How to keep and expand your BIM team

It is clear from the salary debate chaired by Michael Boyd from WSP that every sector in the construction industry is finding it challenging to attract and retain good BIM talent.

The forecast, with a growing workload, higher demand for BIM on projects and the shortage of talent, is for that challenge to increase.

Salaries for experienced BIM specialists will increase if demand outstrips supply. And it will. The BIM Salary Guide is helping recruiters understand what needs to be paid to retain and attract experienced talent but, to manage costs, more emphasis is being placed on upskilling trainees.

As Garry Fannon discusses in the debate, the improving standardisation and consistency in BIM education is making it easier to find graduates/trainees with a good interest and basic skills. However, as Andy Boutle comments, upskilling is one thing, keeping those skills in-house is another.

 

RETAINING TALENT

As Trevor Strahan comments, there are the five primary reasons why people leave their jobs:

• Salary
• Career progression
• Recognition
• The boss
• Stress

 

WHAT ARE THE SOLUTIONS?

1: SALARY

The BIM Salary Guide helps clarify the broad market levels at the moment. It doesn’t mention the benefits as these can be a red-herring when take home salary is #1. As Garry Fannon emphasises, if experienced talent is essential and higher salaries are required for new and existing staff, it will be important to engage the boardroom with the ROI (Return on Investment) to increase salaries. Chris Crookes highlights that the value of BIM is often misunderstood, which is why this engagement at board level is so important.

Elliott Crossley points out that bundling BIM roles and BIM support functions is leading to confusion over job descriptions and salary ranges.

2: CAREER PROGRESSION

The panel spoke about the need for career progression to retain talent. If the lack of career progression is such a major reason for changing jobs, it’s obviously not enough in most cases to just give someone a good salary. Alex Parry raises how tech and finance industries value digital skills more highly than construction – talent has the option to go elsewhere if it’s not progressing.

The BIM Career Map – developed with some of the leading brains in the industry – maps BIM career progression from trainee to firmwide digital leadership. It gives the smart milestones that form the basis of goal-based training programmes.

Trevor Strahan quoted Richard Branson: “Train people well enough so they can leave, treat them well enough so they don’t want to.”

Train well does not mean simply providing training, it means setting SMART goals and helping individuals progress their career in the direction they want to go. The BIM Career Map milestones are the SMART goals you need. These form the basis of training BIM talent well.

3: RECOGNITION

Referring to Mr. Branson again, recognition and reward are key to treating people well, building loyalty and retaining talent.

The milestones on the BIM Career Map are the perfect means to recognise achievement and promote. Used with the BIM Salary Guide to reward financially, you have the tools to combat the top three reasons why talent leaves.

4: THE BOSS

To keep your staff, train them well, recognise their achievement, pay them well, and make sure your team leaders treat them well. Well enough to build trust and loyalty – on both sides. This is one of the most crucial things we look for in the Good Digital Employers listing that we are building at dbe.careers.

Bond Bryan and Kier are already included in the Good Digital Employer list. See their statements here. If you would like to be included in the Good Digital Employer List, please complete the questionnaire and email it to mike@dbe.careers

Good Digital Employers provide the best environment for BIM talent to learn, grow and progress as the industry rapidly transforms digitally.

We are building and publishing the Good Digital Employers list because we want to make it easier for talented BIM specialists to find the best employers. Having good, people-centric team leaders who inspire, motivate and want to help individuals progress is a must have if you want to retain talent – and attract it.

5: STRESS

Treating staff well is one of the most effective things you can do to combat stress. Working towards a goal and being rewarded for your achievements means less stress. Good team leaders make themselves approachable – so if stress is building, staff feel comfortable discussing it and solutions can be found before it’s too late.

 

ATTRACTING TALENT

TRAINEES: If everyone is going to start looking for trainees, it makes sense to prepare for a highly competitive market and to make your business the most attractive to join.

Presenting potential new BIM recruits with a well thought out, BIM focused training plan, aligned with milestones and BIM specific career progression will help you stand out from the crowd.

Another way of winning is the Good Digital Employer (GDE) listing, designed to differentiate the companies genuinely committed to digital and people, and help strong BIM talent find the right employer.

Read the statements from Bond Bryan and Kier, the first members of the Good Digital Employer list and, if you would like to be included in the Good Digital Employer List, please complete the questionnaire and email it to mike@dbe.careers

EXPERIENCED TALENT: If you need to attract experienced talent, again the BIM Career Map is a differentiator, as is the GDE.

We have also put together a guide to attracting talent through your recruitment process:

https://www.dbe.careers/employer-resources/finding-talent/5-steps-to-attracting-bim-talent/