As the year comes to a close, we take a look at some of the most popular stories on www.plumbermag.com. If you missed any of these, now is your chance to catch up.
10. How to Select the Right Press Tool
Tool capacity, application and size are among the considerations to keep in mind when determining what press tool best fits your job. Joe Devries, a product manager for RIDGID, provided some tips in this article from March.
9. Breaking the Mental Health Stigma
Discussing mental health concerns hasn’t been top of mind in typically more stoic industries like plumbing, but that is starting to change.
8. Dynamics Shift as More of Gen Z Enters Workforce
While every other generation in the American workplace is shrinking, employment of Gen Zers has increased by at least 2% annually since 2018. And for the last year or so, there have been more Gen Zers than baby boomers in the United States workforce and they’re slowly but surely overtaking Gen Xers and millennials. Companies must adapt to the needs and concerns of Gen Z employees, and this article provided some insight.
7. Preparing for an OSHA Inspection
The Occupational Safety and Health Administration’s mission is to “ensure safe and healthful working conditions for working men and women by setting and enforcing standards and by providing training, outreach, education and assistance.” Sounds great, right? So why are many employers afraid of OSHA one day showing up at their door? The fear could be the result of having things to hide, but another reason could be that they just don’t know what to do if OSHA shows up. Is your company ready? If not, or if you’re not sure, this article from July is for you.
6. What I Wish I Knew Before Starting a Plumbing Business
Joe Hammer is the owner of SAK Electric Plumbing, providing professional plumbing services to the Greater Phoenix area for over 30 years. To start the year, in this article he offered some wisdom for those just getting started on their entrepreneurial journey.
5. 5 Action Steps to Inspire Employees to Reach Peak Performance
Inspiring others is an important part of business leadership and to do so there are certain action items that should be part of your everyday practices. Jim Bouchard, an internationally recognized speaker, leadership activist and founder of The SENSEI LEADER Movement, provided some tips in this article from July.
4. Successware Releases Another eBook to Online Resource Library for Contractors
People are interested in educational opportunities, especially free ones. In August, we shared this article from Successware as it continued its popular eBook series with the release of Mastering Metrics: KPIs for HVAC, Plumbing & Electrical Contractors.
3. Hydronic Heating Solutions for Faster Installs and Greater System Efficiencies
There are several new and existing hydronic heating solutions that are enabling faster, easier installs for contractors while providing homeowners and building owners with more efficient, sustainable systems. Kim Bliss, a technical writer for Uponor, covered a few of them in this article from August.
2. Employee Empowerment Translates to Employee Retention
Finding good employees can be difficult, as is keeping them on board. But at Hoover Electric, Plumbing, Heating & Cooling in Troy, Michigan, co-owners Marcus Piwonski and Matt Hedges deploy a simple but effective team-building strategy: Hire good people and don’t micromanage them. A good lesson that people are perhaps taking to heart as this was the second-most popular article of 2024.
1. The Factors of Business Marketing You Can and Cannot Control
There will always be changes to platforms like Google affecting your business marketing that you have no say about. Regular contributors Carter Harkins and Taylor Hill, co-owners of FutureNow Marketing, wrote about it in what ended up being the most-read article of 2024.
