By Karalynn Cromeens, The Cromeens Law Firm PLLC

The labor market has presented immense challenges for subcontractors in recent years. Many of us experienced the shock of the “Great Resignation,” watching valued team members leave and struggling to fill the void. With more job openings than available workers, attracting and retaining talent became a battle. This difficult period, however, forced a necessary evolution in how we approach workforce management. It became clear that simply offering a paycheck was not enough. To build a resilient and successful team, we had to create a workplace where people genuinely want to be.

This article shares a field-tested blueprint for transforming your company into a magnet for top talent. The strategies grew from the hard-learned lessons of losing nearly 75% of a workforce and rebuilding from the ground up. By focusing on clarity, support, communication, and shared success, you can not only survive a tough labor market but thrive in it. These steps will help you build a true dream team that is skilled, motivated, and invested in your company’s future.

The Foundation of Success: Unwavering Clarity

When hiring slowed to a crawl and existing staff were departing, the first step was a hard look inward. A critical weakness quickly became apparent: a lack of clarity. Without clearly defined roles, how could anyone know if they were succeeding? People want to understand what is expected of them and how their performance will be measured. Vague expectations lead to frustration for both the employee and the employer.

The solution was to go back to basics. For every position, from the field to the office, we developed comprehensive job descriptions. This wasn’t just a list of tasks; it was a detailed outline of responsibilities, key performance indicators, and the role’s impact on the company. Defining these elements forces you to think critically about what each team member truly needs to accomplish for the business to succeed. This simple act of writing things down creates a powerful foundation of mutual understanding from day one.

Supporting New Hires: The 30-60-90 Day Plan

A clear job description is the starting point, but it’s not a “set it and forget it” tool. New employees need a roadmap to help them integrate and grow into their roles. To provide this, we created a 30-60-90 day check-in sheet for every new hire. This document breaks down the job description into achievable milestones, setting reasonable expectations for what a new team member should learn and master over their first three months.

Here’s how it works:

• First 30 Days: Focus on core training, company culture, and fundamental tasks. The goal is for the employee to feel comfortable and competent with the basics.
• Next 60 Days: The employee begins to take on more responsibility and work with greater independence. This phase is about building confidence and applying their initial training to more complex situations.
• Final 90 Days: By this point, the team member should be fully integrated, contributing effectively, and beginning to identify areas for process improvement.

This structured plan removes guesswork for the new employee and provides a clear framework for managers to track progress. It transforms the onboarding process from a simple orientation into a strategic journey toward long-term success.

The Power of Immediate and Constructive Feedback

In construction, a mistake that isn’t corrected immediately can compound into a major issue. The same is true for employee performance. Waiting for an annual review to address a problem is a recipe for failure. We discovered that consistent, immediate feedback is one of the most powerful tools for developing a high-performing team.

Supervisors were trained to meet with their new team members daily, even if just for a few minutes. These check-ins were not about finding fault. Instead, every feedback conversation began with a simple, powerful statement: “My goal is to help you become a successful member of this team.” This approach frames feedback as a supportive act, not a punitive one. It removes fear and defensiveness, allowing the employee to hear the guidance and make adjustments. Whether praising a job well done or correcting an error, the focus is always on growth and improvement.

Define Your Path: The Importance of Written Processes

Every business owner has a unique vision for how their company should run. The problem is that this vision often stays inside their head. To build a scalable and efficient operation, you must translate your methods into written processes. This answers the critical question: “This is your business, so how do you want things done?”

Documenting your processes—from bidding and project management to safety protocols and client communication—accomplishes several key goals:

• Consistency: It ensures every team member performs tasks the same way, leading to reliable and high-quality outcomes.
• Training: It provides a clear playbook for new hires, accelerating their learning curve.
• Empowerment: It gives your team the confidence to make decisions without constantly seeking approval, because they know they are following the established company way.

Your processes don’t have to mirror your competitors’. In fact, your unique approach can be a competitive advantage. The crucial step is to get it out of your head and onto paper so everyone on your team can execute your vision flawlessly.

Fostering an Ownership Mindset with Profit Sharing

Once you have a team that is clear on their roles, well-supported, and executing proven processes, the final piece is getting them to think like an owner. How do you make your company’s success their success? The answer is to give them a tangible stake in the outcome. Implementing a profit-sharing plan was a game-changer.

By opening the books and showing the team how their performance directly impacts revenue and profit, you create a powerful connection between their daily work and the company’s bottom line. When an employee sees how reducing waste on a job site or improving efficiency in the office adds to the profit-sharing pool, their mindset shifts. They are no longer just an employee; they are a partner in the business’s success.

A well-designed profit-sharing program shows your team that there is a path for growth within the company. It demonstrates that as the company does better, they will do better. This fosters a level of loyalty and dedication that a simple salary can never buy.

Conclusion: Build the Team You Need to Succeed

The labor shortages of the past few years have been a wake-up call for the construction industry. The old ways of hiring and managing are no longer sufficient. To attract and retain the best people, you must build a culture of clarity, support, and shared purpose.

By defining clear expectations, providing a structured onboarding process, offering consistent feedback, documenting your processes, and giving your team a stake in the outcome, you can create an environment that stands out. These strategies are not quick fixes; they require a commitment to changing how you operate. But the result is a resilient, motivated, and highly effective dream team that will power your company’s growth for years to come.

About the Author: 

Karalynn Cromeens is the Owner and Managing Partner of The Cromeens Law Firm, PLLC, with over 20 years of experience in construction, real estate, and business law. A published author and passionate advocate for contractors, she has dedicated her career to protecting the businesses her clients have built. Karalynn is on a mission to educate subcontractors on their legal rights, which inspired her books Quit Getting Screwed and Quit Getting Stiffed, as well as her podcast and The Subcontractor Institute.