Flashings

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Survey yields retention information

A recent Salary.com survey of more than 7,000 U.S. employees indicates many employers underestimate their employees' interest in actively seeking new employment. Additionally, employers may not understand their employees' reasons for leaving or staying at their current jobs. This is despite the fact that 60 percent of employers believe they are "somewhat perceptive" and 24 percent believe they are "highly perceptive" when assessing employee satisfaction.

The survey states 42 percent of employees updated their resumes within the past year. Forty-six percent searched for job postings online; 32 percent read classified employment listings; 27 percent posted or e-mailed their resumes to prospects; and 32 percent networked with friends or colleagues. A much lower percentage of employers claim to have perceived that their employees were participating in these activities.

The survey also provides information about what motivates employees to leave or remain at their jobs.

Compensation is the most important factor for employees when choosing to leave their current jobs but is less of a factor when deciding whether to stay at their jobs. Twenty-seven percent of employees leave their jobs because of inadequate compensation; 19 percent leave because of a lack of career advancement; 17 percent leave because of insufficient recognition; and 11 percent leave because of boredom.

Relationships with co-workers and managers are the top reason employees stay at their jobs, with 25 percent ranking this as the most important factor. Twenty-two percent claim to stay at a job because of desirable working hours; 20 percent stay because of attractive compensation; and 20 percent stay because of attractive benefits.

California establishes green building standards

The California Building Standards Commission recently adopted a statewide green building code. According to the commission, this is the first such statewide code in the U.S.

The California Green Building Standards Code contains standards for single-family homes, health care facilities and commercial buildings and will encourage builders to reduce their structures' energy use to 15 percent below current levels. The standards also address on-site renewable energy use, water consumption, green building materials, indoor air quality and other measures.

The new standards are optional but will become mandatory in 2010. The green building standards will be updated annually beginning in 2011.

Keep employees happy

Happy employees often are more productive and less likely to leave their jobs than unhappy employees. Following are some tips for keeping employees happy:

• Spend time with employees. Spending time with employees will show them you are concerned about their well-being. Observing employees closely also will increase your chances of spotting problems before they affect morale.
• Practice active listening. Few employees are willing to tell supervisors when they are unhappy with a task or situation. Pay attention to how employees speak to each other.
• Give them a break. During tough economic times, layoffs are frequent and companies may hire fewer employees. This often means remaining employees have to do extra work. It may be difficult to reward employees with extra breaks when a company already is short-staffed, but doing so can refresh them and help them be more productive.
• Rethink rewards. Money is not the only way to keep employees happy. Consider planning a celebration, providing additional training or allowing employees to work on new challenges.

Source: Adapted from The Motivational Manager, July issue

Construction employees more likely to abuse alcohol

According to studies conducted during 2002 and 2004 by the Office of Applied Science, full-time construction employees are more likely to suffer from alcohol abuse or dependency than employees in other industries.

The studies state the percentage of full-time employees aged 18 to 64 who claimed to have used alcohol heavily within the past month was 17.8 percent among those employed in construction and extraction occupations and 14.7 percent among those in installation, maintenance and repair occupations. This is significantly higher than the 12.1 percent reported for full-time employees in the food preparation and food service industries, which are the industries with the next highest risk of employee alcohol abuse.

In addition, employees employed by small businesses seem more likely to use alcohol heavily than those employed by larger companies. The prevalence of heavy alcohol use during the past month among full-time employees in establishments employing fewer than 10 employees was 10.1 percent. This is higher than the 6.8 percent reported among employees working for companies employing 500 or more employees. When asked about heavy alcohol use during the past year, 7.5 percent of full-time employees in establishments with 500 or more employees reported dependence or abuse. For smaller establishments, 9 to 9.9 percent reported alcohol dependence or abuse during the past year.

Details

Chad L. Collins

What is your position within your company?
I'm owner and president of Bone Dry Roofing Co., Athens, Ga.

What is the most unusual roofing project you've performed?
A historic renovation project on the third-oldest courthouse in Georgia. The roof received Follansbee TCS II® standing-seam panels, and the bell and clock tower was completely restored, including handmade turrets, urns and other ornamental designs that were all fabricated to match an old photograph of the original structure.

Why did you become a roofing contractor?
I was fortunate enough to have NRCA Director Allen Lancaster, president of Metalcrafts Inc., Savannah, Ga., as a boss years ago, and I took that experience and training with me when I left Savannah and opened my own operation.

When you were a child, what did you want to be when you grew up?
A high school football coach. My father has been a head football coach in Georgia for 30-plus years, and I wanted to follow in his footsteps.

What do you consider your most rewarding experiences?
Time spent with my wife and daughter. They are both such a blessing!

What is a motto you live by?
"How a man plays the game shows something about his character. How he loses shows all of it!"

Where are your favorite places to go on vacation?
St. Simons Island, Ga., anywhere in the Caribbean and Charleston, S.C.

What three items are always in your fridge?
Chocolate chip cookie dough, parmesan cheese and Toaster Strudels™ (apple)

What is your biggest pet peeve?
Apathy and people not taking initiative or ownership of a situation

Name one extravagance that you allow yourself.
Golf at really nice courses

What is the most high-tech thing in your house?
My wife and I have new iPhones, and I feel like Jack Bauer from "24" with all the cool functions that can be accomplished from that device.

What are the most challenging aspects of your job?
Finding qualified help and keeping people motivated and engaged

What is your roofing industry involvement?
I am a first-year NRCA director serving on the Government Relations Committee and ROOFPAC Advisory Committee. I am also a member of ROOFPAC's Political Insiders Council.

People would be surprised to know …
I turned down an opportunity to play football at Yale when I graduated from high school. Life lesson: People who pass on an Ivy League education become roofing contractors.

Pennsylvania creates alternative-energy fund

Pennsylvania Gov. Edward Rendell recently approved a bill establishing a $500 million fund to support alternative-energy projects in the state.

The $500 million made available by the bill will be split into six funds. Eighty million dollars will be used for grants and loans for solar energy projects; $100 million will be used for grants, loans and rebates for up to 35 percent of the cost of solar energy projects at residences and small businesses; $165 million will be used for grants for alternative-energy projects, excluding solar energy projects, at businesses and local government facilities; $25 million will be used for wind and geothermal projects; $40 million will be used to help startup businesses involved with energy-efficient technology; and $25 million will be used for grants and loans to improve the energy efficiency of existing homes and small businesses.

An additional $65 million will go toward pollution control technologies and to help low-income families pay their energy bills.

The bill also has created a Consumer Energy Program, which is funded at $15 million during the next three fiscal years. Funding then decreases to $8 million by the 2015-16 fiscal year for a total of $100 million. Of that, $92.5 million will be used to support loans, grants and rebates for up to 25 percent of the cost of energy-efficiency improvements to homes and small businesses, and $5 million will be used to support low-interest loans for energy-efficiency improvements to homes.

An additional $50 million will be available during the next eight years to support tax credits for 15 percent of the cost of alternative-energy projects, capped at $1 million per year for each project.