How to Reduce Employee Turnover for Your Renovation Company

Spring renovation season fills up fast—and the contractors who plan early don’t just win more leads, they deliver more projects on time. If you want to book early spring projects before competition ramps up, you need two things working together: steady lead generation and a reliable crew to complete the work you sell.

As a home renovation contractor, you’re hiring and training employees to keep them for as long as possible. However, the current labour shortage seen in several provinces across the country isn't making things easier. For example, in Quebec, it's been estimated that 65% of all construction industry trades are affected by this shortage. Incidentally, a lot of workers are getting offered positions to work elsewhere.

That’s why reducing employee turnover should be part of your pre-season planning—right alongside marketing, scheduling, and estimating. When you keep skilled people, you protect production capacity, jobsite quality, and schedule reliability—three things that drive customer satisfaction, referrals, and company profitability. Turnover, on the other hand, is expensive in paid recruiting time, onboarding, training, and rework, and it can also damage your reputation if timelines slip once peak season hits.

The good news: you can get ahead of turnover with a few practical moves—strengthening hiring and onboarding, improving pay and benefits, building a positive jobsite culture, listening to employees consistently, and using simple systems (including HR tools) to spot issues early. Below are six ways to retain the best of your labour force so you can stay organized, keep crews stable, and take on more work confidently as the season starts.

Why Reducing Turnover Is a Business Priority (Not Just an HR Task)

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In renovation, retention directly affects business performance. When you keep skilled people, you protect production capacity, jobsite quality, and schedule reliability—three things that drive customer satisfaction, referrals, and company profitability. Low turnover also becomes a competitive advantage in a labour shortage: companies known as stable, well-run places to work tend to attract stronger candidates more easily than companies with constant churn.

Turnover is expensive in a very concrete way. For example, Gallup has estimated that voluntary turnover costs U.S. businesses about $1 trillion per year, and that replacing one employee can cost about one-half to two times that employee’s annual salary (a conservative range). In a renovation company, that cost isn’t just recruiting—it’s paid time spent interviewing, onboarding, training, rework from mistakes, and the hidden hit of losing institutional knowledge (jobsite “know-how” that keeps work moving).

The ripple effects matter too: when someone leaves mid-project, the remaining crew often has to carry extra workload, which can increase burnout and raise the risk of more resignations. High turnover can also hurt your employer reputation with workers and your reputation with clients if timelines slip or quality becomes inconsistent.

Home Renovation Company: 6 Ways to Retain the Best of Your Labour Force

1. Offer Fair Salaries

If you’ve been a contractor for a while, you already know that underpaying your employees is one of the main contributing factors to continuous turnover. This is why it's so important to provide good wages to all of your workers. Don't make the mistake of paying everyone the same amount, as the skills and efforts provided by each are different. The most skilled workers must have a good reason to keep working for you and the ones that are still starting need a source of motivation to persevere.

Find out what the current salaries are like by seeking out job offers in every trade you employ and comparing to the market rate. Think beyond base pay: a strong compensation package and total compensation (pay and benefits) can make you far more competitive. If you aren’t able to increase salaries, consider offering other advantages (paid holidays, flexible work schedules, collective insurance, maternity and paternity leave). Well-being and quality of life are both integral aspects of the benefits that help differentiate construction and renovation companies.

It also helps to make your compensation system feel fair and predictable. Watch for pay imbalances, and when possible, review pay equity (including racial and gender pay equity analyses, where relevant) so compensation aligns with role, skill level, and performance. A simple, consistent review rhythm—regular raises tied to clear expectations—reduces frustration and rumours. Small bonuses or incentives for safety, attendance, quality, and customer feedback can reinforce the behaviours you want without relying only on hourly rate.

2. Aim for Continuous Training

In the renovation industry, continuous training is a great way to keep workers. Therefore, it's important to offer development opportunities by allowing them to take part in training programs. This is an excellent way to encourage motivation and commitment.

Several organizations across the country offer training programs designed to increase your employee's skills. These learning opportunities are designed to teach labourers different work-related aspects such as new material characteristics or how to apply new techniques. When possible, tie training to a clear career path so employees can see where they’re headed (for example, apprentice → lead hand → site supervisor), not just what they’re doing this week.

Also, as an employer, your goal is to inform and sensitize your workers about the importance of increasing their skillset throughout their careers. A quick skills-gap analysis (what your team needs vs. what it has) can guide continuing education and upskilling programs, and even help you create personalized learning plans. If your company has competent workers, you'll be able to increase the number of services that you offer, as well as the customer satisfaction level.

