Inside Buildertrend

Why happy employees are key to a successful construction business

A happy, engaged workforce isn’t just good for employees – it’s good for your bottom-line, too.

Inc Best Workplaces

Workplace culture isn’t just some corporate buzzword for the Fortune 500. It can (and should) be a cornerstone for companies of all sizes.

This includes those in the construction industry. However, with rising demand and the complexity of new home builds, it can be hard to focus on anything but the many, many jobs ahead. Don’t let your team get lost in the shuffle.

There is real value in making your employees really engaged. We’ve seen it firsthand. Buildertrend has been named for the second year in a row to Inc. magazine’s annual list of the Best Workplaces for 2021.

Our success as the leading construction project management software is directly tied to how happy our workforce is. We keep our team top of mind – even throughout the past turbulent year. Because we know when employees feel good, good stuff follows. Greater productivity. Improved customer service. Reduced construction turnover. With the current labor shortage, retention has never been more important for construction crews, too. That’s why we’re sharing the secrets of how we foster an award-winning culture. Here are five ways to boost morale.

(Your profits may just follow suit).

1) Remain transparent

Transparency builds trust. It’s as simple as that. Providing your crew and office staff with sufficient information about the plans, strategies and performance of your company is one indication that they’re more than a cog in the wheel. What they do makes a difference – it’s important to share that impact with them.

For smaller teams, transparency might take the form of a weekly touch base with the entire staff. Even though our team holds hundreds of creatives, strategists and leaders, Buildertrend makes transparency a priority, too.

When our team shifted to work from home throughout the height of the pandemic, we ramped up internal communications. Weekly video updates from leadership, personalized emails from the chief of revenue, virtual town halls – we did it all.

When nobody is in the dark, everyone feels valued.

2) Focus on health

Construction is labor-intensive, so physical health always remains a priority in this industry. However, if the pandemic has shown anything, it goes deeper than that. Mental health is just as important.

Work often equals stress, and stress equals burnout. So, what’s a construction business owner to do? You can’t just put projects on pause – but you can implement programs and benefits that tend to employees’ health.

At Buildertrend, we encourage employees to take mental health days, implemented an Employee Assistance Program that provides access to qualified therapists and keep the conversation about overall well-being open.

These are just a few strategies you can put into play. It’s all about finding the solution that works best for your team.

The bottom-line: Mental fitness means happier, healthier employees.

3) Communicate well

Strong communication is easier said than done. A lot easier. Collaboration issues too frequently arise in construction since the staff is dispersed over several different job sites and offices. It’s not like the work itself is super simple either.

For this industry, this is why a centralized communication system is critical.

Buildertrend can be that system. With features like Messages, Daily Logs and To-Do’s, all the daily back-and-forth comes together in one system. With tech, collaboration becomes king. That means work gets done quicker and easier, as frustration is removed from the equation.

4) Demonstrate respect

The pandemic wasn’t the only big story of the past year. Significant and long overdue social change happened, too. Businesses of every industry can’t afford to turn a blind eye.

Regardless of someone’s race, beliefs, gender or sexual orientation, everyone deserves respect within the workplace. It sounds like a basic way to enforce a strong culture – but many companies fall short.

To ramp up our own efforts, Buildertrend introduced a Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Council. Composed of individuals from across the company, this council is a great opportunity to help enlighten perspectives, create healthy dialogue and ensure everyone’s unique needs, experiences and potential are valued.

5) Have some fun

Holding events, celebrating achievements and volunteering together can have a profound impact on your workplace culture. Research shows that employees with friends at work are twice as likely to be engaged than those without.

Fun has always been a big part of the Buildertrend culture. So, when the team began working from home to keep employees safe during COVID-19, we were challenged to keep that celebratory-spirit alive. We rose right to it.

In 2020, we rolled out We Heart Buildertrend, a series of programming spanning two months with options to connect safely in person or virtually. Events included a virtual 5K, virtual cooking class, an outdoor movie night, volunteer time off and a week of giveaways.

Work doesn’t have to be all … well, work. There is a time and place for play, too.

Employees aren’t the only key to success …

There are plenty of factors that lead to a thriving construction company – an engaged workforce just happens to be one of the most powerful pieces. For more business tips and tricks, be sure to check out the Buildertrend Resource Library.

About The Author

Sean Robinson

Sean Robinson Sean Robinson is a senior content marketing specialist at Buildertrend

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