People Management Basics for HVAC Technicians in South Africa

When it comes to running an HVAC business in South Africa, it’s not enough that you’re a master HVAC technician, unless you’re working alone you also need to learn how to manage people.

Consider this,

an analysis of the plumbing and electrical trades

found that a quarter of formal small businesses were own-account enterprises, with no permanent employees. Over half of small businesses had between one and nine employees, and only a fifth had between 10 and 49 employees.

This means that most HVAC businesses in South Africa are smaller, making it difficult for them to get access to funding to grow their business.

Running an HVAC business by yourself gives you complete control. But it also means that a day's work will never give you more than twenty-four hours of productivity. For your business to grow, you need to bring on more people.

When deployed properly, people help you to scale your HVAC business. But make no mistake - managing people is hard!

This is especially the case for HVAC installers in South Africa, with teams made of diverse cultures, and educational and technical backgrounds alongside employee-friendly legal protections.

Bringing people into your HVAC business is a big responsibility for the business. Bringing the right ones in and managing them can be like pouring fuel on business. Bringing the wrong ones can be a nightmare. That’s where people management comes in.

In this article we’re going to cover the basics of people management, sharing an overview on some of the key topics you need to know to grow your teams to grow your business.

People management, also known as human resource management, is focused on effectively overseeing and getting the most out of people within a business to improve their performance and productivity.

It's more than just hiring and firing; it's about creating a work environment where employees do their best, help improve the business, and grow with the company.

In the world of HVAC, finding the right fit for your team is critical. This process is more than just filling positions; it's about bringing in people whose skills line up with your business needs and values.

Let’s start with what skills you need. Technical? Administrative? Financial? Taking a step back and thinking about the makeup of your team over time is an important starting point. What does your business need now to grow - and what will it need in 6-12 months time?

Then it’s about what kind of person you’re looking for. How your team works can be as important as what skills they have.

Someone who’s great technically but can’t communicate with you or is rude to customers isn’t going to help you grow your business. What culture do you want to create and what behaviours do you want your team to demonstrate?

To bring on the right people, the hiring process needs to focus not only on HVAC installation skills but also on soft skills like teamwork and communication.

In our in-depth article, we’ll cover understanding what your business needs, designing the right job descriptions, and managing a smooth hiring process.

Who’s the next hire that will make the biggest difference to your business? Think about the key skills and character traits you need and write them down.

So you’ve hired a new teammate. Now what? Now they’re on board, getting the best out of your team becomes essential. Performance management is all about setting goals and managing teams towards them while creating an environment where your team can achieve their potential.

This is especially true in South Africa, where there’s a huge range of skill levels among HVAC technicians thanks to different levels of education.

In an HVAC business, performance management is about setting clear expectations and goals for your hires so you’re both on the same page. Then it’s about regularly checking in to see how they’re tracking against those goals. Remember your job is to help them be successful so understanding what is holding them back and how to support them is essential.

In our in-depth article, we’ll go into how to set clear expectations and how to manage your team regularly to help them, and your business, achieve its potential.

Who are the most important people in your HVAC business today? Try writing down your expectations and goals if you haven’t got these on paper and blocking time to talk through them with them. It’s the fastest way to find out if you’re aligned so you can do something about it if you’re not.

Now you’ve built a team, but your work doesn’t end here. Since the HVAC landscape doesn’t stand still, and there are always new regulations you need to comply with, you need to continually train your teams to stay ahead.

This is especially true here in South Africa, where HVAC technicians have a wide range of skill levels. By regularly training your team you ensure that those HVAC technicians on your team with lower skill levels have the chance to improve their skills so that they match the standards of your business.

A great way to provide your technicians with training is to take advantage of supplier training or membership associations like

SARACCA

which provides a subsidy to members for the training of site staff in duct erection, refrigeration, air conditioning, and project management via short courses that follow SAQA approved Unit Standards.

By providing regular training sessions and opportunities to acquire new skills, your technicians can stay updated with the latest HVAC techniques, equipment, and regulations.

In our in-depth article, we’ll dig into the different training options available in the HVAC industry, what you can expect to pay for them, and what skills your team will learn from them.

Identify skills that are missing in your team and look for HVAC membership associations or suppliers that offer training programs to help them learn these skills.

Let’s face it, while you should try to keep your team members with your HVAC business for as long as possible, at some point, you’ll have to deal with a key team member leaving your company.

To make sure this doesn’t disrupt your business operations, you need to ensure that you have identified replacements who are ready to take over the reins if needed.

In an HVAC business, this means identifying potential future leaders within your team. For example, recognising standout technicians who have leadership qualities and providing them with mentoring opportunities or additional training that prepares them for higher roles.

In our in-depth article, we’ll cover how you can make sure that replacements you’ve identified are ready to take over should the need arise by looking at what kind of training and mentoring you need to provide.

Make a list of critical roles within your team and people who can potentially fill these roles. Encourage those in critical roles to train and share their skills with the people you’ve identified as possible replacements to prepare for unexpected events.

Let’s be real, while it’s important to have a great working environment, paying your team fairly and offering benefits is crucial if you want to keep skilled technicians on your team. Of course, it’s just as important to keep a balance between fair wages and your available budget.

In an HVAC company, fair compensation includes more than just a salary. Offering benefits like health insurance, additional leave, or performance-based bonuses motivates your technicians to perform at their best, boosting loyalty, and ensuring a healthy work-life balance for your technicians.

In our in-depth article, we’ll dive deeper into the things you need to know to make sure that your wages are fair and what other benefits you can offer to ensure you keep your employees with your company for as long as possible while sticking to your available budget.

: Check how competitive your wages are in the HVAC industry and if your benefits are in line with the needs and expectations of your crew.

As you can see, effectively managing your team isn't a one-time effort but an ongoing journey towards building a successful team.

Understanding and implementing these basics not only improves your HVAC business but also ensures your team members grow and feel satisfied with their job - keeping them on your team for longer.

Keep an eye out for out for our upcoming articles in this series where we’ll dig deeper into people management and how you can use it to help get the most out of your team.