Construction workforce management has always been a challenge for contractors — and that was before the unforeseen communication and staffing issues that arrived with the coronavirus pandemic. During the start of the COVID-19 crisis, contractors had to come up with solutions to workforce and project management hurdles, including social distancing and abrupt project changes. These complex COVID-19 hurdles presented a number of workforce management challenges yet, contractors still identified tactics to overcome them.
Before digitization of communications, when something critical changed on a project, you’d pick up the phone and call the foreman. You could notify a few people at the site that there was an issue; but that was the best option. If you had a large crew spread out across a building, someone physically had to go and find each of them.
That system was inefficient. It meant that everyone, whether they were in the office or the field, got information at different times. If it was critical information — like the time we had a partial building collapse on a project site — it causes anxiety in trying to figure out if every member of our team was safe. Thankfully, everyone was okay. But that moment showed me the value of real-time field communication.
The additional WFM challenges — social distancing and the possibility of a laborer testing positive for the coronavirus — reinforced my belief that contractors need a digital platform that keeps everyone informed and connected.
In addition to helping manage social distancing guidelines, management needs to account for the possibility of a positive COVID-19 test for a laborer. The right information being made available in real-time reduces the potential risk of exposure and allows you to communicate an exit strategy if workers need to leave a site suddenly. After the fact, knowing exactly where and when an employee was on a project is critical for understanding who may be at risk and how to effectively quarantine.
How Digital Workforce Planning Helps During and After COVID-19
Contractors, more than ever, rely on technology to navigate these uncertain waters. Thankfully, project management and financial platforms are widely used throughout the construction industry to help working from home, but a piece of technology not as commonly used is workforce management software, such as Procore Workforce Planning.
It’s time that the construction industry’s WFM practices caught up with the technology long embraced by project and financial management teams. Instead of picking up the phone and trying to contact the foreman, you should explore real-time digital solutions to workforce management problems. Messaging via email and text can help improve safety protocols and your ability to adapt to schedule changes.
By finding a new digital path forward to address labor and workforce challenges during and after COVID-19, you’ll be better prepared for the next unforeseen challenges that impact field productivity. There will always be unexpected curveballs in construction and on jobsites that have to be handled. Each of those curveballs will come with unique circumstances that can only be addressed with accurate and timely communication.
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