b'20 Business Management (continued from pg 19)your employees feel that youre investing inThose are solvable. They just take intention. They them, theyll want to invest more in you, too. take leadership.Recognizing burnout. Listen when someoneWe spend so much time talking about tools and says theyre overwhelmed, and be ready tosystems, but sometimes the most powerful system support them. Picking someone up when theyreyou can install is trust. The best investment you down isnt something that theyre soon to forget! can make isnt always in the van or the softwareits in your people.Creating a workplace where your workers feel seen, supported and respected is the key toIf we want to grow the next generation of skilled retaining the talent that keeps your companytradespeople, we cant just recruit themwe have running smoothly. to retain them. That means more than a sign-on bonus; it means showing them every day that they In my time at Plumbing & Mechanical, Ive gottenmatter.the opportunity to to hear and share stories from people in the industry all across North America.Retention isnt rocket science. Its respect. Respect The ones that stick with me are about people:for peoples time, for their contributions, and for why they stay, and what makes this industry worththeir potential.committing to.When customers know you take care of your team, that trust carries through in the quality of the work. And when employees know theyre not expected to Dedicated to keeping its members at the forefront in their industrysacrifice their mental health or personal life to meet impossible expectations, they respond with loyalty and pride.Ive spoken with rep agencies who encourage their employees to turn their phones off for an hour a day, and whose majority of their new employees come from referrals from current workers. Ive had conversations with service companies that prioritize ride-along training; not just for skill-building, but to keep the culture tight and connected.Its easy to think the answer is bigger bonuses or more PTO. In some cases, sure, those absolutely help. But the companies I hear from, month after month, arent keeping crews together because they throw money at the problem. Theyre doing it by creating workplaces where people feel seen, safe, and supported.The industry has no shortage of technical challengesnew codes, rising material costs and complex system designs. But, people challenges? The InsulatorOctober 2025 csiaonline.org'