Is anybody out there?

By Steve Schultz

Wisconsin construction contractors are going to great lengths to attract workers from the state's tight labor market, often pitching an attractive workplace as much as a fat paycheck.

"The only thing we haven't tried - we've talked about it - is if there was some way of trying to get in with some ethnic group coming into the U.S. that we could bring into the construction industry," said Jim Lange, president of C&C Erecting Inc. in Elm Grove and president of the American Subcontractors Association of Greater Milwaukee. "If Albanians were coming over here and there were a hundred of them looking for jobs, for example."

Lange said that construction companies in the southern United States have developed relationships with immigrants from Central and South America.

Closer to home, many contractors are turning to temporary agencies, job-placement firms and newspaper ads to find workers when union halls are empty. Many in highly technical trades have listed their jobs on the Internet.

Even when workers seem to be plentiful, companies are finding that the available workers aren't always the best.

"For the past 10 years, we've been looking for masons," said Michael Seichter of Market & Johnson Inc. in Eau Claire. "I could probably use one-third again as many masons as I have right now. I could find a ton of people, but they weren't qualified to do the work."

Take a different approach

Contractors are volunteering to work with community outreach programs and welfare-to-work placement services to locate and train potential craftspeople. Companies are also looking to the military, where the federal government helps to locate jobs for personnel leaving the armed forces.

"We ... have used any type of the minority programs," added Kathy Dahlen, human resources manager for Appleton-based Town & Country Electric Inc. "You need to utilize more of the nontraditional people, whether it's women or minorities. You have to be very open to recruiting in all areas, and actively doing it, not just if one comes to the door you hire them, but actively going out and trying to find people that usually would not think about going into your field."

Looking for help in "nontraditional" places has the added benefit of expanding the in-house referrals. Many construction companies are looking to their current staff to recommend new workers. In return, several offer rewards.

"The only reason we felt comfortable in promoting referrals in the last three years was because our current workforce had gotten to such a level of diversity that we felt comfortable saying to our employees, 'OK, now it's time to refer people,' " said Dawn Pratt, human resources manager for road-builder Payne & Dolan Inc. in Waukesha. "What we had to do is work hard at building up our workforce so it was diversified and then open it up to referrals so that everybody had an opportunity to refer people they knew."

Come up with cash

Attracting good employees has meant that businesses are willing to raise wages, offer bonuses for becoming an employee and more carefully explaining benefits such as training. "We've gotten very active in going into the high schools," Dahlen said. "It used to be construction was sort of thought of as the bottom rung. We offer very good opportunities, very good pay and education and advancement opportunities, but trying to get the word to kids, especially, that this is a good career option is difficult. So many of them are pushed right to the college track." Dahlen said that Town & Country Electric is seeing a payoff. This year, several helpers the company hired were the same students who had attended classroom presentations. People entering a job, from students right out of school to experienced craftsmen, also need to know there is a future in a company through training or mentoring. "We have career-path planning, so that we can interest them in going somewhere further within the organization and having some direction and something to shoot for," said Barb Riley, director of business development for Riley Construction Co. Inc. of Milwaukee. "If they come in as a laborer and eventually want to be a superintendent, we will put them on a training path and a career path to get them there."

Make do

Many contractors are learning to manage their human resources more wisely while they wait for workers.

"I'm constantly in board meetings and talking to fellow contractors, 'Are you busy, are you slow? You got some guys you can lend me? I'll lend you some guys when I'm slow,' " said Jim Macejkovic, executive vice president of Building Service Inc. in Milwaukee and vice president of the local Allied Construction Employers' Association. "You're borrowing men from your competitors, but they're in the same boat you are at times, and if you can help each other out, it keeps the men working. Otherwise, if it's slow, he may go work for someone else and never come back. With this way, it's kind of a win-win."

Companies also are willing to pay overtime to keep jobs going.

"Overtime may not be as outrageous as it seems," said Sue Christopherson, corporate secretary of Fowler & Hammer Inc. in La Crosse. "With some of the other payroll taxes and the other costs, you get a little break on workers' comp and because of the fringe benefits, you're paying your fringes at an hourly rate."

Keep 'em with kindness

Companies need to sell their culture as much as their wages, according to those in the industry. Events outside of work, from picnics to trips to simply knowing workers by name, make employers more attractive. At least one employer is offering loans to its personnel.

"People are our most important assets," said Thomas F. Martin, vice president of Hoffman Corp. based in Appleton. "Employees today want to work at a location where they feel good and they are valued. Rather than feel like they are a small part of an entity, they want to know that they will be cared for."

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