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Why Great Company Systems Attracts Great Employees

We all know there’s a labor shortage in construction. But did you know that your company processes and systems, or the lack thereof, could play into your hiring difficulties? Good employees are looking for companies that are organized, use technology to their advantage, and help them feel useful. If you’re still using outdated software and systems, you could be turning away future star employees.

Almost one-third of senior leaders cite finding talent as their most significant managerial challenge. The problem isn’t so much finding workers (although that may seem to be the challenge right now), it’s finding quality workers. Workers you can trust and that have the skills your company needs.

As top talent becomes scarcer, the best companies will cherry-pick the best workers. But you won’t even be in the running if your systems aren’t up to date. Employees are choosing companies with the best systems because they provide them with a feeling of security, reduce stress, make them feel productive, and provide professional development.

Feeling of security

Job seekers want to know their new job is secure, that it won’t be cut, and that they are protected from layoffs and other events that might affect their employment. If the position provides a key role in the company’s business processes, workers are more likely to feel that their work is important to the company and that their job is secure.

If company systems are disorganized or are still heavily reliant on paper, it can be frustrating for new employees, especially younger workers who are more comfortable with technology. If your company is slow to adopt technological advancements, your pool of potential workers may be smaller. Top producers will be attracted to companies with better organizational systems.

Reduced stress

Learning a new job is stressful enough. When it’s paired with learning unproductive processes, it can increase the stress felt by new workers. This may lead them to make a hasty exit and look for greener pastures.

Before bringing in new workers, it pays to assess your existing processes, discovers why you do things the way you do, and make changes to improve efficiency. This will reduce the stress felt by your existing employees, as well as those you are hiring.

Increase productivity

Streamlined company systems and processes help workers perform their jobs in the most efficient way possible. There are no extra steps or unnecessary workarounds, saving employees time so they can concentrate on more important tasks. By reducing extraneous or duplicative processes and harnessing the power of technology, work will be completed more efficiently and productively.

Professional development

New employees can learn a lot from the companies they work for. If your company uses effective company systems that take advantage of technology and other efficiencies, new workers learn how to implement these processes and can use this knowledge throughout their professional careers.

What does a great company system look like?

We all know what a poor company system feels like, but how can you identify if your system is truly good enough? Here are some characteristics of a good business system:

  1. The system is designed with the end customer in mind. Does it help you provide better service to your customers and vendors?
  2. It represents the best-known way of doing something. Is it the best you can do, or could the process be improved?
  3. It has one primary purpose. What is the objective of the system, and does it help you meet your company objectives?
  4. The system has an owner. Who is accountable for and reports on system results?
  5. It is as simple as possible, written down, understood by employees, and repeatable.
  6. Results are measured against performance standards. Improvement requires measurement. Can the results be quantified?
  7. You provide ongoing feedback to employees on the system’s performance, and workers are recognized for good results. You celebrate victories and give frequent feedback.
  8. Waste is reduced, including bottlenecks, inefficiencies, and rework.

If your systems aren’t matching up with these characteristics, then you probably have some work to do. Meet with your team, document your current systems, and see what you can do together to improve them. Even incremental change is better than keeping the status quo.

To hire the best employees, you need the best business systems. If you’re still relying on paper and analog systems, it’s time to upgrade. Premier Software can help you streamline and digitize your project management and accounting processes, making your company more attractive to the best candidates.

To see how Premier can help your company get ahead, request a demo today.

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Author Biography:

Dawn Killough is a construction writer with over 20 years of experience with construction payments, from the perspectives of subcontractors and general contractors. Dawn has held roles such as a staff accountant, green building advisor, project assistant, and contract administrator.  Her work for general contractors, design firms, and subcontractors has even led to the publication of blogs on several construction tech websites and her book, Green Building Design 101.

