Employee loyalty is a two-way street. If you want your workers to be loyal to you, you'll need to demonstrate your loyalty to them. This is how relationships work. That this is a work relationship does not change the human psyche. If you want loyalty you have to meet the needs of your employees. This is especially true in construction, and industry in which there is a lot of labour which will not put up with less-than-fair treatment. Your workers' needs can be separated into three levels.

It is your ability to meet these needs which will produce an engaged, productive and loyal crew.

So, what does this mean, exactly?

First, let's break it down to the components of the relationship. You pay your workers for the work they do. This might generate nominal loyalty, but only for as long as the pay is competitive. This alone is not enough to guarantee true worker dedication, as your staff can quite easily be lured elsewhere by more attractive remuneration.

You need to go further…

In any relationship, people who feel valued are far more likely to both put in 110%  and stick with you through thick and thin. Now, this is more than a transaction of trinkets or monetary incentives. You should go out of your way to show your appreciation of your workers. This means more than a simple 'good Job' every once-in-a-while. It means identifying a specific accomplishment or contribution and genuinely showing the worker how it benefited the organisation.

You're showing appreciation, but worker loyalty could still be better…

So, you're paying fairly and showing appreciation, what next? Now you must provide your workers a meaningful and rewarding work experience. This is the advanced levels of engagement that will garner you even more loyalty. The trick here is creating an environment that your worker never wants to leave, because they love the work they are doing so much.

How do you get there?  It's tough – to say the least, but it can be done. This takes an active approach in discussing with an employee their passions, what motivates them, and what they get the most excited to do. Match your workers' passions to their jobs and you will foster greater loyalty still.

Your workers feel appreciated and are enjoying their work, what else can you do?

Now comes high-level employee engagement. This is the level that drives construction workers in their career. It's the level at which your worker is engaged by the feeling of being part of something bigger; that they are part of a cause and are achieving self-actualisation. You want your workers to feel so good about what they do that they keep coming back for more.

If you want loyalty from your workers, you need to go beyond competitive pay, a flexible work environment and other materialistic benefits. You must create an environment that motivates, inspires and recognises the accomplishments and commitment your organisation needs to succeed and prosper.

Looking for more advice on keeping your construction workers loyal? Call Kris. (03) 8606 0382