How to Keep Good Tradies: First 90 Days and Beyond

Your new carpenter starts on Monday. By Thursday he's rung in and said he's not coming back.

Here is how to keep good tradies, starting with the first 14 days.

Why do tradies quit?

Reasons can include better pay elsewhere, no path to move up, a poor relationship with the boss or foreman, bad hours and a rough start. Sometimes the problem is the employer. Ask your crew and your leavers what would have made them stay.

How to keep good tradies is mostly about fixing the cheapest things first. Plan the first 14 days. Check in again at day 30, 60 and 90. Pay fairly for your area. Give them a foreman who is clear and fair.

I'm a tradie turned recruiter. I did twelve years on the tools, then more than ten years in construction recruitment, and I've placed over 1,000 trades, labour and management staff.

I'll be straight about one thing. The lists in this post come from my own experience, not from a big survey. They're a starting point. Your crew will tell you more than I can.

Find where your hiring leaks

The free hiring scorecard shows where your hiring and starting process may be losing people.

Why good tradies leave: the reasons I see most

Pay. Someone offers more down the road. Sometimes the gap is small, and they leave anyway, because pay is a sign of how they're valued.

The foreman or site manager. Plenty of people leave a boss, not a company. If the foreman is unclear, moody or never says thanks, good people may not stay.

Hours. Long travel, last-minute changes and weekends that aren't planned.

No way forward. A good tradie wants to know where this goes. If every job is the same and nobody talks about what's next, they look elsewhere.

A rough start. The first days set the tone. A messy start sends a message.

And here's the part that's hard to hear. Sometimes the employer is the problem. If your crew keep leaving and you keep blaming them, take a look at what's common.

I'm not saying that to be harsh. I'm saying it because it's good news. You can change your side.

On apprentices, the Housing Industry Association (HIA) says retention is a challenge, and that it sees a high level of dropouts in the first 18 months (HIA, 16 February 2026). That's HIA's own view, but it fits what builders tell me: the early months are where people go.

Quit in the first week: what went wrong on day one

A new starter shows up on Monday. By Wednesday, they're gone. Often it's something like this:

• Nobody met them. They stood around, not sure who to ask.
• They had no PPE, or the wrong gear.
• There was no one to work beside, so they felt lost.
• The job wasn't what the ad said. It was a different site or a different kind of work.

None of those are about the tradie's skill. They're about how organised the start was.

If the job wasn't as advertised, that's a bigger problem. Tell the truth in the ad and in the interview. A person who knows what they're signing up for is more likely to stay.

What should a new starter plan include in the first 14 days?

Someone meets them on day one. Their gear and site induction are ready. They work beside a good person in week one. You have a proper chat by day ten. Write the plan down and use it for every new starter, so nothing is missed.

Here is a plan you can use for every new starter. This is my method. It's what I'd do on my own crew, and it's not from a research study.

Before day one:

• Confirm the start date, time and address in writing.
• Tell them what to bring and what you'll supply.
• Tell your crew someone new is starting and who they are.

Day one:

• Someone meets them at the gate. A named person, not "whoever's around".
• Site induction done. PPE and kit sorted.
• Show them the amenities and where things are.
• Explain the job for the day and the week.

Week one:

• Pair them with a good worker. Not your fastest, not your grumpiest, but someone who's patient and does it right.
• Give them clear work, not odd jobs.
• Check in at the end of day one and day three. Ask how it's going.

By day ten:

• Have a proper chat, in a quiet spot. Ask what is going well, what is not, and whether the job matches what they were told.
• Fix anything small right away.

Write the plan down and use it every time. If it's on paper, nothing gets missed when you're busy. The Construction Hiring System course includes a first-14-days plan you can use as a template.

Day 30, 60 and 90 check-ins

After day ten, keep going. A short chat at day 30, 60 and 90 is cheap, and it catches problems early.

Ask three things each time:

1. What is going well?
2. What is not going well?
3. What would make you stay?

Then listen. Don't defend. Don't explain. Just listen, and write down what they say.

After the chat, act on at least one thing. If you hear the same thing from two people, it's a pattern. If someone asks for a small fix and you do it, they notice. If you ask and then do nothing, that's worse than not asking.