Here are the different organizations currently offering training programs in various provinces:

• Quebec: Association de la construction du Québec (ACQ)

• Ontario: The Ontario home builder's association

• Nova Scotia: Canadian Home Builder's Association of Nova Scotia

• Alberta: Alberta Construction Association

• Manitoba: Winnipeg Construction Association

• British Columbia: British Columbia Construction Association

3. Ensure Year-Round Work for Employees

In the home renovation industry, the best way to retain your workers is to give them work, year-round. Several projects can't be completed in the winter, and most homeowners only want to renovate during the summer, which makes things more complicated when trying to fill up a winter schedule.

Year-round planning reduces fear of layoffs and supports work-life balance. When people feel financially secure and can predict their schedule, burnout is less likely. If your winters are slower, look for ways to keep hours steadier (even if the work mix changes): indoor projects, planning/prep tasks, training time, maintenance calls, or staggered scheduling. For some roles (estimating, project coordination), occasional remote work or flexible start times can also reduce commuting strain without affecting jobsite productivity.

If you're looking for a good solution to find work for your employees year-round, you should look into signing up with a customer referral platform.

At Reno Quotes, we receive a substantial amount of projects daily from clients looking for contractors. By signing up to use our platform, you'll be able to set your parameters and, in return, we'll send you projects that suit your needs. This will help you maximize your chances of signing on for contracts at any given moment year-round.

4. Encourage Job Rotation

Job rotation consists of allowing workers to temporarily perform one or more tasks that they're not necessarily accustomed to performing. This will help lessen monotony, help prevent burnout, and help reinforce mutual respect between workers. This method of doing can namely reveal a new calling for some workers and encourage them to learn new skills.

In addition to helping you keep your employees, job rotation is also a practical way to strengthen team dynamics. You can treat it as a structured lateral move or role change—for example, having a labourer shadow a more specialized trade, rotating finishing work with a short stint in demo, or assigning cross-functional projects that require coordination between trades. Just keep it organized: set clear training expectations, confirm safety requirements, and avoid rotations that create jobsite delays or quality issues.

5. Offer Professional Development to Keep Employees

An employee that enjoys working for your company will certainly want to climb up the professional ladder, as no one wants to stay exactly where they were when they first started throughout their entire career. As a renovation contractor, your employees should be encouraged in these efforts and you should advise them accordingly when it comes to growth opportunities from the get-go. This is an excellent motivational factor and a great way to keep employees.

Make advancement feel real by showing what “moving up” looks like in your business. Map out development opportunities: promotions, role changes, and lateral moves that build leadership skills (for example, moving from production to quality lead, safety lead, or junior project manager). Support this with goal setting and a simple performance review process so people know what “good” looks like and what to work on next.

Mentors also matter—pairing newer hires with a mentor or buddy improves confidence, reduces mistakes, and builds loyalty. If you can offer job-related education reimbursement for select courses, it’s another strong signal that you’re invested in long-term careers, not short-term labour.

6. Organize Team Activities

Were you one of those who thought a cocktail hour was solely for office workers? Well, 'tis not the case. Activities, celebrations and various outings greatly contribute to reinforcing employee bonding by scheduling select gatherings that don’t revolve around work. Do your employees like hockey or basketball? Invite them to attend a match once a year as a way of expressing your gratitude.

Family/company nights such as Christmas parties are just as important. It's also a good time to chat and get to know your employees in a festive and friendly setting.

To keep these activities meaningful, connect them to day-to-day culture: include quick shout-outs for good work, encourage peer-to-peer acknowledgment, and use the time to reinforce respect and teamwork. If you collect feedback, this is also a good moment to share what you heard and what’s changing—closing the loop helps employees feel valued and increases retention.

What Causes Employee Turnover in Renovation and Construction?

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Before you jump into retention tactics, it helps to understand why people leave—and to separate what’s mostly within management’s control from what’s external. In renovation and construction, turnover usually comes down to a few repeat categories.

Factors you can influence directly (internal):

• Compensation and benefits: Low salary, unclear raises, pay imbalances, or a compensation package that doesn’t match the market rate.

• Management and communication: Poor management, inconsistent instructions, weak manager communication, or unclear job expectations (which often shows up as frustration on jobsites).

