The Ultimate Guide to Build Your All-Star Crane Team

Running a crane business is no easy task. You need a wide range of team members if you want to cultivate an efficient working environment, and each worker must have the hard and soft skills needed to excel at their job. But how do you know which players you need on your team, and where do you go to get them? 

In this guide, we'll show you how to build a mobile crane team from the ground up. We'll identify which positions you should look for and then explore some strategies for how to recruit the right fit. We'll also explore some top retention tactics that can help you minimize your employee turnover so you can maintain your team's synergy, followed by an examination of how you can invest in long-term, sustainable growth.

Inside this guide:

1. How to Build your Crane Team
2. Recruiting and Retaining
   1. Recruiting: How to hire an all-star team
   2. Retaining: How to keep your all-star team
3. Growing Your Team
   1. Sustainable Growth: Scaling your workforce for the long haul
   2. Cost-Effective Workforce Development Strategies
   3. Long-term Investment in Workforce Sustainability
4. RapidWork: Helping you Build a Sustainable Mobile Crane Team
   
   

How to Build Your Crane Team

Before you can build a team, you need to know which positions you'll have to fill. A single mobile crane project will require multiple crew members, each having a different role. Understanding the differences between each role can help you identify any missing pieces so that you can make the right hires. 

The most common mobile crane team positions are:

• Mobile crane operator: This person maneuvers the crane.
• Signalperson: This person signals the crane to help maintain clearance and avoid blind spots.
• Spotter: This person serves as an extra set of eyes and helps maintain clearance if the job site is within a certain proximity to hazards.
• Rigger: This person is directly in charge of the initial work of setting up the crane and ensures that all rigging work is carried out in accordance with statutory requirements.
• Oiler: This person assists the rigger in setting up the crane and acts as an additional spotter.
• Project manager/supervisor: This person oversees the entire operation.

Each team member must work together to ensure a successful operation. As always, communication is key. A well-rounded team can complete even challenging projects safely, efficiently, and rapidly, whereas a dysfunctional team could result in a disaster. 

Recruiting and Retaining

Once you've identified which team members you need, the next step is to leverage your team's network and resources to recruit the top talent that's out there. You'll then need to craft a retention strategy that reduces your turnover rate and fosters a company culture of long-term engagement so you can keep your all-star team together for the long haul. 

Here's how you can get it done. 

How to Hire and All-Star Team

Regardless of the position, working with mobile cranes is a highly specialized job. It requires certifications and plenty of construction experience — and the ability to work well under pressure. 

Hiring for such a niche position can be a difficult task, so you should make sure to utilize all of the networking resources at your disposal to find the right fit. We've previously about the top mobile crane workforce recruitment strategies, but here's a quick review of the most common recruitment techniques: 

• Post job openings on industry-specific platforms. This will reduce the amount of time you waste on unqualified applicants and help ensure that your prospects have the certifications and industry experience you're looking for. 
• Seek out veterans. Partnering with veteran transition programs and offering vet-specific fast-track certifications and apprenticeships can help you find exceptional candidates. There are also tax incentives available for companies that hire veterans, which can help you save money, too.
• Create an apprenticeship program. Government assistance may be available to help you build an occupation-specific apprenticeship program, and local trade schools, unions, and labor halls could be a valuable talent pool to tap.
• Consider alternative backgrounds. Recruiting skilled tradespeople with adjacent skillsets, such as mechanics, construction workers, or equipment operators, can help you find standout employees, even if they lack crane-specific experience.

Pro tip: Offer internships to recruit new graduates and put them through a work-study program. This provides them with real-world experience and the potential for long-term employment.

How to Keep your Team Satisfied

In 2021, the construction industry had an employee turnover rate of roughly 68% — well above the national average of 30% to 40%. A high churn rate can dampen your company's culture, lower morale, hinder communication, and reduce your team's efficiency — all of which can eat into your bottom line. 

