In construction, most leaders will tell you that people are their most important asset. They’ll also tell you it’s harder than ever to find and keep good people. Yet one of the most effective tools for engagement and retention costs almost nothing: consistent, meaningful feedback.
The problem is that workers rarely get it.
Leadership consultant Wally Adamczyk’s survey of roughly 500 construction professionals revealed that 78% of frontline employees receive recognition monthly or less. Many interpret silence as a performance review in itself. As Wally puts it: “We’re in a feedback deficit.”
The disconnect is wider than many supervisors realize. Wally’s data shows that 75% of managers believe they deliver effective feedback, but only about 25% of employees agree.
On a jobsite, that silence can affect more than morale. It can influence safety habits, quality, productivity and whether workers see a future with the company.
Employees should never have to guess where they stand or what success looks like.
COACHING, NOT CRITICISM
By the time feedback only shows up as criticism, a supervisor may already be too late. The missed step, safety concern or quality issue still has to be addressed, but those moments should not be the only time workers hear where they stand.
Wally’s approach is less about correction and more about repetition: “I want them to do more of the good, less of the bad, and I have to coach them up to do that.”
He encourages leaders to keep conversations focused on behaviors and impact. Instead of saying, “You don’t care about safety,” a supervisor might say, “I’m worried you might get hurt.” The difference is small, but it matters: one statement judges intent, while the other expresses concern and keeps the conversation focused on improvement.
FRAMEWORKS FOR FEEDBACK
Wally teaches two simple models that keep conversations clear, calm and focused on behavior rather than personality:
Situation–Behavior–Impact (SBI): Name the moment, describe the observable action and explain the impact. This approach helps supervisors describe what happened and why it matters without triggering defensiveness.
Start/Stop/Continue (SSC): Identify what to begin doing, what to stop doing and what to keep doing. This approach fits naturally into tailgate talks and quick field check-ins.
These models move feedback from confrontation to coaching — and make it far more likely that the message sinks in.
RECOGNITION THAT KEEPS PEOPLE ENGAGED
A laborer who catches a hazard before it becomes an incident may never hear another word about it. The foreman may assume the worker knows it mattered, but the worker just thinks no one noticed.
Recognition helps workers see the full picture. A crew member who consistently turns out quality work, mentors younger hands or shows strong safety habits should know those efforts matter and are being noticed. Positive feedback reinforces the behaviors leaders want repeated and helps employees understand the value they bring to the team.
And it pays off. Frequent, meaningful feedback makes employees five times more likely to be engaged and 47% less likely to be job hunting, according to a recent Gallup and Workhuman report. In a tight labor market, steady recognition keeps people on the team.
MAKING FEEDBACK PART OF EVERYDAY OPERATIONS
Feedback cannot improve retention if it only happens during annual reviews, disciplinary moments or rushed end-of-project conversations.
The strongest feedback habits are not complicated, but they do need to be consistent:
- Give feedback weekly or more: Frequent conversations make it easier to address concerns, recognize positive behaviors and keep safety top of mind.
- Use the 70/30 rule: Approximately 70% of feedback should reinforce positive behaviors and performance, while 30% should focus on areas for improvement.
- Address it while it's fresh: Employees are more likely to repeat positive behaviors or correct mistakes when feedback comes close to the event.
- Ask before you tell: Inviting employees to assess their own performance often leads to more productive conversations and greater ownership of improvement.
- Be specific and actionable: "Good job" feels nice, but it doesn't provide direction. Effective feedback identifies the behavior, explains its impact and clarifies what should be repeated or adjusted.
When workers have to guess where they stand, leaders lose one of their simplest tools for improving performance and keeping people engaged.
“Giving feedback is not about lowering the standard,” Wally says. “It’s about coaching people up.”
Learn practical strategies for delivering feedback in the session, Shut Up and Dig: Better Feedback for Better Performance and Better Retention, by purchasing On Demand Education Access from the CONEXPO-CON/AGG 2026 show.
PHOTO CREDIT: SHUTTERSTOCK/LUNGKHAEK
