People Won’t Work Anymore, Feat. Scott Beebe

“Nobody Wants to Work Anymore” Or Do They?

Featuring Scott Beebe of Business on Purpose

In today’s blog, Jason Schroeder sits down with Scott Beebe, founder of Business on Purpose, to tackle one of the most common and controversial statements heard in the construction industry: “Nobody wants to work anymore.”

Scott doesn’t just disagree with that narrative he dismantles it. Backed by his years of experience helping contractors systematize their businesses, Scott shares how chaotic company’s not lazy workers are the real problem. Below, we break down his most actionable insights from the conversation.

Let the Business Burn

Scott’s first book, Let Your Business Burn, was inspired by the idea that not every fire in your business needs to be put out. Most “emergencies” are ego-fueled distractions. The constant firefighting robs owners of their time, and it prevents teams from learning how to solve problems on their own. His challenge? Let it burn. If the issue is real, it’ll force change. If it isn’t, it’ll die out without draining your energy.

“Nobody Wants to Work Anymore” A False Narrative

The idea that younger generations are lazy isn’t new. Scott found references to this sentiment dating as far back as 1894. But blaming workers isn’t the answer especially when there are plenty of young people out there working incredibly hard. Instead, Scott flips the script:

“It’s not that nobody wants to work people just don’t want to work for you… if your company is chaotic, disorganized, and reactive.”

The Real Issue: Lack of Structure

Most small to midsize construction businesses lack systems. They operate on instinct, gut feel, or brute force. Scott’s team helps companies build their operations around four pillars:

1. Purpose
2. People
3. Process
4. Profit

Once these are aligned, businesses stop reacting and start scaling intentionally.

Build a Culture That Attracts People to Do Hard Things

Instead of fighting to “fix” younger workers, build a culture they want to be part of. Here’s how:

1. Create an Anchor

Use a simple spreadsheet to list the cultural activities you want embedded into your business like weekly meetings, trainings, or team events. Then map those across all 52 weeks of the year. Review it in every team meeting to ensure nothing slips through the cracks.

2. Learn From Younger Generations

Start with something simple:
Ask, “What’s the #1 song in your Spotify, playlist?”
It might sound small, but it opens the door to understanding what motivates the next generation. Building a relationship starts with listening, not lecturing.

3. Implement the “Big 5” Feedback Loop

Every successful construction business needs five consistent communication rhythms:

• Weekly Team Meetings
  Agenda driven, no more than one hour. Focused on big wins, updates, and culture not task solving.
• Weekly Department Meetings
  Project and task specific. Kept tight and targeted.
• Monthly Executive Meetings
  For leadership to align on strategy and vision.
• Annual Performance Reviews
  50% from the manager, 50% self-evaluation. No compensation talk just development.
• One-on-One Check Ins
  15 minutes, Same five questions every time:
  1. What’s a big win this week?
  2. What are you seeing and thinking?
  3. What blind spots do you notice?
  4. What do you need from me?
  5. Here’s what I see in you and what I need from you.

Final Thoughts

If you’re struggling with finding and keeping talent, take a hard look in the mirror. Are you giving your team structure, purpose, feedback, and consistent leadership? Or are you fueling a business that runs on chaos?

As Scott puts it, “Vision without implementation is hallucination.” Start embedding systems that reinforce your culture, and you’ll stop chasing people because they’ll want to stay.

Key Takeaway:

The problem isn’t that nobody wants to work anymore it’s that too many businesses are chaotic, reactionary, and unstructured. If you want to attract and keep great people, build a culture where hard work has purpose, systems support the team, and feedback is regular and real.