Enabling an Efficient Remote Work Environment for Your Construction Management Team

The widespread coronavirus outbreak has forced a change in the way people work, ushering a new working culture across many industries. Its seriousness has prompted a wave of legislation that directs the temporary closure of various businesses and limits several business activities. To maintain business continuity, many affected companies have requested their employees to work from home, which has been happening on a global scale at an unprecedented pace.

However, adapting to a remote working environment has been difficult for some business operations. On the other hand, the nature of some businesses makes such a transition straightforward and possible, allowing the companies to operate on a remote basis fully.

Notably, construction is one of the industries that have felt the brunt of the pandemic. Many owners have shut down the site activities, and those open are subject to restrictions. However, it is one of the sectors that most people don’t associate with working remotely, and the nature of the business also poses multiple challenges during the transition process.

Fortunately, with the use of the right technologies and the implementation of proper management strategies, many of the challenges can be overcome, and construction contractors will experience a smoother transition to the era of remote work.

Capitalize on Digital Communication Platforms

In the management of construction projects, ensuring a proper communication channel is vital. However, the list of instant messaging applications that are available on the market is so exhaustive that it may be difficult for you to find the best tools for your team.

Regardless of the type of communication application used, all members of a remote construction team should only be using the same program to ensure the establishment of a smooth and reliable communication channel.

Implementing a remote working environment for a construction project team can only be successful if the organization members have access to effective means to stay in touch. Social distancing rules will not allow any face-to-face meetings for some time, but with such technologies and strategies, you can still keep your people working even if the job sites are closed or subject to restrictions.

Ensure Daily Communication

Daily communication is one of the backbones of the success of a remote work setup. It would be best if you considered the frequency of communicating with the members of your team. You should check in with your team members daily, especially in the first few days or weeks, as each of them tries to adapt to this new working environment. Also, this will allow you to find out what each of them is doing and check the work progress of each task.

Communicating with your team members daily will also help you improve your working relationships with them. It would help if you considered having casual conversations with your crew on various non-work-related topics as this will enhance the dynamic of your team and help you establish a good rapport with your team members.

Last but not least, you should also be proactive in establishing opportunities to create a genuine relationship with your team members. In a remote working environment, this is even more important as there is no corridor or coffee machine where you can meet up with the members to chat and catch up.

Use Construction Management Software

While effective communication forms part of the foundation of a successful remote work setup in construction, it cannot be the only tool that you will require to enable an efficient remote working environment for your team.

Other than utilizing communication software, you should adopt a construction management program. This program will contribute to the success of your move towards assigning work remotely, providing you with the tools you need for effective collaboration.

The program itself should be comprehensive and allow the users to deal with the progress and resource aspects of their construction projects in terms of planning and monitoring. With this program, construction contractors need to be able to delegate tasks to their team members and ensure that they are all on the same page.

There is a long list of construction management applications on the market. As the trend towards remote work continues to rise, more and more similar apps are coming to the market. To choose the right construction management software, you should take into account a variety of factors – you need to establish your requirements, look for the one that has an intuitive user interface and find any relevant reviews on the internet.

Stick to The Schedule

Without a pronounced schedule, it may be challenging for team members to stay productive. Construction contractors should get their team members to participate in a daily video conferencing call every morning to get the ball rolling for the day.

Encouraging your team to stick to the usual schedules set for some essential tasks and not let the routine processes fall through the cracks. For instance, if one of your site supervisors has been presenting a progress report to the construction team every Monday, he/she should still do the same, but in a different, safer way. Having your employees adhere to the usual working hours is also vital.

Remote work cannot be an excuse to overlook the conduct of regular meetings and usual reporting and monitoring processes. You should ensure that your team members are still able to carry on working as routinely as possible.

Acknowledge Employees’ Dedication and Hard Work

One of the best methods to increase employee engagement in any organization is to acknowledge the employees’ contributions to the company. In a remote working environment, this is even more essential. Construction is one of the most stressful industries, and employees involved in the industry are under constant pressure. Site-based employees are additionally exposed to real dangers almost every day.

There are various ways in which you can motivate your employees. Providing monetary compensation may be a good and probably the most common incentive, but words of appreciation can also drive employees’ motivation and enthusiasm. Highly-exceptional employees should get rewards.

Plan for The Future

The COVID-19 outbreak will ultimately stop being a threat to society and the world’s economy. However, this shift to remote work is still going to stay, and the future of work will be very different from today’s working culture as many organizations start to recognize the benefits of working from home.

While there will always be face-to-face meetings, site inspections, work trips, and much more in the construction business, the work-from-home culture is on the verge of being rational. In the future, most construction organizations will likely consist of both home-based and site-based staff, and technologies will continue to assist the industry in this transition period.