Tips for Onboarding Employees Who Don’t have Construction Experience
Tips for Onboarding Employees Who Don’t have Construction Experience
Odds are, many of your potential new hires aren’t construction pros with years of experience. While this may seem negative, industry experience is not the only skill that new hires can bring to the table. When going through potential applicants, it is more important to look at qualities that would allow that person to excel, such as persistence, attention to detail and motivation. These types of qualities and skills are transferable and can set them up for success even if they don’t have a background in construction.
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Now that you’ve made new hires, it’s time to start onboarding employees.
Once you have hired a new team member, onboarding is crucial to their success. Since this employee doesn’t have prior construction experience, a well-designed onboarding plan will help to ensure you get a return on your investment in this person. A successful employee onboarding plan will not only include training and education, but support and assistance through all the beginning stages.
To improve your onboarding process, there are many helpful tips you can follow.
1. Educate
Working in the construction industry poses many risks due to hazardous equipment and work environments. When you are hiring someone who doesn’t have construction experience it is especially important that you educate and inform them of these risks.
With so many new-hire work-related injuries, learning programs should be held to educate employees on how to recognize job site hazards and how to protect themselves. This education should continue throughout the employee onboarding process with safety procedure review sessions and additional training if needed.
2. Review Company Culture
The culture of a company is vital in helping new-hires understand the company as a whole. By going over the company’s culture, vision and mission statement, new-hires can see themselves fitting into the company.
Company culture will also give employees a better idea of how things are run and what type of work environment to expect.
3. Give Them Support
Starting a new job in a new industry can be overwhelming at first. With so many things to learn and adjust to, lending support can help ensure they feel valued.
It’s also important to keep an open dialogue between managers and new hires. If new-hires feel like they can ask questions, they’ll learn faster and achieve success quicker.
Another benefit of this is employee retention. Employees who feel valued and loyal to their company, are much less likely to leave. With better retention rates, you’ll save money on the expensive and time-consuming onboarding process.
4. Hire people who fit in
Sometimes it’s better to take a little extra time in finding the right employees. As I mentioned earlier, the onboarding process is expensive and time-consuming. If you take the time to hire people who are a good fit with your company and its values, you’ll be less likely to fire or lose that employee.
A great way to find new employees is through referrals. Before searching for new-hires, ask your team if they have anyone they can recommend. This can save you time and will help you find people who are a great fit for the company.
Conclusion
Onboarding new employees with no prior construction experience can be challenging and a little daunting. Fortunately, there are many steps you can take to ensure a successful new-hire assimilation. Keep in mind that your new-hire has a lot to learn and that you are there to help them. With support, education and training, your onboarding program can be new and improved in no time!
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