How To Get A Raise In Construction

after 40 years in construction in four states I've learned what it takes to get a raise in construction if you want to raise increase the number of problems you're solving for your boss I will guarantee you that if you increase the range and the types and the complexity of the problems that you're solving for that individual you're going to become more valuable to that individual into that company and if you make yourself more valuable to an individual or a company it is only a matter of time before they're gonna recognize that and acting in their own self-interest they're gonna make sure you're making enough money that you don't want to go anywhere else so if you're focused on solving problems for your boss which is the way to get a raise the easiest way to solve problems for your bosses not to cause problems for your boss can you see that that's so much easier to simply not cause one than to have to solve one for instance and maybe this is the easiest one be honest with yourself with yourself for a second and think of the number of people that you historically have gotten along with on jobs and the number of people historically that you have not gotten along with on jobs because not getting along with people is a problem for employers one of the biggest ways that a construction employee can cause a huge huge problem for a contractor employer is in the moments that they're interacting with the owner if the owner shows up on the site with a question maybe a harmless question or a pointed question or an irate question about a process or a material and it's directed at you and this person identifies you as a representative of your boss okay in that moment you have a huge huge impact on the problems that your boss is gonna have to deal with choose your words carefully never say anything to a an owner in anything but a pleasant tone of voice it doesn't matter what your mood is like or what your day is like be pleasant second never commit your boss to anything if the if the person said you know I really need that Sidewalk to be moved over there about three feet the conversation should be you know I don't know but I'll check what else can I help you with in every interaction look for a way to reduce the problems your boss may have to deal with it's gonna pay off eventually I've seen top-notch employees top-notch smart organized innovative ambitious abuse a bosses truck and be sent down the road that truck came in and it was so thrashed it didn't matter what that employee was providing because that employee had with callous disregard made this huge statement of the whole world is you know what I just don't care what I do to this rig I just don't care so new job time so in broad strokes every day every way increase your value so that when the time comes that you enter into a new negotiation with your boss and that's what asking for a raise is it's a negotiating a new contract negotiating new contracts cause problems all through our society and so when you go to negotiate a raise and trust me the boss is never going to come to you to negotiate your raise you're gonna go to him or her or them with the responsibility to present a case for why your result you're solving more problems now than you used to if you come to this negotiation with the intention of provoking a conflict or a confrontation or a a win-lose kind of an arrangement you'll lose and maybe that's okay because that introduces another point there are some jobs in some places and in some employers where you will never get a raise I don't care what you learn or how fast you run or how much good you do or how much ownership you take or how often you take the company truck home and wash it and wax it and by the way that's not brown-nosing that's solving a problem isn't it and there are some places and you may be in one of those right now where it just doesn't matter you know what it's time to leave that job you've got skills you know how to solve some problems go find somebody that will recognize that value and it's willing to pay for it so one of the elephants in the living room here in this conversation is that maybe possibly sometimes the best way to get a raise is to work for yourself now never lose track of the fact that that's a maybe because working for yourself also includes risk of catastrophic failure but you know what as an employee you're vulnerable to catastrophic failure overtaking your employer aren't you for many of you and you probably are beginning to feel this already you've acquired the job skills you need maybe you have the soft skills and the people skills and the organizational skills maybe maybe you've got it going on and you see a niche or a way to apply the the skillset that you have acquired on your own then you should do that but you should do it with some wisdom because it is not easy it's not always intuitive and it's it's a wild ride let me tell you this so I worked primarily on a payroll in Las Vegas and then moved back to Oregon and partially because of the different economies and the different circumstances around economic cycles I've never made as much money self-employed in Oregon as I was making on a payroll in Las Vegas but I've had a completely different lifestyle going along with that so I thought the trade-off has been probably worthwhile as you are working as an employee trying to increase your value to the person who signs your check understand that is a priceless education for the day when you are the employer you'll know what to look for you'll begin to recognize a key employee when he comes in and he's young or she is just starting out or has been bounced around from a couple of their jobs and is just looking for a foothold with somebody that will appreciate them you'll recognize that person because you were him you were her and you'll be able to recognize value when it comes walking up to you and asks for a job so here's the takeaway never expect anybody to give you anything shun like a poison any sort of and sort of an entitlement mentality and seek out every way that you can to add to the value that you bring to the workplace every [Music]

Channel: Essential Craftsman

Views: 209,003

Rating: 4.9495215 out of 5

Keywords: Raise, Money, wage, pay, payscale, income, salary, hourly, cash, payment, labor, construction, worker, working, increase, how to, get, earn, deserve, ask, value, valuable

Id: ulai_zgcziI

Length: 6min 50sec (410 seconds)

Published: Thu Apr 12 2018

Reddit Comments

[u/Colterguy]

I joined a union so I know Im getting a raise every 1800 hours and adjustments for inflation no matter what.

[u/hobo_masterrace]

In the video : If you suck up and do work to your boss, your bound to get a raise (0:40)

Also in the video : some bosses don't give a raise no matter what you do ( 4:00)

Honestly, the only way to solidify a good wage is through unions because the employer will pay as low as they can get away with. It is no coincidence that wages and union membership are the lowest they have been for ~40 years.

[u/AdamBhay]

Hey did you steal these tips from Ross?