When you think about your “employee experience,” what comes to mind? Chances are you think about how well they are compensated, perhaps compared to others in the construction industry. You might also think about your overall company culture or general workplace morale.

However, the employee experience is actually much, much bigger than this. Just like it is important to think about all of the different “touchpoints” you have with your clients (i.e., the various opportunities they have to interact with your company and establish feelings), your relationships with your employees are also constantly evolving.

The factors that play into the employee experience

It may seem like an easy thing to overlook – especially when compared to things like salary – but the physical environment can have a huge impact on your employees’ mood, and is definitely connected to their overall experience. While this might be challenging to address when working on construction sites, you should try to find ways to ensure that your employees feel supported. This can include ensuring that they have the proper tools and resources, which include constructive feedback from management and the ability to advance. Essentially, you want your employees to be happy to come into work.

Why the employee experience so important

Based on your employees’ experience with your company, your relationship can strengthen over time or it can start to deteriorate. Making the effort to ensure that the experience is a good one can go a long way. Happiness can improve productivity, and then this positive experience is extended to clients, improving work quality, and strengthening relationships. Your employees are also more likely to feel respected and challenged, which will decrease the risk of burnout and improve retention rates. In the long term, your reputation as an employer will also improve as more employees have positive things to say about the working relationship (past and present). This will lead to an easier ability to hire quality talent.

Remember: Employees have more options than ever

More so than other industries, construction can often be project-based, which means that you will not always be working with the same team, and turnover rates can be high. Ideally, you will create good relationships with employees, whose experience and skill you can trust. It is important that you do not take your top talent for granted – instead, you need to consider the experience of your employees, otherwise, they will be considering other opportunities.

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