As construction companies continue to face a labor shortage, they may sometimes need to hire workers with little to no construction background.
For Construction Pros offers the following recommendations to help you adequately onboard your nonconstruction hires.
- Figure out their starting point. You cannot assume new hires coming from another field will understand construction jargon, tools and technology. Encourage them to be honest about what they know so you can tailor your training to their needs.
- Set up a 90-day plan. If you are hiring people with little or no construction experience, it may not be realistic to expect them to start contributing right away. Create an orientation plan that clearly defines expectations for the first few months—training you will provide, tasks and projects they will be exposed to, milestones they need to meet. A shorter or longer time frame may work better for your company.
- Assign a mentor. Pair new hires with more seasoned employees or people you specifically have assigned as trainers. New employees need someone who can take the time to show them what to do and answer questions.
