paid accurate wages on time. It saves the time required by contractors to create a detailed payroll report manually which shows the exact wages each worker is supposed to be paid. When workers receive wages on time, it increases their faith in their employer and ensures they stay longer in their jobs.
Conclusion:
It goes without saying that the construction industry has a very dynamic work environment that changes based on ongoing projects, making it difficult for HR management professionals to manage the diverse workforce.
With the help of above mentioned strategies, you can overcome the basic challenges and ensure employee safety and retention.