A big challenge that many construction managers face is improving communication on the jobsite. Most of the day-to-day communication occurs remotely between different parties at the main office and jobsite. This creates a lot of situations where communication breakdowns can occur.
Aside from just passing information between the different parties, other goals of internal communication include ensuring workers feel motivated, which leads to them producing better results.
Independent of the communication channels and formats chosen by a company, it is essential to maintain discipline and strive to always keep people updated. You also want to carry out periodic check ups to ensure that the people who use communication channels are following protocol and that using relevant methods. A sign that your internal communication policies need to be updated is when the group doesn’t identify with the wording or the content, or if they don’t consider the information current or helpful.
To guarantee that your construction company’s communication is effective, you need to put to use the best tools available. We’ve assembled this short list to help you stay on top of current trends in construction communication tools.
Newspapers are one of the oldest forms of mass communication and they are still a powerful tool for shaping opinions in communities where they’re read. Newspapers are still often used in the business world, albeit on a smaller scale than national and regional newspapers.
A company newsletter can be used to inform about company updates and upcoming events, just like a piece from a social column. You can use the newsletter to give recognition to employees, cover big personal events like weddings or graduations, and mention other information that will be of interest to people in the company.
Maintaining a printed company newsletter can get expensive fast, which is why a lot of companies are opting for blogs to save on paper and ink costs. Online formats are also increasingly natural for young professionals across a wide range of sectors.
The logistics and editorial process are the same as newspapers. The only thing that changes is the platform where the content gets displayed.
Bulletin boards are usually more technical and direct than a typical company newsletter. Important updates, such as a new law that might alter how construction workers use their safety equipment, for example, are the kind of items you’d want to put on your bulletin board.
Bulletin boards in construction firms should be located at every jobsite. They should be clearly visible in areas where there’s a lot of foot traffic, like break rooms, locker rooms, drinking fountains, among others. No point in putting a bulletin board up if no one’s going to see it.
Used only in corporate environments, an intranet can be an excellent option to optimize your firm’s communication. With the Intranet, it’s possible to maintain communication between employees via email. Another plus of this tool is that it facilitates group discussions and online forums.
In order to enable access to the Internet and intranet for all of your employees, it’s recommended that you set up computers or laptops at all jobsites. You also need to make sure that your employees have time to use the system, so ask your foreman to give them breaks so that they can keep it updated.
There are a number applications that successful construction firms use to maintain internal communication. For many of them, project managers organize project information, check deadlines, assign tasks and get updates all through online systems. As the information is sent and stored in the cloud, it’s possible to add and access data about the job at all times for all stakeholders.
Now you know five tools that you can use to improve communication in your construction firm. Make sure to read our related article, 5 Construction Apps that You Should Download Now.