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Retaining Construction Workers: Best Practices & Tips

October 11, 2017
October 11, 2017 TruPath

Retaining Construction Workers: Best Practices & Tips

If you’re managing construction workers, you are likely aware that the industry constantly faces a talent shortage. Struggling to retain some of yours? Keep reading for five of the best tips and practices for retaining construction workers.

Retaining Construction Workers

Provide Your Workers Autonomy

Due to the physically demanding and time-sensitive nature of the work, the construction industry can prove inflexible or controlling. Listen to employees’ goals and needs, be open-minded to their personal ways of completing a task, and have patience with potential mistakes to better cultivate a healthy dynamic. This shows them you’re willing to compromise, and that you appreciate them. Allowing construction workers to exercise their own autonomy can contribute to higher retention rates and better work overall.

Growth Opportunities

Arm your employees with multiple opportunities for continuous learning. Providing access to innovative training or apprenticeships shows you take value in their work. Afterall, employees that have avenues for growth within an organization are more likely to stick around. 

Remain Diverse

An ongoing challenge facing the construction industry is a lack of diversity. As a manager, it’s important to consider the positive results that could grow from raising the representation of women and minorities in the industry. A more diverse workforce could spark a positive domino effect, attracting aspiring workers to construction at a time when the industry is in high demand for more people.

Cultivate The Basics

Even though it may seem obvious, ensuring your workers are well compensated, receive vacation time, and have a clean, safe workplace can go a long way. If your company is holding back on these benefits, employees may be significantly less motivated and engaged.

Additionally, create a system of trust and balance between you and your subordinates. It’s as simple as encouraging employees to speak up if they have personal obligations or are struggling with busy schedules.

Build Purpose

Improve retention rates and keep employees content by explicitly defining a purpose. Then, reinforce that purpose continuously. For example, give your employees a genuine sense of why they are working on a particular project and how their role is important. 

We hope our tips help you in recruiting and retaining construction workers and bolster the industry. Need help hiring and retaining construction workers? Learn more at TruPath!


As a trusted recruitment source for more than a decade, TruPath has the industry knowledge and a proven model to help our partners feel comfortable in their search for a candidate.

Through our TruProcess, we are able to consistently deliver exceptional candidates that help organizations continue down successful paths. Contact TruPath today in order to tell us about your staffing needs.