The people who make up the construction workforce are truly a special bunch. They’re highly trained and hardworking, and they value teamwork. But, regardless of how much we appreciate the people, construction workforce management can be a downright pain in the neck.
Skilled labor shortages, tight schedules, specialization requirements, and running multiple projects all make workforce management feel like swimming upstream. And seemingly small delays or hurdles can balloon into big problems as their impacts ripple across the project.
But, construction workforce management doesn’t have to be so difficult. Here, we’ll cover the common challenges as well as some actionable tips to help you run a more efficient, highly trained workforce.
The Challenges of Construction Workforce Management
While working with teams can be incredibly rewarding, balancing a large group of people often brings challenges. In the construction industry, those challenges are even more pronounced, with a specific set of obstacles to navigate to keep everything running efficiently and on schedule.
Labor Shortages
Skilled labor shortages have been plaguing the construction industry for almost 20 years. An aging workforce led to retirements, and a lack of interest in the trades left fewer new employees to replace them. Most construction companies are trying to do more with less, or rely on inexperienced workers to perform critical tasks—neither option bodes well for the project.
Inefficient Time Tracking
Old-school time-tracking methods might keep payroll running, but they’re otherwise inefficient. Paper timesheets and manual systems are prone to errors or manipulation, and it’s almost impossible to gauge productivity. This makes it difficult to remove waste and keep the project consistently moving forward.
Communication Breakdowns
Communication issues aren’t just a construction problem, but they do impact the industry tremendously. When field crews and office staff aren’t on the same page, or can’t compare the latest notes, mistakes happen. This leads to expensive rework, frustration, and worker dissatisfaction. It’s hard for employees to feel appreciated if they feel disconnected from the office or kept in the dark.
Scheduling Inefficiency and Complexity
Proper scheduling, such as knowing how many people you need and where, is a delicate balancing act. And, without enough supervisors or foremen to keep tabs on each crew, there’s no telling who is where during the day. This causes excessive costs, shrinking profits, significant delays, and strained client relationships.
And these challenges go beyond efficiency. The impact that a small change or delay can have on the schedule as it ripples across the different facets can create chaos. An essential employee calling in sick or a late material shipment might seem small, but the downtime, bottlenecks, and the subsequent increased costs can ruin a project.
Strategies for Optimizing Workforce Efficiency
There are no guarantees with people and workforce management, as life will always create challenges. Family emergencies, accidents, illnesses, and simple mistakes make perfection unachievable. However, construction firms can still improve their efficiency with the following strategies.
Plan Ahead (But Stay Flexible)
Construction demands a level of flexibility. One of the biggest challenges in construction workforce management is how small changes cause major disruption. Weather, supply chain challenges, unexpected site conditions, and challenging clients can all push the schedule off track. Knowing this, if we build flexibility into our workforce schedules, we can plan for these challenges.
Look at historical field data to anticipate the most common delays on your projects. If you notice that labor shortages in a certain phase slow the project down, construction managers will know not to overlap those phases on two concurrent projects. They can also move personnel back and forth as needed, but only if they’re prepared.
Prioritize Training and Development
A well-trained, qualified employee isn’t easy to find. However, if you already have employees that you trust and value, train them. Investing in your existing workforce so they can use the latest tools, building techniques, and safety practices builds a well-rounded workforce.
Some employers avoid this for fear of employees leaving once they’re trained. However, helping employees further their careers and skills often does the opposite, leading to improved satisfaction and loyalty. Training boosts morale, and it’s cheaper than hiring.
Implement Clear Communication Channels
Unifying your team under clear communication channels offers a few benefits, such as:
- Employees feel valued when they’re informed.
- Communication reduces confusion, which in turn reduces mistakes.
- Teams can discuss challenges and develop solutions before they can fully impact the project.
An employee newsletter is great for managing your workforce. Keeping employees informed about projects, exceptional performance, and training opportunities is a great way to improve communication. Also, utilizing a construction management software platform enables teams to communicate about projects, budgets, drawings, delays, or other aspects of projects and stay on the same page.
