Masonry Magazine June 1998 Page. 9
MY ERS? 600
By RoAnne Barnett Marrett
I QUIT
There is not a contractor talking today who does not eventually use the phrase, "Nobody wants to work today. I can't find any good help." At Masonry Expo, that was held recently, the attendees of the Manpower Forum seminar expressed their greatest concern for the future of their companies are manpower issues. This is true not only for the masonry industry but also for all sectors within the construction industry.
The lament of the laziness and apathy of today's American worker has prompted a flurry of recruitment activities within not only the construction industry, but also other service and industrial populations of our economy. Workers are being recruited from neighboring countries not only to the South, but also in the Canadian provinces. Masonry companies and industry associations are creating "superteams" to recruit students at schools and job fairs. "Fastest Trowel" contests are reappearing as promotional tools for the industry. The federal government has gotten into the act with the School-to-Work program where students are exposed to the various trades, occupations and careers exclusive of the white-collar professions.
Companies are producing television commercials to promote employment opportunities. Radio air time, on English and Hispanic stations, are being purchased to advertise the need for labor. The employment sections of newspapers are getting rich from a contractor's hope that maybe, just maybe, one good candidate can be culled from the rich competition of "Help Wanted" ads. The idea that a contractor's biggest budget line item, payroll, is being relegated to a matter of great expense and hope is a sad commentary on the state of our industry.
For the most part, the effort put into recruitment is an exercise in futility. A numerical quantification to document this statement takes only moments to do. Consider for a moment the number of dedicated people you employ. Determine that number. Secondly, ask your payroll processor how many W-2 tax forms were mailed from your office in January of this year. Subtract the number of loyal employees from the number of W-2 forms mailed this year. The number or a percentage is probably bigger than you would have guessed-much bigger. By this time you are probably smacking your hand to your brow, happy that someone finally proved that you are correct in your belief. Truly, nobody wants to work and the costs of doing business are escalating out of control because of these deadbeats. That is opposite the conclusion of our interpretation of the numbers. What the numbers show is that current hiring practices are grossly ineffective or the environment of the company is not a desirable workplace.
In a very informal survey of masonry contractors and general contractors with in-house masonry crews in the Louisville market, the numbers were astounding. Companies were experiencing turnover rates ranging from 55% to 530%. (A small residential contractor in this market employing approximately 12 people sent out 80 W-2 tax forms.) The identifiable hard costs to one contractor (payroll expenses only) were more than $300,000.
Let's examine this phenomenon in an effort to provide you with some thoughts to aid you in identifying and Continued on next page
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