The roofing industry is changing. No longer led by baby boomers, the industry now has a younger generation of workers at the helm, known as millennials. As the largest and most diverse generation, millennials bring new perspectives and desires that must be acknowledged and addressed to ensure the success of any roofing business.
Retain millennial workforce
It is high time for business owners to focus on attracting and retaining millennial workers. They are a generation with different expectations and needs. Here are a few ideas to get started.
Understand the millennial mindset
The millennial workforce is different from any generation before it. They grew up in a world of constant change and are often described as impatient, entitled, and narcissistic. They are also the most racially and ethnically diverse generation in history. To attract millennials, you will need to appeal to their sense of independence and willingness to take risks.
The best way to do this is by giving them a sense of ownership and empowerment in their work. Allow them to contribute their ideas and feedback, and provide them with the opportunity to learn new skills. Be sure to also stress the importance of teamwork and make sure they feel like they are part of a larger goal.
While millennials share some general characteristics, it is essential to remember that they are a diverse group. So, it is challenging to make a sweeping statement about what they desire in a workplace. However, there are some common themes.
Millennials want flexible work arrangements, an authentic and transparent culture, opportunities for growth and development, and a sense of purpose in their work. They also place a high value on work-life balance. Providing flexibility and offering opportunities for growth and development are two strategies that roofing companies can use to manage the millennial workforce.
Give them the required technology
Millennials have grown up in a technological era. They are motivated by companies that use cutting-edge technology. They don’t want to spend much time on manual and repetitive tasks. Instead, they prefer to use technology to reduce time-consuming tasks like scheduling and dispatching.
Millennials have had access to technology their entire lives. Computers, cell phones, the internet, and social media are all part of their everyday world. They are a generation that expects a level of technology in their workplace. The more established the company they work for, the more likely they expect cutting-edge technology to be used.
This generation prefers to use technology to reduce time-consuming tasks and will not be persuaded to stay with your company if they are forced to do otherwise. To retain millennial employees, you need to allow them the opportunity to automate processes and streamline their work orders through the use of smart software solutions.
Contractors should provide millennials with the required technology to streamline their jobs. For example, roofers can be equipped with tablets that allow measuring roofs with drones and entering the data into a roofing software application. A roofing professional with high-tech skills can help your business grow by improving efficiency.
Promote a sense of purpose
Roofing contractors can promote a sense of purpose in their millennial employees by letting them know that they are working to ensure the safety of people’s lives. Many millennials value more than making money and need a sense of purpose. When they look at their jobs as roofers is not just about making money but also being responsible for ensuring the safety of people, they are more inclined to take their work seriously.
As a sense of purpose drives them to work, they expect more opportunities to learn, develop and grow. If roofing contractors recognize a job well done and can provide opportunities for advancement within the company, then employees are more likely to feel valued and be less inclined to look elsewhere; retaining quality employees begins with valuing them.
Ensure your training programs are up-to-date and relevant to your younger workforce’s preferences and skillsets; if they are not adapted to them. In addition, try to incorporate technology into your training wherever possible. This can be anything from online modules to video demonstrations. Integrating technology in your training will help keep your millennials engaged and motivated. Their generation wants to know that there is room for them to grow in their career. They don’t want just to be stuck in the same position forever.
Offer feedback
Showing them that you are invested in their success by providing honest feedback can help motivate their improvement. Also, they don’t need to have a command-control-management system at their workplace. Instead, they expect their boss to be a team player who understands their perspective and helps guide them when required.
Encourage them by having an ongoing conversation and giving meaningful feedback. Offer plenty of help by providing support immediately. Let them gain valuable communication skills by presenting more opportunities to engage with their elder colleagues and build a relationship with them. Maintaining a good relationship and gaining trust will help individuals set new goals and improve their performance in this competitive business world.
Provide mentorship
Encourage open and honest communication. Offer plenty of help. Introduce them to more seasoned professionals from whom they can learn; one of the best ways to manage and encourage the growth of your millennial workforce is to provide them with mentors. This can be someone within the company who is familiar with the industry and can help them understand and implement new techniques.
It can be an older colleague with whom they can build a relationship. Additionally, make sure to offer plenty of help and opportunities for them to grow. Let them gain experience through shadowing more experienced colleagues, participating in training sessions, and giving presentations. This will encourage them to share their thoughts and opinions and help them develop valuable communication skills.
Best practices for managing the millennial workforce
Millennial workers have different wants and expectations when it comes to their careers. They want interesting, challenging work, and they value flexibility and autonomy in their jobs. Feeling like they are making a difference and contributing to something larger than themselves is also important.
So, what are some best practices for managing a millennial workforce? First, you should give them exciting and challenging work assignments. Second, you should allow them to work flexibly and autonomously. And third, you should make sure they feel like they are contributing to something larger than themselves. If you can meet these expectations, you will be able to retain your millennial workers and get the most out of them.
Conclusion
The millennial workforce is different from previous generations. They are tech-savvy, have other desires in the workplace, and are often more vocal about their needs. However, this does not mean that they cannot be managed effectively.
Businesses can attract and retain millennial workers by understanding what they want and need and by creating a workplace that is conducive to their needs. Roofing businesses looking to manage their workforce more effectively should consider using roofing software to help with workforce scheduling and dispatching.
