There is an advantage to driving on the other side of the road in South Africa. Likewise, there is an advantage to driving at night with a cellphone GPS that takes you through sketchy neighborhoods on the way to your hotel. The advantage is that you see things from a different perspective. This new perspective is further enhanced with the addition of a couple of safaris—you really get to see the world differently.

Most hiring managers and companies look at recruiting from a desperate perspective – “I need Dependable Workers who can do the job now!” This is their perspective, and it is understandable. They have a project with deadlines. They cannot delay the finish, or if they do, there may be penalties.

Who thinks about the candidate’s perspective? Isn’t this an equation? Doesn’t the recruiting process require a win for both sides?

Some managers blow through employees. What is the impact of this practice on your concrete business? You constantly need to hire new, probably mostly untrained (for your business) employees – only to hear from the manager that they are not performing to the manager’s standards. 

Would a better method be to attract candidates who want to learn about your concrete business? Talent Attraction is better than Talent Acquisition.

Talent Attraction requires that you accept your needs and accept and embrace the needs of your candidates and employees.

Concrete and Psychology Do Mix

Every successful business effectively uses psychology. Some companies are more aware of it and more successful than others. The focus here is on psychology regarding your employees (your business may also employ psychological fundamentals with your clients).

According to psychologist A.H. Maslow’s hierarchy of needs, humans have physiological needs, including food, water, air, exercise, and biological drives that keep the body functioning at a high level.

The environmental needs include a safe and secure place to live. An environment that is free of psychological assault, including name-calling, public embarrassment, and passive-aggressive assaults (nice to their face but rude behind their back).

The growth needs pertain to how humans like to learn new things. Physically, in concrete work, they may not be able to exercise their new learning, but they may develop insights to help your business be more effective. Our nature is complicated. On the one hand, we resist change (even in changing jobs). On the other hand, we thrive by learning new ways to implement our training.

Our emotional needs include the feeling of belonging. You may begin to cultivate a culture of belonging with the simple practice of giving company t-shirts in the summer and company sweatshirts for the cooler months, identifying them as members of your concrete team. This action also provides your company with advertising when employees go to lunch.

We all have self-activation needs. Everyone loves to solve problems – and to be recognized for doing so. We love spontaneity (appropriate humor is an example, and even better is unexpected praise).

When I worked for a general contractor for several years, after starting as a job clerk, I was promoted to assistant project manager (I assisted with estimates and bidding). Then I worked with a second general contractor as a finish superintendent before being promoted to construction superintendent. I intuitively followed these principles (I studied psychology for two years). I retained my laborers because I was loyal to them, and I only corrected them in private (unless there was an immediate safety issue).

You may address these needs in your interview process by adding questions that pertain to them. Remember that laborers most likely have not studied A.H. Maslow, including many workers with college degrees.

Sample questions include:

What do you feel that you will like the most about working with our concrete company? Their response will tell you about their motivation (or lack of it).

What did you like in your last job? This response informs you how to motivate them.

What drove you crazy at your last job? Now you know what your managers need to avoid.

Editor’s note: Bill Humbert, RecruiterGuy.com, is a consultant member of the Concrete Foundations Association. He offers these quarterly articles as a way of inspiring workers in this industry to think more strategically and creatively about the talent attraction and retention processes. As valuable as this free advice found in Concrete Facts is, how much more could you and your company benefit from becoming a member of the Association? How much more could you benefit from a work session or two with RecruiterGuy? You may reach out to Bill directly to set up an appointment (www.recruiterguy.com/contact/).