Millennials can help move your construction business into the future.
PEI.org writes, “Millennials are often saddled with a reputation for being entitled, disloyal, lazy, or optimistic go-getters, but it turns out that they’re actually not that different from their older work colleagues.”
A breath of fresh air, right? You may not think too much about hiring millennials in construction, but the knowledge that they’re a lot like the older, experienced workers you already have may change your mind. The only difference is they need chance to prove themselves.
Here are 5 things you should know about millennials in the construction industry, and why you should be the one to give them their chance.
- They seek out competitive paying jobs: You might be thinking, “how is this a good thing for my company?” Why would you want to hire someone who ranks base pay as the most important factor for selecting and staying at a specific job? The answer is simple. As you go through the hiring process today, you won’t find many employees that don’t want good incentives and a competitive salary. This gives you the opportunity to improve your current compensation system and learn what the industry going rate is today. Don’t forget – millennials are a newer, technologically-savvy generation. They’re worth it.
- They want to make an impact: Millennials are overly creative and want the opportunity to share their creativity with the industry they work in. They get a stigma for being entitled and arrogant, when in reality they just truly care about the work they are doing and want to showcase it. If they are given the opportunity to make an impact on the work they’re doing, they’ll be more willing to stay at the job long-term. With the shortage of skilled laborers in the construction industry lately, you can’t afford to have a lot of employee turnaround. Hiring millennials and letting them show off their creative and innovative side will keep your workforce thriving.
- They go above and beyond: You may have heard that millennials are “lazy” but based on survey research, that is not the case. In that survey published by the HR Policy Foundation, two-thirds of companies said their millennial employees were making “significant contributions” in the workplace. This is all because of their drive and need for innovation. They want to see the company they work in succeed and will do what they can to help see it through. For the construction industry specifically, showing millennials that each project is different and offers individual challenges will get them excited and give them purpose.
- They want job security: Like any employee from all generations, millennials want job security. The difference is they are often looked at as job-jumpers instead of staying at one company for an extended period of time. These younger workers come from a connected generation that values collaboration, communication, and innovation. Letting these millennials into your company and showing they are valuable by letting them contribute will make them happy to stay at your company. Also, let them in on your company’s plan. According to research conducted by PEI.org, millennials are 25% more likely to stay at a company when the vision is clearly communicated.
- They want and encourage regular feedback: The long and short of it is, millennials want to learn and do better; they want to know the way to the top and not because they think they deserve to be there but because having a career path is important to them. Without feedback, good and bad, they won’t know where they can improve to better themselves and help the company they work for even more. For the construction industry, consider more training and mentorship programs. Let them learn from the best you already have.
Millennials can help move your construction business into the future. Let them drive your innovation and creativity while you teach them the ins and outs of the construction business. By learning from each other, everyone wins and your business will be a success.