Focus on Data-Driven Decision Making
The best companies use data for decision-making while still respecting their employees. Looking at historical data allows project management teams to identify the areas where they’re underperforming. This could be in a certain crew consistently running over on time or how waiting for an employee with a specialization to bounce from job to job causes delays.
Or just imagine how a relatively minor delay creates a domino effect that impacts the entire workforce. Data that identifies these potential issues ahead of time helps teams make adjustments before the wheels come off.
Simply put, the numbers won’t lie. Using data to find inefficiencies can be one of the fastest ways to improve your construction workforce management.
Leverage Technology for Scheduling and Time Tracking
Leveraging workforce management software helps locate inefficiencies, fill gaps, and keep projects properly staffed. These tools remove the guesswork from scheduling and time tracking while also providing an overview of where the workforce stands and where it’s needed. And in most cases, these tools can integrate with a company’s current tech stack to improve efficiency all around.
The Role of Technology in Workforce Management
Like all other aspects of construction, technology is impacting workforce management. The construction industry may be slightly behind industries like utilities and manufacturing, but now is the time to put technology to work.
Automated Scheduling
Scheduling can feel like an intense game of chess, and checkmate is inevitable. But automated scheduling using modern workforce management software makes it a breeze. Personnel can be automatically assigned to projects based on need, their classifications and specializations, and other factors. And, if there are any issues, adjustments are simple and everyone is notified.
Automated scheduling also helps mitigate some of the complexity challenges that exist. These programs can make real-time adjustments to the overall schedule to prevent small changes or delays from becoming bigger issues.
Time Tracking Made Simple
Smart time tracking is critical to optimizing workforce efficiency. Today’s platforms often integrate with mobile devices or apps, allowing employees to clock in and out from their phones, in the field, in real-time. If they’re moving from project to project, they can log in and out as necessary, helping track how much time they spend and where. GPS tracking improves accuracy as well.
And let’s not forget about optimizing off-site efficiency, as well. Time tracking programs often integrate with payroll, allowing teams to spend less time with time cards and timesheets.
Productivity Monitoring
Project managers can use the data collected by project management software to find inefficiencies and improve production. By identifying trends and bottlenecks, they can find the causes and make improvements. For example, if a specific phase of the project lags, additional manpower might help. Or, juggling motivated team members across different crews might help improve productivity.
Communication Platforms
We’ve already covered the importance of communication, and software solutions can help. Construction management software often provides effective drawing management, scheduling tools, and automated workflows, allowing everyone to work from one source of truth. This reduces errors and confusion, leading to more successful projects.
The Benefits of Modern Workforce Management Practices
As long as we remember that we’re dealing with real people and not just numbers, modern construction workforce management can yield some significant benefits.
- Improved Project Delivery: One benefit of communication is that when everyone knows what they’re doing and when, projects stay on track. Efficient scheduling practices and clear communication mean fewer delays.
- Reduced Costs: Efficiency is a cost-saver. Whether it’s reducing downtime or properly staffing crews, teams that can work efficiently also work quickly, reducing costs.
- Increased Profitability: A workforce that spends less time wondering which projects they’re working on or bouncing between projects for no reason will build faster and boost profitability.
- Happier Workers: Employees who feel informed, secure, and well-trained are happier, more productive, and loyal.
Why Workforce Management Matters
Construction workforce management isn’t just employee ID numbers and scheduling. It’s about putting practices into place that support your workers, improve efficiency, and ultimately ensure that the company is growing and profitable. It’s not about forcing people into place but building a system that ensures the right folks are utilized for the right tasks. It creates meaning, streamlines processes, and helps employees feel appreciated through training and communication.
In today’s competitive industry, a construction workforce management system helps teams identify what’s working and what isn’t to make the proper adjustments. All it takes is the right strategies, modern technology, and respect, along with appreciation, for good people.