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Company News Industry Insight Resources Tips & Advice Ultimate Guide

The Importance of Employee Training for Construction Software

Software training is key during new software implementation. For workers, it helps them learn the software’s workflow, allows them to test drive the solution, ask specific questions and get more help when needed. For companies, it reduces the transition time, improves morale, and improves efficiency. For more on these benefits and some additional ones, see the list below.

Employee Benefits

1. Learn the software’s workflow

One of the reasons many companies upgrade their software is to gain efficiencies. If you use the same process or workflow in new software, you won’t gain anything. However, through training, you’ll learn how the new software handles data entry, processing, and reporting. Without training, you may spend more time trying to make it do something the way you want it to work, and this wastes time, and money, and reduces your ROI.

2. Concentrate on learning

If you’re trying to implement new software while keeping up with your other duties, it can get stressful fast. The strain of juggling your existing work can make it more difficult for you to learn how to use the new system. By setting aside training time, you can fully concentrate on learning new processes and workflows without the added stress of your other duties.

3. Test drive the software

Training gives you the time to work with real-world examples in the new system. During training, you’ll enter transactions, process data, and run reports, just as you would in your daily work. By “test driving” the software with real data you get a chance to not only see how the software works, but also learn by actively performing the work. Once you go live, you’ll have the data you worked with during training to remind you how each process is performed.

4. Ask specific questions

Every company has situations that are handled differently in that company, and training gives you a chance to ask questions about these situations and work out what needs to be done with an instructor. In addition, you’ll get a chance to learn from questions that others ask during the training, and you’ll receive direct feedback from the instructor.

5. Get added help when needed

Your training time is the time to ask for help. If you’re having difficulty performing a process or knowing what to do next, it’s time to ask for and get the added assistance you need so you can be fully confident using the software. Don’t be afraid to ask for help, whether it’s during a class or one-on-one. Our team is here to make sure you get the training and information you need to make the most of our solution.

Company Benefits

1. Reduce transition time

Anytime you change or update a software solution, there’s going to be a learning curve and it’s going to take time to get the new system up and running. However, when employees aren’t trained properly, this transition time can be extended as they use trial and error to figure things out. But with training and assistance from the software team, this time can be reduced, as well as the number of headaches.

2. Get the most from software efficiencies

You probably didn’t buy new software because it was going to take just as much time to do things as your current solution. You’re probably looking for some efficiencies or cost savings to justify your purchase. In order to take advantage of the efficiencies and improved reporting promised, you’ll need to learn how the developers intend the software to work. Training will walk you through each process and show you exactly how you can save time using the new system.

3. Save time on trial and error

Some teams will work diligently using trial and error to figure things out. This takes a lot of time, as data is entered, deleted, and reentered in a different way. Workers may be trying to use an old system with new software, and that just isn’t going to cut it. Why waste time with trial and error when training can give you the answers you need, allow you to practice using the new system, and get you up and running faster?

4. Improve morale

Software transitions are stressful. Team members can get frustrated with delays and time spent fixing errors and reentering data. When everyone gets trained on how to use the system properly, there’s reduced stress and employee turnover. Workers develop a sense of teamwork as they work together to implement the new system. They help each other solve problems and work through the process more quickly.

5. Track training progress

Employers can quantify and track the training progress of their employees, so they know at a glance who has practiced what skills. This can help with cross-training and job shadowing. If an employee is going to be changing positions, make sure they have time to review their training and refresh their knowledge about the new process.

Buying new software and not providing training is like throwing a person in the water and telling them to swim. They’ll figure it out, but it’s going to take a while and they won’t be very good at it. Software training provides an opportunity for workers to learn new skills, practice them, and see how the new system works. Employers benefit from reduced transition time, improved team morale, and the ability to quantify and track each worker’s skills.

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Author Biography:

Dawn Killough is a construction writer with over 20 years of experience with construction payments, from the perspectives of subcontractors and general contractors. Dawn has held roles such as a staff accountant, green building advisor, project assistant, and contract administrator.  Her work for general contractors, design firms, and subcontractors has even led to the publication of blogs on several construction tech websites and her book, Green Building Design 101.