Wisconsin Builder | Job Satisfaction

Satisfaction guaranteed

Does the industry keep its people happy?

Industry folks sometimes grumble that the outside world perceives contractors as a bunch of grunts pushing shovels. Building a project, the reasoning goes, is more about moving dirt than providing a complex product for clients.

But contracting companies have increasingly positioned themselves as full-fledged players in the American service economy. Firms don't build stuff anymore as much as they provide "building services." With that comes a sense of professionalism and dedication that goes beyond simply delivering a project on time and on budget.

It's possible that this new outlook is most visible in the arena of employment. Safety programs have taken off in the last decade, and more and more companies recognize that luring the best and the brightest requires more than a decent paycheck every two weeks.

"We are equivalent to human resources trends for any industry," said Stephanie Meyers, human resources director for general contractor CG Schmidt Inc., Milwaukee. "If people typically thought construction was behind the times, that's not true anymore."

Salaries To be sure, industry pay is good, and so are other forms of monetary compensation. According to the Wisconsin Builder Job Satisfaction survey, the state's highest-paying general contractors paid their hourly workers $27 per hour while salaried workers earned $78,000 per year. Bonuses are also standard fare, with more than 60 percent of companies paying their management staff yearly stipends and nearly half of field workers getting the same treatment.

Contributions to both retirement plans and health-care programs are also above 50 percent for management and field staff, according to the survey.

But often, the incentives needed to attract and retain the best employees can't be found on pay stubs. Scott Smet, president of C.S. Smet Construction Corp., De Pere, said staying in line with competitors in terms of pay and benefits is obviously important. But providing more intangible benefits keeps people happy and eager to come in every day. For example, Smet said numerous employees have complimented the company on its willingness to accommodate personal schedules. A carpenter on the job site is a peewee baseball coach at night, he said.

Male-Female "We try to be real flexible with time off for family," Smet said. "That's been a big issue in the last few years. They want to be there when the kids go to school and when they get home. We try to bend the rules to be fair to everybody."

It comes down to creating an environment where workers don't feel like a pawn punching in and out every day, said CG Schmidt's Meyers. "Employees are the only definitive asset that differentiates us from competitors, so we want to keep them. What really gets people energized is feeling they're involved in the success of the business."

According to the Job Satisfaction survey, 84 percent of management employees and 61 percent of field staff are involved in day-to-day company decisions. Another 67 percent of management and 54 percent of field staff have access to company financial information, which helps create a sense of shared ownership.

Smet said his company includes everyone — even temporary workers — in regular meetings on company performance. All workers know when business is going to get heavy and when it will get lean, and everyone knows where the company is headed and how to get there. As with the flexible work schedule for family time, these steps came from employee evaluations, when workers told management what kind of company they wanted to work for, Smet said.

"It makes them feel more a part of the company," he said.

Duane McClain, president of Construction Search Specialists, La Crosse, makes a career out of placing project managers and other construction executives with the right companies. Like Meyers and Smet, he said pay is only one part of the equation.

One of the most important factors is career development, McClain said. According to the Job Satisfaction survey, 48 percent of companies offer management staff education funding, and 35 percent offer field workers the same benefit. Nearly half of companies pay to have their top brass join professional organizations, and the same is true for 20 percent of field staff. More important, however, is that the vast majority of companies want to reward their employees' skills by advancing them through the ranks.

"Moving up is a big incentive," McClain said. "If it's not, you've got the wrong person. One of the most crucial aspects of a job is the future that it holds."

And even when it comes to pay, companies can configure a system that does more to build morale than line pockets, he said. He mentioned that several firms purposely keep base pay low and instead offer bigger bonuses, and those companies rarely have a job opening.

"People like bonuses," McClain said. "They're helping to build the company, and they're rewarded for it."

What all of this indicates is that construction companies are increasingly tailoring their work environments to their employees, as opposed to a rigid, top-down approach that can leave some workers feeling suffocated or out of the loop.

"It's not just money," McClain said of workers at progressive companies. "They're treated as if they're respected, as if they're wanted, not like they're a number."