To elevate your retention efforts, the first step is to create a strong culture that shapes your company's ethos. We've covered these crane operator retention strategies more comprehensively, too, but some of the main ways to keep your team together are:

• Put safety first. Fostering a safety-first culture protects workers, reduces turnover, and builds trust among your employees. Scheduling routine toolbox talks and training sessions into your workflows can remind your employees to stay vigilant about safety practices.
• Create clear communication channels. Eighty-six percent of employees don't feel like they're adequately heard at their job. Allowing employees to express their concerns gives them a voice, and acting on their suggestions when possible shows that their input is valued. 
• Provide competitive benefits. Underwhelming wage growth amid a rising cost of living is one of the main reasons that employee turnover is so high in the construction industry. Offering performance-based bonuses, incentives, or benefits will attract and keep talented employees. 
• Prioritize employee wellness. Flexible work schedules, job rotations, wellness programs, and counseling services all promote a better work-life balance. These additional benefits can set your company apart as a top talent magnet so that you can build an all-star crane team.
• Offer upward mobility. Career advancement is a major factor in driving retention, as employees who believe they have a chance at upward mobility are significantly more likely to stay. Establishing a clear career progression path shows your workers that they have a future at your company.

Pro tip: Promote from within whenever you can, and highlight success stories where possible. This demonstrates your commitment to your employees and shows them that their efforts are being seen. 

Growing your Team

Once you've established a team that can carry your crane business to long-term success, the next step is to invest in developing your workforce to facilitate future growth and keep your crew satisfied. 

Sustainable Growth: Scaling your Workforce for the Long Haul

Workforce development is essential for growing your crane business in a sustainable and profitable way. A typical construction company's labor costs account for roughly 20% to 40% of its overall expenses, so wasted labor can severely damage your company's profitability. 

The high rate of employee turnover contributes to these costs. Investing in the right retention strategy can reduce your labor expenses and boost your bottom line. Also, because workforce development makes your mobile crane team safer and more efficient, it also boosts the team's performance. 

Cost-Effective Workforce Development Strategies

Workforce development improves your retention rate, but it also makes it easier to fill shifts. Some strategies to consider are: 

• Cross-training employees across multiple roles, such as rigging and crane operation, increasing your team's flexibility
• Using crane simulators and e-learning platforms to provide a cost-effective, realistic training experience without putting your equipment or personnel at risk
• Implementing a referral bonus program through which current employees are incentivized to refer qualified operators and riggers

These tactics not only make your team more effective; they're also more cost-effective than hiring from outside your company. Check out a deep dive on these workforce development strategies.

Long-Term Investment in Workforce Sustainability

When companies invest in workforce development strategies, they improve their productivity and profitability. Businesses with more engaged employees are 18% more productive than those with less engaged workers and experience 23% more profitability. They're also safer and experience less theft — a critical problem in the construction industry — so when your employees are satisfied with their job and work environment, your balance sheet will thank you for it.

One way to invest in your workforce is to establish a leadership training program to prepare high-potential operators and riggers for supervisory roles. Conducting regular employee surveys or feedback sessions can also help you understand their needs or concerns, and their suggestions may unlock improvements for your overall work environment. 

Pro tip: Developing future leaders helps you maintain strong operational management and decision-making as your business scales. 

RapidWorks: Helping You Build a Sustainable Mobile Crane Team

Building a mobile crane team requires careful planning, and having the right construction software in place should be a key part of your recruitment, retention, and workforce development strategy. The right solution should foster clear communication between team members, provide a centralized hub for all of your construction workflows, and keep everyone on the same page to ensure adherence to vital safety protocols. 

RapidWorks' products are at the forefront of the heavy construction equipment industry, delivering innovative mobile and telematics solutions that can help improve your mission-critical mobile crane workflows. 

Visual Dispatch, RapidWorks' premier crane product, lets you allocate your crew and crane resources, generate quotes, and manage your daily operations with ease. Keep your crew happy by maintaining open communication lines and workflows that help them know their job schedule and job details ahead of time. Schedule a demo today to see how we can help you facilitate better communication and improve your workforce.