Training is the backbone of the construction industry. While it would be wonderful to have employees who are up to speed before they even walk through the door, it’s not always a reality. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, most construction workers have little or no formal education and rely upon on-the-job training to refine their skills. This means that it’s smart for employers to provide training options to employees, especially because it helps them discover untapped talent and retain the freshest faces on their workforce for the long-term.
Due to the mobile nature of today’s workforce, a Learning Management System (LMS) is one of the best options for delivering learning to employees across all industries, but it’s especially relevant to construction companies who often manage employees on multiple worksites. By making training available on mobile devices, laptops and more through cloud-based software, employers meet their teams wherever they are to deliver the most recent updates in employee training from workplace safety to anti-harassment training to anything managers feel would help their teams excel. Investing in employee development pays off in huge ways when measuring performance, productivity and planning succession.
Relevant Training Keeps Employees Safe
Timely and relevant safety training is the most important element of a successful construction workforce. Employees who are regularly reminded of safety protocol, appropriate techniques and other safety are much less likely to cause project delays or accidents that could lead to lost time, injuries or even death. Real-time training options shorten the time from introduction to mastery because the materials can be instantly applied to their current projects and the risk of injury is significantly lower as learning materials can be easily referenced.
A mobile-compatible LMS makes it possible for employees to complete training anytime, anywhere, which gives teams the opportunity to work on their training plans during delays. This is a great asset to companies because it reduces the need to set aside extra time for training, leaving more time to be used on worksites to meet deadlines, reducing overall costs.
Effective Training Impacts Performance and Succession
When choosing an LMS, opt for one that offers trackable training modules so employers can view progress and identify high performers. Often managers can see a direct correlation between module results and onsite performance and high performers can be developed further by offering non-essential training. This is a great way to seek out individuals who are willing to go the extra mile, especially when the trainings are offered to all employees. These indicators of hard work and high performance can help managers create career paths for their employees, making succession planning much easier.
Effective succession planning with highly trained employees takes the weight off managers’ shoulders, especially when retirement rates of field managers, project managers and executives hovered around 20 percent in 2017, according to FMI. Companies benefit from this efficient contributor to succession by seeing lowered hiring costs and morale will often be higher when a company chooses to hire internally.
Training Boosts Employee Engagement
Every company wants engaged employees and employees want to be engaged. Training is a great way to help both parties get what they want. Trained employees are engaged employees because they know their company cares about their professional development. This is especially true if managers use learning and performance to plan for succession. Engaged employees are also more likely to opt into non-essential training because they are invested in their workplace. This gives manages a highly trained, high performing workforce that will boost customer satisfaction with their quality work. Engaged employees are also much more likely to stick around, and with 89 percent of the workforce claiming a talent shortage in 2017, it’s more important now than ever to invest in training as an employee engagement strategy.
Opting for a robust learning strategy in construction should be an easy decision. Effective learning keeps employees safe, engaged and coming back day after day. The immediate investment in a quality LMS pays off in the long run, as it drastically improves the bottom line. The team will appreciate development opportunities with their loyalty, preserving the longevity of the company for years to come.
