Building Positive Team Culture as a Foreman

TradeManagement_August

TradeManagement_AugustYour role as a foreman includes setting the tone for your crew’s interactions. Because you need everyone to work together to stay on target, collaboration is necessary. One of the best ways to encourage teamwork is by creating a positive team culture. Your crew is more likely to perform their best when they feel like part of a united team.

Follow these guidelines to promote a positive team culture as a foreman.

1. Lead by Example

Demonstrate the attitudes and behaviors you would like to see from your crew. Your workers are likely to behave according to what they see you do. This is why you should openly commend your team members for their hard work, kind actions, and meeting or exceeding expectations.

2. Huddle Your Crew

Gather your workers at the start and end of each day. Talk about the day’s work efforts, safety reminders, and other work-related topics. Ask your crew to provide their ideas for completing the day’s tasks. Encourage them to talk about the challenges and shortcomings before they leave for the day. This shows your workers’ contributions are valued and respected.

3. Get To Know Your Team

Find out which work tasks each of your crew members likes and dislikes, how your workers adjust to others, which forms of learning are their favorites, and how they prefer to receive feedback. Use this information to personalize your requests and expectations for each crew member. You should benefit from enhanced relationships, increased motivation among your team, and greater performance.

4. Change up Partnerships

Regularly assigning different crew members to work together enhances teamwork and learning. Your workers get to know each other better and gain new perspectives on how to complete tasks. This encourages everyone to continuously improve their performance.

5. Provide Proper Tools and Equipment

Your crew needs tools and equipment to be in the best working condition to produce the desired results. Purchasing the necessary items and ensuring they are correctly handled and regularly inspected shows you want your workers to succeed and encourages them to respect the tools and equipment.

6. Express Appreciation

Regularly thank your crew members for their hard work. Show how their dedication added to the progress made each week. When a job is completed, point out specific ways each of your workers contributed to the finished product. Reward them with lunch, bonuses, raises, or promotions when appropriate.

Hire Skilled Workers

Add skilled workers to your team with help from Trade Management. Contact us today.

How Can Trade Management Help You Find the Right Skilled Trades Job – Faster?

Trade Management_Finding the Right Job Doesn't Have to Take Forever

Trade Management_Finding the Right Job Doesn't Have to Take Forever

Job search times today are the longest they have been since 2016. This is especially true for the skilled trade industry. If you are having trouble finding a role, reach out to us. We can help!

Discover some reasons why skilled trade jobs are hard to find and how Trade Management can help.

Increasing Job Search Length

The economic instability due to the pandemic caused companies in construction, manufacturing, and other skilled trades to close down. According to a survey conducted by global outplacement and business and executive coaching firm Challenger, Gray & Christmas, Inc., the workers laid off in 2020 were among the job seekers who averaged 3.05 months to find a new role. This was up from 2.7 months in 2019 and 2.9 months in 2018. The average time it took to find a job last year was the highest since 2016 when job seekers took an average of 3.13 months to find a position.

Job Losses in Construction

According to material handling solutions company Conger Industries Inc., the construction industry lost $60.9 billion in gross domestic product (GDP) and 6.5 million jobs due to the pandemic. Industry revenue was expected to decline by 6.3% in 2020. Approximately one-third of construction companies furloughed or terminated employees because of the pandemic-related shutdowns. In 2021, 28% of construction firms are having trouble hiring project managers and supervisors. Fifty-two percent of companies cannot fill openings for laborers, carpenters, or equipment operators. Fifty-eight percent of building construction firms have unfilled craft positions.

Advantages of Skilled Labor Roles

Skilled labor positions offer excellent pay, benefits, and career paths. You may work on unique projects with innovative equipment and technology such as virtual reality (VR). The satisfaction you gain from completing a project can last a long time. Ongoing training lets you add to your skillset and contributions. If you can cross-train, you help improve your team’s efficiency and productivity. This may provide you with access to even more opportunities for growth and promotion.

Find a Skilled Trade Job

Partner with Trade Management to find your next skilled trade role. Register with us today!

Wondering If You Got the Job? Leverage the Power of a Customized Thank-You Note

Wondering If You Got the Job Leverage the Power of a Customized Thank-You Note

Wondering If You Got the Job Leverage the Power of a Customized Thank-You Note

When you finish a final round of interviews, there is one more step you can take to increase your odds of receiving a job offer: write a thank-you note. Expressing appreciation for the interviewers’ time within 24 hours of your meeting leaves a positive impression. If the competition is narrowed down to you and another candidate, and they do not send a note, you are more likely to be offered the role. This could mean the difference between getting a position you truly enjoy or one that simply pays the bills.

