How to Recruit and Hire Skilled Trade Workers

Another good employee just put in their notice. The crew schedule you spent an hour building yesterday is already outdated. And somewhere in the back of your mind, you’re wondering if the remaining team members are updating their resumes too.

Turnover isn’t just a staffing problem, it’s a profitability problem. Every time someone walks out, you’re not just losing their last paycheck. You’re eating the cost of delayed jobs, mistakes from rushed replacements, and the good employees left behind who start questioning whether they should leave too.

During a recent CompanyCam webinar, Jenna Jackson, COO of Acadian House Design + Renovation, broke down exactly how she’s tackled this problem. With 15 years in healthcare before making the jump to construction, Jenna brought a fresh perspective to an industry struggling with what she calls ​“the great reshuffle” — 50 million people who quit their jobs in 2022 alone, all trying to find work that actually fits their lives.

Here’s what she’s learned about building a team that sticks around.

Why retention matters more now than ever: Understanding ​‘the great reshuffle’

The construction labor shortage didn’t happen overnight. It’s the result of what Jenna calls ​“the great reshuffle” — a massive workforce shift that started with the pandemic and shows no signs of stopping.

The numbers: In 2022 alone, 50 million people quit their jobs. Not because they didn’t want to work, but because they were searching for work that actually fit their lives.

“In 2022 is really when we felt that punch in the gut,” Jenna says. The skilled trades were hit particularly hard. The real issue wasn’t the work itself, it was how the work treated people.

Workers today aren’t just looking for a paycheck. They want recognition, flexibility, growth opportunities, and respect from leadership. This is why old-school retention tactics don’t work anymore. Paying well matters, but it’s not enough. Workers will leave a good-paying job for one that actually sees them and supports them.

The contractors who understand this are building teams that stick around. The ones who don’t are cycling through new hires every six months.

What construction employee turnover actually costs you

Here’s the math most contractors don’t do:

• Recruiting and onboarding: $3,000 – $5,000 per hire (job ads, interviews, paperwork, first-week training)

• Lost productivity: A new worker is 50% as productive as the person they replaced for the first 90 days. That’s $5,000 – $10,000 in slower work.

• Job delays: Every unfilled position pushes timelines back 1 – 2 weeks. Missed deadlines lead to customer trust lost. 

• Mistakes and rework: Rushed replacements cause errors. Budget 10 – 15% margin loss on projects with high turnover.

• Crew morale damage: Your remaining employees see people leaving and start wondering if they should too.

Add it up: Replacing one skilled worker costs $8,000 – $20,000 when you count everything.

If you hired five people last year and lost three, that’s $24,000 – $60,000 you’ll never get back.

Why employees quit: The real reasons behind turnover

“Exit interviews tell the same story,” Jenna says. ​“I didn’t know what was expected. My manager never told me if I was doing it right. I felt like nobody noticed my work.”

The trades have a feedback problem. Office workers get real-time coaching. Field workers? They hear something went wrong two weeks later, when it’s already cost the job. That delay kills morale faster than a bad paycheck.

Jenna describes what she calls the invisibility problem. When nobody documents what crews do, their work disappears the moment they leave the site. No recognition. No proof. No point in trying harder. Workers who feel invisible leave.

This is where visual documentation becomes a retention tool, not just a project management system.

Ask yourself: Could your newest hire describe what ​“good work” looks like on your jobs? Or are they guessing based on what the last guy told them?

How to make work visible for better retention

Jenna’s team uses CompanyCam to solve what she calls their biggest operational challenge: keeping designers and project managers connected without pulling people out of the field. CompanyCam is a project management app that allows field crews to capture and organize job site progress with their phones, instantly sharing updates with the entire team. Instead of relying on memory, phone calls, or site visits to know what’s happening, everyone can see real-time photo updates from every job.

“CompanyCam changed our project management,” she says. ​“Our design team wants to know that the beautiful project they put together is being implemented properly. Now they have a live view every day of what’s happening.”

The impact goes beyond just seeing progress. It’s about creating a feedback loop that actually works. The project manager takes a photo of an issue. The designer sees it immediately and responds. Problem solved before it becomes a crisis. No phone tag. No driving across town. No waiting until Friday’s meeting to address something that happened Monday.

“It helped take the stress off of ​‘what is happening on my job site,’ ” Jenna says. ​“Our time management is better. Our productivity is better. We’re not worried about those things or having to pull our design team out of their offices.”

Why new hires need to see quality work examples

For new hires, this visibility is critical. When they can see examples of quality work from day one — actual photos from actual jobs, not just verbal descriptions — they learn faster. When they document their own work and get immediate feedback, they know whether they’re on track. They’re not guessing.

This is how job site documentation becomes a way to keep employees engaged. When field crews see their progress captured and recognized, they stay invested. When they don’t, they feel expendable.

What would change if every crew member could see examples of quality work from day one without you having to explain it in person every time?

How to train new construction workers: A 3‑month system that works

Onboarding new employees the right way takes time. Acadian House runs a three-month training curriculum for every new hire. Not three months of ​“shadow someone and figure it out,” but structured, week-by-week training that covers everything.

Get new hires set up for success

“Week one is all me,” Jenna says. ​“HR, getting all their apps on the phone, computer setup, building access, alarm codes. Everything.”

