When you first started out in the construction industry, you didn’t realize how much responsibility would fall on your shoulders as an employer. Being in charge of a whole band of workers is going to cause a lot of stress if you don’t handle it correctly right from the outset. You want your employees to enjoy working for you and you always want them to feel safe and protected. Although you decided to enter into a high risk industry, there is nothing you would rather do with your time. It is very important to you that your employees respect you and you care for them as much as possible. If you’re looking for ways to improve upon theses skills then check out some of the following ideas.
Find a Regulator
When you are a commercial contractor you have a lot to think about. Instead of trying to juggle all of the roles at once you might want to enquire into the Construction Industry Scheme. They will be able to verify any subcontractors with HMRC and engage under professionally vetted and bespoke contracts, taking into account the regulatory needs of their self-employment status. Enrolling in this type of scheme will help to put your mind at ease when it comes to the day to day running of your construction business.
Make Their Benefits Clear
When you’re hiring contractors it is highly likely that they are self employed. You need to make it extremely clear what is included in their contract with you, otherwise there might be some ambiguity in the air. Once you have made everything completely clear with every new starter they will be able to get on with their job without worrying about their entitlements.
Provide the Correct Equipment
Working in construction is extremely risky business, so you need to make sure that you are kitting out every one of your workers with the correct equipment, tools and clothing. When they are signed up to work for you they are totally your responsibility so make sure you investigate all of the risks before you allow them to get started on a job.
Support Their Personal Needs
It is true that every employee needs to be supported and cared about, no matter what the industry may be. Have an open door policy when it comes to speaking about their personal problems and don’t disregard their feelings if they’re going through a real life issue.
When you’re working as a construction business owner, all of these things will soon come into play. Understanding how to support the needs of your employees and keep them working at an optimum level is a huge balancing act. You want to be a well respected boss who always had their best interests at heart, so go out of your way to make all of these things possible. As long as you open up your mind and explore the possibilities available to you as an employer you will have no problems keeping your workers happy and safe on the job.