• Workplace culture and environment: Disrespectful jobsite behaviour, poor team dynamics, or leadership that tolerates unsafe or negative attitudes.

• Work-life balance and workload: Long days, unpredictable schedules, limited flexible work options where possible, excessive overtime, and burnout—especially during peak season.

• Job fit, onboarding, and growth: Negative onboarding experiences, monotonous work, limited learning opportunities, lack of career opportunity, or no visible career path.

• Recognition and fairness: Inadequate recognition, feeling overlooked, or rewards/promotions that seem inconsistent.

Seasonality and pipeline swings (winter slowdowns, project-based layoffs, and fear of layoffs when work dries up):

• Commuting and travel: Long commutes, shifting jobsites, and travel time that eats into personal life.

• Personal circumstances: Relocation, family needs, or health considerations (including the physical demands of the trades).

• Competitive market pressure: Strong offers from other companies during a labour shortage.

General workforce research points to a clear pattern: toxic company culture, low salary, poor management, and lack of healthy work-life balance frequently rank among the top reasons people want to leave.

In a renovation context, these causes show up in very real ways. A skilled tradesperson might leave after repeated winter layoffs and unpredictable hours, even if they like the crew. A newer labourer might quit within the first month after unclear expectations, poor onboarding, and little day-to-day feedback—before they ever build loyalty.

Further Steps You Can Take to Reduce Employee Turnover

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Analyze Turnover Data So You Can Fix the Real Problem

To make your plan more effective, start by analyzing turnover data so you can target the issues that matter most (instead of guessing). Track your turnover rate over time and separate voluntary and involuntary turnover. Then go one level deeper:

• Historical trends: Seasonality (winter vs. summer), slow periods, and how turnover changes with workload

• Turnover demographics: Tenure (first 30/90 days vs. long-term), trade/role, and experience level

• Top performer turnover trends: Whether your best people are leaving (and when)

• Skills gaps: Roles you can’t keep filled, or skills your team lacks that create stress and rework

• Termination root causes: Patterns from exit interviews, plus “stay interviews” with people you want to keep

Even simple analytics (a spreadsheet) can help, but human capital management (HCM) / HRMS applications can make it easier to track talent trends, store feedback, and spot root causes quickly—especially as your team grows.

Strengthen Hiring and Onboarding to Reduce Early Turnover

In renovation, early-stage turnover (first 30/90 days) often happens when the reality of the job doesn’t match what the candidate expected. A structured hiring process and a structured onboarding program reduce that risk.

A simple structured hiring process (reduce “bad fit” hires):

• Define the role clearly: List essential skills (technical and safety), required certifications, and non-negotiables (attendance, travel between jobsites, physical demands). Add what “good” looks like in your company culture (teamwork, communication, respect on site).

• Use a consistent interview scorecard: Ask the same core behavioural interview questions to every candidate and score answers against the same criteria (reliability, problem-solving, customer mindset, safety habits).

• Include peer input: Involve a future teammate (or lead hand) for part of the interview so you can assess fit, and the candidate gets a realistic preview of team dynamics.

• Be transparent upfront: Don’t “sell” the job. Explain the tough parts (seasonality, scheduling realities, commute ranges, jobsite conditions) and your expectations from day one.

A structured onboarding program (reduce first 30/90-day exits):

• Week 1 checklist: Safety orientation (PPE, hazard reporting, site rules), jobsite etiquette and communication protocols, equipment use/maintenance basics, and a clear walkthrough of “how we work” (quality standards, customer interactions, cleanup).

• Buddy/mentor pairing: Assign a mentor for the first few weeks so the new hire always has someone to ask before mistakes turn into frustration.

• Shadowing plan: Rotate new hires through a few project types (e.g., demo, framing, finishing) so they learn workflows and see where they fit best—without throwing them into the deep end.

• 30/60/90-day check-ins: Quick feedback sessions to confirm expectations, address barriers (tools, training needs, team friction), and set the next skill goal. Track early-stage turnover as a metric so you can see if improvements are working.

Build a Positive Workplace Culture and Environment (the Retention “Multiplier”)

Workplace culture is the day-to-day experience of working for you—how people are treated, how problems get solved, and what leaders actually tolerate. In renovation specifically, culture lives on jobsites, so it has to be practical.

• Set clear jobsite behaviour expectations (and enforce them): Define what respectful communication looks like (no yelling, insults, harassment, or hazing). Address disrespectful or unsafe behaviour immediately so it doesn’t become “normal.”