Find out how to craft a thank-you note to increase your odds of landing a job.

Personalize Your Note

Begin your thank-you note with a clear, concise email subject line. For instance, “Thank you for the interview yesterday” or “[Company Name] seems like a great place to work.” Include in your email the interviewer’s proper title and first name. Express genuine gratitude for taking the time to talk with you. Repeat the process for each interviewer whose business card you received during the interview. Alternatively, you can ask the person who set up your interview for everyone’s contact information.

Make Yourself Stand Out

Jog the interviewer’s memory about something you mentioned you offer that no other candidate can. Perhaps you talked about a specific solution, experience, or skill the hiring manager is looking for that you have. Share how your ideas and contributions for prior employers can help you achieve success in the new position. Include additional information not mentioned during the interview that makes you the best-qualified candidate.

Express Interest ithe Role

Restate the reasons you are passionate about working for the company. Reasons could include the challenging responsibilities, available training programs, or opportunities to advance. Encourage the interviewer to contact you if they have additional questions. Include your full name, email address, and phone number for easy followup.

Ask About the Next Steps

Find out when the interviewer plans to make a hiring decision. Use this as a guideline as you pursue other opportunities. If you end up not receiving a job offer, continue to move forward with your search.

Get Help With Your Job Search

Trade Management can help you find your next job. Visit our job board today.

Tech Talk: How Drones Are Changing Construction Sites Worldwide

Tech Talk: How Drones Are Changing Construction Sites Worldwide

The popularity of drones continues to rise with more people purchasing and operating them both for personal and professional reasons. One professional field to see the value of drones is the construction industry. Here are four ways drones are changing construction sites worldwide.

Improved efficiency and communication

Drones have the ability to easily access different areas of a worksite without needing a human to accompany them. This means you can navigate the equipment wherever your team is working. By mounting a camera to the drone, you can keep tabs on what’s happening. Because of this ability to collect data in the moment from the construction site, managers are noticing an increase in efficiency. Workflow can be monitored all day, every day. In addition to promoting increased efficiency, workflow monitoring captures accurate data for use in updating investors and evaluating progress against timelines.

Land surveys

Drones can survey potential sites more quickly and cost effectively than people. The resulting data is more abundant and less subject to error than land surveys conducted by humans.

Safer transportation

Drones can do more than just provide a view of the construction site; they can provide practical assistance by transporting materials around the worksite quickly and safely.

Faster inspections

When you need to investigate part of a project, a drone can get there faster and provide better, more accurate data. While they won’t necessarily replace the benefit of experts examining the issue, drones can provide a first look to start the troubleshooting process.

Find the construction talent you need

Trade Management consistently provides the top industrial talent for companies like yours. Our growth is evidence of our success, and we just keep advancing. Contact us today to begin a powerful partnership.

Sick of Minimum Wage? Explore Learning a Trade

Graduating high school leads you to a forked road with several options, including a traditional, four-year degree, learning a trade, or trying to find work based on your current level of education. You know college isn’t the right choice for you and you don’t know very much about the process of learning a trade, so you opt for work that meets you at your current skill or educational level.

If this is you and you’re dissatisfied with your minimum-wage-level position, we have information for you about the benefits of exploring a new trade.

 

Get an education in less time for less money

While a four-year college can cost you more than $100,000, learning a trade costs less than a third and in as little as half the time. You’ll develop new, valuable skills without spending more time and money. Graduate sooner with the hands-on experience necessary to succeed!

 

Work opportunities available

One of the biggest challenges facing traditional graduates is finding a job. With more people opting to attend college, tradespeople are in short supply. In fact, more are retiring from the workforce than joining, meaning there are many open positions.

With a trade degree, you can expect to find a position quickly. In fact, 40% of projected job growth in the United States will fall to middle-skill jobs, or tradespeople.

 

Be compensated well

One of the biggest arguments for college is that it guarantees your later success, meaning you can pay for the expense of attending. While it’s true that the pay ceiling is higher for those with four-year degrees, the average tradesperson makes more than the average college graduate.

When you enter a trade program, you’re advancing your education and helping to fill gaps in the workplace with your knowledge and expertise. Not only will you likely experience financial success, you’ll feel good about the work that you do.

 

Get placed today

If you’ve spent your career working a trade or are a recent graduate from a trade program, trust Trade Management to help you get placed today. We have offices around the DFW area to help match you with the right opportunity. Register today and begin your career!