Running a roofing business isn’t just about installing roof systems or repairing a leak. It’s about building a strong team that’s motivated, skilled, and responsible. Here’s how you can get your crew more engaged, empowered, and accountable:
- Train Up and Skill Up – invest in continued learning with in-person training on not only updated material enhancements and installation practices, but also leadership and communication skills.
- Regularly schedule training sessions to keep your crew updated on the latest roofing techniques and safety measures.
- Help your team get certified in advanced skills and specializations. It makes them more valuable and confident in their work.
- Invest in leadership and communication training to be more effective in their jobs and impactful to the company.
- Show your crew how they can move up the ladder and potential career path.
- Support their interests in continuing education.
- Create a Positive Work Environment – your company culture can make or break your long-term growth strategy. If you’re losing people to a competitor over money alone, that’s a sign that you may need to work on building a sense of unity and shared purpose.
- Be intentional about organizing team activities to build relationships outside of work.
- Celebrate success internally and, when appropriate, with the community.
- Encourage a community that supports one another and perceives mistakes as opportunities to learn and grow.
- Demonstrate respect for all, making sure everyone feels valued no matter their background or job title.
- Nip a discriminatory behavior in the bud as everyone should feel safe on the job.
- Keep the Communication Flowing – what, how, and how often communication is shared is paramount to the success of your business. Have an intentional communication plan with regularly scheduled check-ins and other opportunities for employees to voice concerns.
- Check-in, both one-on-one and as a team.
- Understand your team’s preferred method of communication.
- Survey employees periodically to measure the temperature.
- Encourage your team to speak up with ideas or concerns. No one should fear retaliation.
- Act on the feedback received. Listen to what your crew says and make changes where needed. This shows you value their input.
- Set Clear Expectations and Hold People Accountable – when people aren’t clear on what’s expected, there is a whole lot of room for error. Ensuring that you not only have expectations communicated, but also understood by everyone is critical.
- Define roles with clear job descriptions and an organizational chart so that everyone knows their part and what’s expected of them.
- Share the big picture and help your team understand how their work fits into the larger goals of the company.
- Hold everyone accountable by tracking performance using metrics to keep track of progress.
- Provide constructive feedback to help meet their goals.
- Recognize and Reward Hard Work – take the time to celebrate individual, team, and company achievements.
- Implement a recognition program that celebrates those who go the extra mile with bonuses, gift cards, or extra time off.
- Create a peer recognition system where the team can recognize each other’s hard work.
