Running a construction business can be highly stressful. Everyone is always running on deadlines, unexpected disasters and problems can always emerge, and managers always have to consider everyone’s safety and protection. And with a pandemic still going on in the world, construction business owners have to think about protecting employees and workers from infections, too.
Suppose you are thinking of building a construction company. In that case, know some key pointers for excellent management and how to be the best possible leader for your employees.
Empower your team during the pandemic
One of the best things business owners and managers can do during the pandemic is empower and support their employees. A study by the Pew Research Center found that at least half of workers who are still spending time in the workplace are concerned about being exposed to, or spreading, the virus. About a quarter of the employees also said that they find themselves less satisfied with their profession compared to when the pandemic began.
But the thing is that if we are business owners or managers in a company, we don’t need quantitative or qualitative research to tell us that our employees have been struggling. This is why now more than ever, we need to offer support and empowerment to our employees. Here are some ways you can do this:
- Assist them in their licenses and other requirements. For example, you can help them with their continuing education for contractors, especially since your staff members might need to renew their licenses. Help them financially and give them leeway as they take classes since not everyone has the wherewithal to study and work at the same time.
- Ask them how you can help their children, especially if their kids are on the younger side. Many families are still adjusting to schools being open again, so your employees who have kids might need to readjust their schedules and settle into a new groove. Allow them the flexibility they need by asking what shifts work best for them and their kids; for example, some of them might need to prepare breakfast and send their kids to school before they go to work. Keep your communication lines open and let your team members know that you are willing to negotiate with them to make their daily lives as parents more convenient without disrupting your company’s day-to-day operations.
Don’t be afraid to delegate and trust your team
This strategy may feel counterintuitive. As entrepreneurs, we need to have some sense of control or the feeling that we have authority over every possible outcome since it’s our blood, sweat, tears, and investment on the line. However, by micromanaging a construction company, you unknowingly create a culture where people come to you for every single hiccup, no matter how small it may be. They never learn how to solve problems, and the development of their decision-making skills is stunted.
As the owner of the construction company, the principle you need to keep is that you are working on the business, but not in it. There’s nothing wrong with being up-to-the-minute on the minute details of projects, but you don’t need to take on every single task under every department.
You need to believe in your marketing team, content team, construction team, estimators, and reviewing team. Believe that they went through the rigorous hiring and training processes and that you found the right people for the job. If mistakes are made, there is always a lesson to learn. Give your team the chance to blow you away—that will only happen when you do away with perfectionism, take a leap of faith, and trust your employees to take on the responsibility.
Hire financially-savvy people
Cash flow is king for any business, but even more so for construction businesses. This is because your operations hinge on the availability of labor and materials. To have both things, you need to always have a reserve of capital in conjunction with investments funds and credit lines.
How are the people in your finance team? Is your CFO up to the task, and are the people under them able to come up with strategies to keep the company’s finances healthy?
To empower employees is to ensure that productivity levels remain high and projects continue to have excellent results. Be a good boss to your team during this pandemic, recognize how they may need assistance, and don’t hesitate to give it to them not just for their sake but also for the company.