Recruiting and managing talent in the years ahead could potentially become more challenging for the construction sector, as it will be in many other industries during and post COVID.
To add to the current disruption, industries like the construction sector have experienced the prospective scarcity of new and skilled labor driven by people demographic shifts, and the growing sophistication of technology, which requires new and broader skill sets at all levels of commercial business; coupled with the traditionally high volatility of workforce demand and genetic composition, will be major tests for the construction industry.
Leaders in the construction Industry need to develop strategic recruitment planning to better anticipate workforce needs and priorities. Proactive plans, such as comprehensive talent management, including smart hiring processes and enhanced people retention plans, must be developed. Continuous on-the-job training can also help address the demographic changes and advances in technology and processes that the construction industry is experiencing.
Traditionally many construction organisations are led by a conservative corporate culture and entrenched mindset leading in most cases to organisational inertia. To support their overall business goals, the construction companies themselves need to drive organisational growth through change. This is a constantly iterative process, which encompasses ongoing alignment of a company’s structure and goals, its organisational genetics, and its staff incentive schemes.
Your company culture is key to hiring new talent
To understand how some companies succeed at developing a positive and healthy company culture we must try to understand why company leadership appears effortless in some situations and deeply underwhelming in others across the construction industry. In a nutshell, what makes a construction company more effective than others is its core leadership team driving that corporate culture, and studies clearly show that setting good standards for employee performance, from productivity and application to staff retention can attract the best talent.
Good company leaders bring internal groups closer together by acknowledging that their company culture underpins every aspect of the core business and, with their help, employees across the board start to talk about the things they really care about. They begin to convene around common causes and to make something purposeful, something greater than them, happen. Most importantly, a strong company culture can attract the best talent. “Good company leaders are talent magnets, with people so inspired to work with the leadership team that they will take a pay cut if necessary.”
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Call us on: +971 (0)4 421 3490 or Email us at: info@italent-me.com or complete the Contact us form.Today’s talent prioritises flexibility, purpose, and ethics
Various Studies and reports conclude that for talent with a reasonable salary, non-financial incentives are more effective than financial rewards. For so-called “Knowledge workers”, money mainly causes short-term and less-sustained motivation, unintended negative consequences.
Young talent wants to be part of something bigger than itself. Employment does not define young people to the same degree as previous generations: they want to be happy at home and happy on the job, and money is somewhat secondary. To be successful in attracting the right talent, offering greater flexibility and a sufficient work and life balance will be essential.
Dismiss competencies and hire potential and character, and then train for skill.
Why do so many corporate leaders, who seem the right fit for a position, fail; while many who are less well-endowed with competencies succeed so spectacularly? The obvious answer is “potential” or the ability to change and grow into increasingly complicated roles and responsibilities. The five topmost qualities listed below are reliable indicators for future employee potential:
- Insight
- Engagement
- Determined.
- Motivation
- Curiosity
Employees that are successful in a specific job function today, might not be so successful tomorrow if the corporate strategy is updated, the competitive environment shifts, or internal or external stakeholders change. The question is not whether your talent has the right skills, it is whether it has the potential to learn new ones.
Hiring for potential and effectively retaining and developing those who have it, at every level of the construction industry, should be the highest priority.
Design your company’s future around diversity.
In an increasingly fast-paced and interconnected world of highly volatile and complicated markets, diverse employee groups are becoming crucial at all strata of a business. Well implemented staff diversity can have numerous characteristics, involving gender, age, nationality, ethnic or cultural differences.
A global mindset, transparency and international experience are key to executives and organisations winning in a world that is more and more intertwined. Ethnic and racial diversity in leadership roles ultimately results in better financial performance and targets met. Well-structured diversity has a bigger impact on construction organizations with greater managerial discretion in those businesses undertaking new initiatives.
In this diversified climate employees and teams of employees are more likely to remain objective and able to reassess facts dynamically. Diverse groups also encourage greater scrutiny of each member’s approach and actions and therefore tend to process critical information more carefully. Finally, there is strong evidence that diverse leadership teams, those including women, are more likely to develop innovative services.
Working with employees from diverse backgrounds challenges the way we think and modifies a team’s social behavior, leading to improved and more accurate group thinking.
Discover more about iTalent and our recruitment offerings for the UAE, Saudi Arabia and broader Middle Eastern markets.
italent was founded in 2012 in the United Arab Emirates born in a challenging market, one key reason for our success is we have unparalleled commitment and determination to deliver the highest levels of recruitment and executive search.
These fundamentals allowed us to build a reputation and gain the trust and respect of some of the biggest clients and most Senior candidates in the Region. Our team is all seasoned professionals, and with over 100 years of recruitment experience in our office, we are a key part of our clients’ Talent Acquisition Strategies.
You can contact us by using our contact form or call us on +971 (0)4 421 3490 or email us at info@italent-me.com and we will be happy to help.
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Sectors we recruit for
Construction and Engineering
https://www.italent-me.com/construction-engineering.html
Digital and Technology
https://www.italent-me.com/digital-technology.html
Power and Energy