WHISTLE WHILE YOU WORK!

Builders’ Business is a column by builders for builders. Its objective is to provide a forum, particularly for small business operators, in which to share knowledge, experience, tips and ideas

 

Q. What tips do you have for building and maintaining a happy building crew?

 

Firm: High Country Carpentry Limited

Interviewee: Lain Hellmrich

Role: Owner / Director

Location: Mackenzie High Country

Staff: 14

Good wages keep a crew happy – but that’s not necessarily the number one thing. In my team, everybody gets a paid birthday day off, and the first Monday of every month we shout them breakfast from the bakery, and coffee.

I’ve found that providing personal professional development is pretty important. Most guys want to be further up the ladder, so I give people something to aim towards, whether it’s a foreman role or just getting qualified as a builder.

To keep them happy, most staff just want to have their feedback listened to and acted on. If it’s possible to keep them in the loop about decision-making we do, so they’re onboard about processes.

Tools for each staff member are a big thing, and also having good company gear such as drop saws, table saws, laser levels, and whatever else the
crew recommends.

Good vehicles keep the boys happy, too: our crew don’t have to use crappy old vans that aren’t safe, they are allowed to use new Ford Rangers.

 

Firm: Lifestyle Building & Construction

Interviewee: Scott Sifflee

Role: Director

Location: New Plymouth

Staff: 8

It’s important for everyone to have similar interests outside of work, so I often look at a person’s interests on their CV. We’re very much outdoors sorts of people, and into rugby and team sports. So, if someone is into hunting, fishing, or joining us on the Round Taupo bike ride, we find those types fit in quite well.

I think you can tell the crew is happy if they’re being productive and everything is going smoothly on site.

I think flexibility and being lenient about time off is important. I have a guy that starts at 9am every second week, instead of 7am, because of family commitments. To be able to have him work happily full time for me, that was one thing we had to sort for him.

High wages help, but money isn’t everything. Tools and vehicles are both pretty important to builders. We run tool accounts, so they can buy tools and pay us back, and we’re pretty flexible about them using the vehicles. I’ve also got four or five trailers, plus kayaks we’ve won through PlaceMakers promotions, that the guys are free to use.

Giving career direction depends on the person. I’ve got a foreman who gets the job done and doesn’t want to ‘advance’. And I’m happy with that. I’ve also had apprentices who are very driven and they want my job!

 

Firm: Main Frame Limited

Interviewee: Rick Pettit

Role: Principal

Location: Queenstown

Staff: 9

When I want to bring on additional team members, I tend to tell my guys we need somebody and I let them go and find them. It means fewer square pegs ending up in a round hole and creates a really good crew that works well together.

To measure their happiness, I shout the crew beers on a Thursday night. On building sites, you used to sit around at smoko and talk about rugby, but these days everybody sits there on their effing phones! So, if I shout drinks and they actually sit and chat with one another, I find it means they’re pretty happy.

We also achieve happiness by giving the guys interesting work. Our houses are hand-built – stone and cedar etc – so repetition is low. I have four apprentices going at any one time. Rather than just doing nogs over and over, I try to mix their jobs up. I also try to swap them from one site to another when we have multiple jobs going, so they get variety and they’re not just doing the same old thing.

High pay wouldn’t guarantee happy workers. I think what matters most is the level of satisfaction, rather than what they get paid.