Then she brings in veteran employees to teach the actual work. The project manager trains on project management. The lead designer teaches 2020 design software. Everyone crosses over to understand how the pieces fit together.

“I need my project manager to know what my designers do,” she explains. ​“Everyone goes through the same training to build understanding and teamwork.”

Teach documentation skills from day one

One piece most contractors miss: teaching new hires to document their work from day one. When workers take progress photos and leave notes for the PM, they’re not just following orders, they’re communicating. And workers who communicate tend to stick around longer.

Hire slow, fire fast

Jenna’s hiring process includes something most contractors skip: personality assessments.

Before the first Zoom call, every candidate takes a DiSC assessment. ​“It tells us so much before we even meet someone,” she says. ​“Are they go-getters? Organized? Sociable? It helps us make sure we’re bringing on the right people.”

But here’s the part that matters more: she uses those same assessments to manage people once they’re hired. ​“Before I have a hard conversation with a team member, I pull their DiSC study. It even tells you how to resolve conflict with this type of personality. My whole conversation changes.”

This is the kind of thing that sounds soft until you realize it’s the difference between retaining employees and cycling through mediocre hires every six months.

And when someone isn’t working out? Jenna doesn’t wait.

“I hire slow and fire fast,” she says. ​“If someone isn’t aligning with our values, it’s better for them and for us to part ways sooner rather than later.”

Why transparency matters just as much as perks

Perks are great, but they won’t keep people if they don’t know where they stand. Jenna’s team wants to know what’s expected and whether they’re meeting those expectations.

“We’re extremely transparent on what we need for this company to run,” she says. The team knows the revenue targets. They know the conversion percentages. They know exactly what they need to do to meet their KPIs and what they’ll earn if they exceed them.

“If we hit a certain conversion percentage, we know we’ll hit our revenue for the year. That’s the least you need to do. They don’t have guesswork about whether they’re on track.”

Beyond numbers, transparency means immediate conflict resolution. ​“If there’s an issue between employees, employee and sub, or with a client, you have to attack that immediately,” Jenna says. ​“Not wipe it under the rug. Immediate.”

Do your employees know whether they’re on track? Or are they waiting for a Friday meeting to find out they missed something on Monday?

Clear expectations make flexibility possible

She also offers flexibility that matters to real people. ​“I have two kids myself. I don’t miss or try not to miss anything. Some people need more time with their kids. I want to go to Muffins with Mom. I’m very flexible with that.”

The result? ​“I had an employee out sick the other day texting like ​‘Hey, how is everything going?’ I’m like, you’re sick. We’re good. We’ll see you when you get better.”

That’s what employee satisfaction looks like. And employee satisfaction drives retention.

Small wins matter

When Jenna’s team signs a new job, she runs into the office with confetti poppers. ​“It’s so small to do that,” she says. ​“Champagne or whatever works.”

She cooks for the subs once a month at the showroom. ​“At that point I have direct contact with my subs. I can tell them the things I don’t like they’re doing. I can tell them the things I love that they’re doing. And they can communicate any issues with me.”

These aren’t perks. They’re proof that work matters and people are seen.

When these employee retention strategies won’t fix your problem

Jenna’s system works — but only if the fundamentals are already in place. Here’s when hiring and culture strategies fail:

If you’re paying below market rate, no amount of confetti poppers will retain employees. Check what other contractors in your area pay and adjust accordingly.

If your estimating is broken and jobs are always chaotic, good people will leave no matter how well you train them. Fix your project management and pricing first, then worry about retention.

If you’re hiring out of desperation (not because you have systems to onboard properly), you’ll keep cycling through mediocre hires every six months.

If you’re only running one job at a time or working alongside every employee daily, Jenna’s level of process may be overkill. These systems matter most when you’re managing multiple crews across job sites you can’t personally visit.

Retention strategies amplify good operations. They don’t fix broken ones.

Employee retention strategies that actually work

If you’re running three or more crews or hiring five-plus people a year, here’s what Jenna’s approach looks like in practice:

Define your culture first. Not with a poster on the wall. With decisions about how you communicate, resolve conflict, and recognize good work. Then hire people who fit that culture, not just people who can do the job.

Build a real training program. Three months. Week-by-week curriculum. Cross-training across roles. Teaching documentation from day one. Use your veteran employees to pass on knowledge instead of hoping new hires figure it out.

Recruit employees actively. LinkedIn. Industry job boards. Detailed job descriptions. Personality assessments before the first interview. Don’t wait for talent to find you.

Make work visible. Give crews an easy way to document progress. Give managers a way to see and respond without being on-site. Give employees proof that their work matters. This isn’t surveillance — it’s recognition.

Be transparent about expectations. Share your numbers. Make KPIs clear. Let people know what they need to hit and what they’ll earn when they exceed it. Remove the guesswork.

Resolve conflict immediately. Don’t let issues sit. Address them the same day, not at Friday’s meeting.

“I can either lead you or manage you,” Jenna says. ​“When I can’t lead you, I will manage. And when I can’t manage, I’m done. I’m quick to pull the trigger on that because the vision we have at Acadian House is a standard of trust within our team members.”