Construction companies continue to invest in recruiting, yet many still struggle with employee retention, career development, and building the next generation of qualified craft professionals. Long-term workforce success depends not only on hiring skilled employees, but also on creating clear pathways for growth once they join the organization.

In this edition of Ground Truth, Russ Gallivan, Founder of CraneQualified. com, shares his perspective on workforce development, career progression, supervisor accountability, and why objective advancement standards can strengthen retention across the construction industry.

I’ ve watched good ironworkers quit over a promotion they never knew they were in line for.

Not because they weren’ t ready. Because one supervisor didn’ t want them to be.

Here’ s what nobody in the construction industry says out loud: career growth on most crews runs on opinion. A worker advances when their supervisor decides to speak up for them. And sometimes that supervisor looks at a sharp 26-year-old and doesn’ t see an asset— he sees a threat to his own job.

So the kid stalls, gets frustrated, and walks across the street to a competitor who’ ll pay him $ 3 more an hour. And the owner never even knew he was ready.

We are short more than half a million construction workers this year; 40 % of the workforce retires within the decade. Nobody is hiring their way out of that math.

The only workforce any of us can count on is the one we grow ourselves— which means we cannot afford a system

Credit: Shared with permission from Russ Gallivan.

The views expressed are those of the author and do not necessarily represent the views of Lift and Access or Catalyst Communications Network.

where talent advances based on whether the right person happened to like you.

Growth has to be objective; defined stages, clear standards, documented at every step. The worker knows exactly what’ s next without asking permission. The owner can see who’ s climbing without it being filtered through middle management.

That’ s not a soft HR idea. It’ s a retention strategy, a succession plan, and a liability shield in one.

One of the key things I’ ve learned with 25 years of crane and rigging experience is that the competency you can’ t prove doesn’ t count. The same goes for potential— except with potential, you’ re not the one who loses the argument. You’ re the one who never finds out what you had.

If your best people can’ t see their path, they’ re already looking at someone else’ s.

About Ground Truth

Ground Truth exists to amplify voices from the field. Conversations surrounding competition, equipment performance, service support, safety, regulation, and market access are important to the future of the lift industry, and industry professionals benefit from hearing multiple perspectives.