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Set your construction company apart from competition and win more projects.
2020 was a pivotal year for contractors. COVID-19 resulted in delayed work, the loss of some backlogged jobs, paused construction projects and the already limited pool of workers became slimmer.
The first half of 2021 will be a critical time to win new projects and continue the success of your construction team.
Set yourself apart from competition by tackling these five best practices below:
1. Utilize technology in new ways:
It will be critical for contractors to incorporate technology on the front lines in order to better enable continuity in 2021 and beyond.
Not only that, but investing in new technology can help you win work. The more you can show prospects that you’re a step ahead by delivering the job safely and avoiding stoppages through the utilization of technology, the better your chances are of winning new business.
This also opens up your corporate and safety teams to think big and strategically improve processes across the business while directly supporting the craft-level workforce. Moving to a mobile-based communication and training platform sets your team up for long-term success now, and prevents work stoppages, confusion and even serious injury and fatality risk later.
2. Communicate directly to the front line:
COVID-19 will continue to impact the way we complete construction projects. The rules for safety are changing quickly, and if you oversee projects in multiple cities, counties or states it’s important to stay vigilant on how to keep your workers healthy and safe so your job doesn’t have to stop.
Your team is likely already accustomed to using mobile devices in their daily lives, and making the switch to a digital platform to communicate emergency alerts, shipment delays, safety training and job site updates minimizes the need for workers to completely stop the task they’re working on. Not only can improved communication increase productivity and the pace of work, but it can help create a project environment that has a significantly reduced amount of miscommunications and operational errors, mitigating the need to re-do work.
MindForge’s platform allows craft workers in the field to have a two-way conversation with the project team, reducing any confusion, uncertainty and risk on the job site. If there’s an emergency or need for mass communication on the job site, the home office now has access to quickly notify the whole team on their mobile phone.
Improving operational efficiency and completing projects on time and on budget begins with improved communication. Creating this reputation will ultimately make your team a better choice for winning new jobs.
3. Engage your workforce:
A construction labor shortage and high demand for projects makes turnover a constant threat. In addition, injuries on job sites are linked to a high turnover rate. However, there are ways to better engage the workforce to ensure you end your projects on time, under budget and with few safety incidents.
Because of the fluid nature of front-line workers, it can be difficult to communicate, interact, support and empower your team. However, doing so will set your company above the rest and ensure you have the team to fulfill new projects. Create a central space for your company to build a culture and encourage your superintendents, project managers and foremen to engage their teams through these online networks. You could incorporate weekly or monthly challenges and if goals are reached, workers are rewarded in a fun way.
Building this high-performing culture will show the craft-level workforce how valued they are and will help retain employees longer. Bring connectivity to the job site in a way that is most accommodating to those most at risk.
4. Invest in employee education:
Your construction teams have a lot on their minds. People are more likely to make decisions based on the information they remember, and not necessarily what is correct. Especially with new COVID-19 safety information changing often, it’s even more important to provide education, training and refreshers for tasks on the job to ensure there is no small oversight that could potentially lead to poor quality or a serious injury or fatality.
Stay ahead of the curve and make sure that employees are up to date on all safety and skills training before a project starts so you know you can ramp up quickly. Utilizing a platform that keeps this information easily accessible will help you prepare and plan for what’s needed to start your next project.
5. Reduce work stoppages:
Work stoppages on the job site seem like a normal part of the day, but when combined, you could lose 50% of productive time each day. Worksites that are incorporating MindForge are seeing an increase in hours available to focus on the actual job, while updates like last-minute changes to parking, shortage of supplies or safety and training updates are communicated through the mobile platform.
When daily updates are able to be quickly received, your project has better chances of ending on time. And when new prospects can see a positive track record of successful completion of projects, your team will stand out.
2020 showed us the importance of communication between contractors and the front-line workforce, and 2021 will only continue to accelerate this trend. By incorporating communication technology into your business, your teams will be better equipped and educated, you will increase safety and improve the bottom line and ultimately continue to build upon your team’s success.
Learn more about how MindForge can improve your job site communication, reduce employee turnover and protect the bottom line by scheduling a demo today.