What They Do Not Teach You About Managing a Crew
Most advice about managing people comes from people who manage offices. Sit-down meetings. Performance reviews. Team-building exercises. None of that works when your crew is 30 feet in the air tearing off shingles in 95-degree heat.
After 15 years of running roofing crews, here is what I have learned about managing people in the trades.
Pay People Fairly and On Time
This is the foundation. Everything else falls apart if your crew does not trust that they are being paid correctly and on time. Every single time.
That means:
- Clear pay structure — Everyone knows how they are getting paid before they start work. No surprises.
- Accurate tracking — Use a system that captures their work accurately. Do not make them wonder if their numbers are getting counted right.
- On-time payroll — If you say payday is Friday, it is Friday. Not Saturday. Not "when the check clears." Friday.
Most crew problems are actually pay problems in disguise. For more on structuring fair rates, read our guide on setting fair piece rates in construction.
Set Clear Expectations
Your crew cannot read your mind. If you want 30 squares a day from a three-man crew, say so. If tear-off needs to be clean with no nails in the yard, say so. If you expect everyone on site by 7:00 AM, say so.
Write it down if you need to. Post it on the job trailer wall. But make sure every person on your crew knows:
- What they are expected to produce
- What quality standards you require
- What time they need to be there
- How they get paid for their work
Ambiguity creates conflict. Clarity prevents it.
Hold People Accountable — But Be Fair About It
Accountability without fairness breeds resentment. If you hold one crew member to a standard but let another slide, you will lose your best people first — because they have the most options.
When someone is not meeting expectations:
- Talk to them directly. Not in front of the crew.
- Be specific about what needs to change.
- Give them a reasonable chance to fix it.
- Follow through — either the behavior changes or it does not.
The worst thing you can do is ignore problems. Your good workers see everything, and they are watching how you handle the weak links.
Give Your Best Workers a Reason to Stay
Good workers have options. If you do not take care of them, someone else will. That does not always mean more money — although money matters. It means:
- Consistent work — Your best people want to know they will have work next week and next month.
- Fair treatment — No favoritism. No games. Just honest, straightforward management.
- Growth opportunity — Can they become a lead? A foreman? Can they earn more by taking on more responsibility?
- Respect — Treat people like adults. Trust them to do their work. Do not micromanage.
Use Data, Not Gut Feelings
I used to make decisions about my crew based on gut feelings. Who is working hard? Who is slacking off? Who deserves a raise? I was wrong more often than I want to admit.
When I started tracking actual production data — who installed how many squares, on which job, on which day — everything changed. Use our crew productivity calculator to measure output per man-hour. The data showed me things I could not see from the ground.
Sometimes the crew member I thought was my hardest worker was actually middle of the pack. Sometimes the quiet guy in the back was outproducing everyone. Data does not lie, and it takes the emotion out of hard conversations.
Keep Things Simple
The more complicated you make things, the more likely something breaks. This applies to pay structures, work processes, and communication.
- Simple pay structure — If you cannot explain it in one sentence, it is too complicated.
- Simple communication — Tell people what they need to know. Skip the rest.
- Simple tools — If your crew will not use it, it does not matter how good it is.
The best systems are the ones your crew actually follows. Build for real people in real conditions, not for a perfect world. For more on tracking what matters, read our guide on evaluating and tracking crew performance metrics.