8 ways to help you and your construction team avoid burnout

You’ve probably heard about it time and time again, but trust us — burnout is real. Burnout is the reaction to prolonged or chronic job stress and is characterized by three main dimensions: exhaustion, less connection to the job and inefficiency. It can take hold of even the most ambitious teams, especially during a busy construction season.

Contributors to burnout in the workplace are oftentimes related to: workload, feeling a lack of control, reward, community, fairness and value. Recognizing the causes of burnout for you and your construction team will help you to prevent it and implement methods to avoid it all together. Here are some tips for how escape burnout for yourself and your construction team members.

1) Lead by example

Encourage your construction team by being an example. Let your devotion and excitement for the job inspire the qualities you’d like to see in them. Your leadership and dedication to your team, your projects and your business as a whole, will keep them motivated and driven to maintain their quality of work and get projects done on time during a busy construction season.

2) Perform regular safety reviews

According to SafetyTek, up to 90% of construction accidents are caused by human error. More often than not, these errors can be caused by an increase in stress, task repetition and fatigue. Regular reviews of safety in team meetings will give your crews the chance to bring up and address their concerns. Ensuring that safety is a regular topic of discussion is important for reducing the amount accidents and job site injuries.

3) Recognize team performance

Giving your construction team the recognition they deserve for a job well done will boost their morale and give them the confidence they need to continue to perform at a high level. A great way to acknowledge your team for the hard work they do is to implement a monthly award system for areas such as attendance, productivity and quality of work. Giving your team members the opportunity to earn these awards will give them something to work toward while encouraging others to do the same and will lower the chance for burnout.

4) Create incentive by offering bonuses

Offering bonuses is a great way to motivate your construction workers and keep them excited about the work they do. Bonuses should be tied to the goals you want your team to achieve, and they should have clearly defined expectations. You can award bonuses to individuals or to members of a group for tasks tied to achieving safety goals or the amount of work performed at a job site. But keep in mind, any goals you set should fall within sensible safety guidelines.

5) Get together outside of work

Let your team know that you see them as people, and you want to get to know them outside of the professional environment. Buy them lunch or invite the whole crew over to grill out at your place to encourage team camaraderie. Building these relationships with your team will help them feel more connected to you and your business, which will inspire them to do their best work and provide great service for your clients.

6) Provide opportunities for growth

By offering your construction team skill-building opportunities and paths for career advancement, they are more likely to remain engaged. They will stay loyal to your business and will be less likely to look for positions outside the company.

7) Be understanding and flexible

It could become common for members of your team to call in sick due to burnout, especially during a construction season where the job volume is high. It’s important to be understanding and offer your support if necessary when your employees need to take time off. This will show them that you care for their wellbeing and will promote increased dedication.

8) Make your team feel heard

Employees can oftentimes lose interest in their job or employer when they don’t feel their voice is being heard. It’s important to take the time to get feedback from each member of your team as it relates to improving processes, new equipment that could improve their ability to do their work and ways to improve safety on the job site. Listening to your team and making changes that will positively impact their work experience will make them feel heard and create a cohesive work environment.

Let us help you prevent burnout with our construction tech

The future of construction involves using tech. If you’re looking for a better system that will improve the way you run your construction business, reduce stress and avoid burnout for you and your construction team, schedule a demo today.

About The Author

Chelsea Cole Chelsea Cole is a senior content marketing specialist at Buildertrend