This check-in rhythm is my own method. It's not a research finding. I use it because it's simple and it works in practice. If you have a better way, use that.

How to keep good tradies: the foreman is the retention plan

You can have the best onboarding plan in the world. If the foreman is poor, good people may leave.

What does a good foreman do?

• Gives a clear plan for the day. People work better when they know what's expected.
• Talks straight. Says what's good and what's not, without drama.
• Says thanks. It costs nothing and it matters.
• Backs their crew. Sticks up for them when it's fair.
• Fixes problems early. Doesn't let little things grow.

If your foreman is great with tools but weak with people, help them. A few simple habits can change a crew. Ask them to run the morning briefing, say thanks at the end of the day and have a quick one-on-one with each new starter.

And if the foreman is the problem, you need to deal with that too.

Free report: 7 Hiring Mistakes

A better hire is easier to keep. Get the free 7 Hiring Mistakes report.

Hire to keep from the start

The best fix for early quits is a better hire.

A good hire process makes a good match. A bad one gives you a mismatch, and that's where early leavers come from.

Here's how hiring ties in:

• A clear brief. If you know what the job really is, you can say so in the ad.
• An honest ad. Site, work, pay and length, all true.
• Red-flag checks. Gaps they can't explain, every past boss at fault, vague answers and no referee.
• Real reference calls. Call the foreman, not the mate. Ask about their worst day, not their best.

I wrote the common slip-ups into a free report. Get the free 7 Hiring Mistakes report to see where hires go wrong.

For the interview side, read interview questions for carpenters. For the finding side, read how to hire tradies without a recruitment agency or how to recruit tradies during a skills shortage.

Pay and conditions: a straight check

If you're losing people on pay, don't guess. Check.

Look at what others are advertising for the same work in your area. Look at the pay, the hours, and extras like a vehicle, tools or a phone. Then compare it with what you offer.

Pay must at least meet any award or agreement that covers the job. The Fair Work Ombudsman has the details.

You don't have to match every ad. But if you're well below, you may lose people, and you may spend more replacing them than you'd spend on a fair wage. You can work out what a lost hire costs you with the free hiring cost check.

Also look at conditions that cost little. A planned roster. Honest notice of changes. A clean site. Decent crib arrangements. Small things add up.

If pay is tight, say so, and show the other things you offer: steady work, a good foreman, a clear way forward.

Do a quick exit chat

When someone does leave, ask one question: "What would have made you stay?"

Don't argue with the answer. Write it down.

A person who has already resigned has nothing to lose. They may tell you the truth.

Look at the notes every few months. If three leavers say the same thing, that's what to fix first.

Where are your leaks? A three-minute self-check

Here's a quick self-check. Answer yes or no.

1. Does every new starter get met at the gate on day one?
2. Is their PPE and kit ready before they arrive?
3. Is there a named person to work beside in week one?
4. Do you have a proper chat by day ten?
5. Do you check in at day 30, 60 and 90?
6. Do you check your pay against local ads?
7. Do you do an exit chat when someone leaves?

Each "no" is a leak. You don't have to fix them all at once. Pick one.

For a fuller picture, the free Hiring Readiness Scorecard covers onboarding and keeping people as well as hiring. It shows you where your hiring leaks.

If you'd like to talk it through, book a free 15-minute discovery call.

General information only, not legal or employment advice. Pay and conditions rules depend on your award or agreement, so check with the Fair Work Ombudsman. The HIA figure is HIA's own view.

Want help with your next hire?

Book a free 15-minute discovery call and we will talk through your next hire. Prefer to learn it yourself? The Construction Hiring System course teaches the full method.

FAQ

How do I keep good tradies?

Hire the right person first. Then plan their first 14 days, check in at day 10, 30, 60 and 90, pay fairly for your area, and give them a foreman who is clear and fair. Ask what they think and act on it. Small fixes add up.

Why do new tradies quit after a few days?

Often the job was not what they expected, or the first day was rough. Nobody met them, they had no gear, or there was nobody to work beside. Tell the truth in the ad and the interview, then plan day one so it feels organised.

How often should I check in with a new tradie?

Check in by day ten, then at day 30, 60 and 90. Keep it short and ask three things: what is going well, what is not, and what would make you stay. Write down the answers and act on them. Then do it again.