In nearly every survey about top concerns for the plumbing and HVAC industries, employee engagement and retention are always high on the list. It doesn’t matter what the economy is doing, how much inflation there is or whether or not we’re in a trade war at any given time. One of the top challenges is always about finding and retaining good people and keeping them engaged, enthusiastic and in it to win it, every day on the job. But that can seem like a nearly impossible task.

Here are some ideas to boost employee engagement. (Spoiler alert: it’s all about creating a positive work environment and making employees feel valued.)

1. Promote open communication. Encourage your people to be open and honest, even if they’re admitting mistakes or things that go wrong. Transform snafus and problems into learning experiences for the whole team.
2. Encourage feedback. Your employees that go out into the field, into client homes and businesses, are your boots on the ground. They see and experience what you don’t. Encourage them to suggest fixes, workarounds or better ways to get the job done and any other ideas they have for improving things. And just as important…
3. Act on their feedback. Feedback will dry up very quickly if employees see you’re not going to act on it. Not every one of their ideas can result in a new way of doing things, but make sure they know you’re considering their opinions, that you value those opinions and will act on them.
4. Reward achievements. Create a program that rewards top achievers — whatever that means to your company. Maybe they get the best reviews from customers or go a certain number of days without any issues or consistently have a great attitude. Rewards could be a gift card to a favorite local hangout, extra time off or a cash bonus. It’s a way to show you appreciate their efforts.
5. Provide opportunities for training. Send your people to ongoing technical training courses to improve and brush up their skills and acquire new ones. This shows you care about their careers and want to help them climb the ladder.
6. Provide opportunities for advancement. Is there a ladder to climb in your company? Highlight ways field service employees can move up the ladder to become trainers for newbies, or work in sales, management or other more senior positions. It means they know they have a future with you and don’t have to go elsewhere to move up.
7. Offer mentorship for new employees. Pair newbies up with your most experienced pros in order to make their training seamless and stellar. Those relationships create strong bonds between employees that go far in building loyalty.
8. Prioritize employee wellbeing. Let your people know you understand they have lives when they’re off the clock. Consider offering wellness programs like discounts on gym memberships, benefits for full time employees, and ample PTO.
9. Provide little rewards. Pizza lunch Wednesday, Half Day Friday, Free Breakfast Monday — little gestures like these once in a while make the work week more fun. Also, organize periodic team building events like taking the staff to a baseball game or dinner at a favorite hangout.

   10. Implement one-on-one check ins. Talk to your people, one-on-one, every quarter to take their pulse, see how things are going, ask if they have any feedback and talk about anything that’s concerning them.

   None of these tactics has to cost much money, time or effort. These are small changes you can make that will have a big impact on employee engagement.