• Make safety part of belonging: Treat safety as a team standard, not a lecture. Encourage everyone—especially newer workers—to call out hazards without getting mocked or shut down.

• Model leadership behaviours: If supervisors communicate clearly, stay calm under pressure, and treat people fairly, the crew follows. If leaders cut corners or tolerate toxicity, the crew follows that too.

• Strengthen team dynamics through mutual support: Pair newer hires with a mentor, encourage help between trades, and use short check-ins to surface friction early (before it turns into resentment or walk-offs).

• Build inclusion on purpose: Ensure employees feel respected regardless of background, trade, or tenure. Use a zero-tolerance stance on discrimination, and invite input from all team members during meetings and problem-solving.

Recognition reinforces culture, too. Peer-to-peer acknowledgment and in-the-moment appreciation make good work visible and strengthen belonging—especially for top performers you want to keep.

Build an Employee Feedback System (and Close the Loop)

Listening can’t be a once-a-year moment—it has to be a repeatable process where employees feel safe speaking up, and they can see what changes as a result.

Use a few consistent channels:

• One-on-one meetings: Quick manager check-ins (especially during the first 30/60/90 days).

• Regular meetings: Short weekly crew huddles to surface friction early (tools, workflow, scheduling, safety).

• Employee engagement surveys: A quarterly “pulse” survey plus a deeper annual survey to spot trends.

• Anonymous options: A simple suggestion box (physical or digital) for issues people won’t raise publicly.

• Focus groups/town halls: Small group discussions to dig into themes and strengthen two-way communication.

• Close the feedback loop: Summarize what you heard, pick 1–2 priorities, assign an owner, set a timeline, and report back on what’s changing (and what isn’t, and why). This follow-through builds trust, increases employee voice, and boosts engagement—an important lever for retention when competitors are recruiting aggressively.

You can also involve employees directly in decision-making and problem-solving: ask crews to help choose new tools, co-create a safety initiative, or suggest schedule tweaks that reduce commuting pain. Even small involvement increases buy-in because employees feel invested in how the work gets done.

Use HR Technology to Reduce Turnover (Repeatably, Not Reactively)

If you’re managing retention in spreadsheets, it’s easy to miss patterns until it’s too late. Cloud-based HR systems, integrated talent management platforms, and employee engagement tools help by improving visibility, speed, and follow-through:

• Automated analytics + dashboards: Track turnover rate by quarter/year, voluntary vs. involuntary turnover, team/role, geography, and turnover demographics.

• Root-cause tracking: Store termination root causes from exit interviews and link them to teams, managers, roles, or seasons.

• Digital feedback collection: Run pulse surveys, log one-on-one discussion topics, and track themes to act faster.

• Performance management: Track goals, performance reviews, and development conversations so employees understand what success looks like and how to progress.

• Skills-gap analysis support: Connect skills gaps to upskilling programs, training programs, and career paths.

• Peer-to-peer recognition systems: Keep recognition visible and consistent (not just annual).

Two quick renovation scenarios:

• Scenario 1: A dashboard shows first-90-day turnover spikes for one crew. You review onboarding notes, find recurring issues (unclear expectations + tool access delays), and fix it with a tighter checklist and earlier equipment orientation—then monitor whether early-stage turnover drops next quarter.

• Scenario 2: Winter slowdowns aren’t fully avoidable, but analytics show who’s most likely to leave after a slow period. You schedule stay interviews, targeted communications, and check-ins, clarify the winter pipeline plan, and use recognition to keep engagement up while workload shifts.

Emerging HR tech trends are making this easier for field teams: mobile HR apps, integrated communication tools, and AI-driven analytics that can highlight risks and support recruiting and workforce planning.

To Conclude

As you prepare for the upcoming renovation season, remember that retention is part of your growth plan—not a separate HR project. Marketing and lead generation can help you book early spring projects, but it’s your people who determine whether you can deliver them on time, at quality, and without burning out your crew.

Use the next few weeks to get organized: review pay and benefits, plan training and career paths, lock in year-round work where possible, and strengthen jobsite culture with clear expectations, recognition, and consistent feedback. Track your turnover data (especially first 30/90-day exits) and tighten hiring and onboarding so new hires stick. The earlier you stabilize your team, the easier it is to confidently schedule, sell, and scale—before competition increases and calendars fill up.