Do you remember when your biggest work-related concerns were about getting paid and finding or keeping good employees? How times have changed—and how quickly those changes seem to have occurred! Our lives were very different just a year ago.
Last month I mentioned natural disasters and other negative happenings in our world, and now contracting company owners are also trying to comply with new safety standards and deciding if another specialty—or prefabrication—is the best way to move forward. This only adds to a contractor’s potential for developing an ulcer. It also means we are working differently, and not necessarily in a good way. Due to projects being canceled or rescheduled along with social distancing measures and many other factors, the smoothly run job site is becoming a thing of the past. Contractors are dealing with multiple inefficiencies but still doing their best to finish on time and on budget. You are having to rethink the job site, how you and your employees work. We are here to help. From the human connection to adopting (or adapting to) new technologies, the AWCI member contractors interviewed for the article on page 26 offer a variety of solutions that may fit your needs. Read this article if you want to hear some ideas for keeping your company and your job sites successful.
Our next feature is again an S.S. Saucerman thought piece. In this one he ponders if the current pandemic will force you to think about automation (in its various forms) just a little bit more. I think this article also backs up a point made by AWCI President Chip McAlpin in his column on page 5, that people in the construction industry are resilient. Very resilient. Some changes are harder to make than others, but in these times, you have to consider all of your options and make the decisions that are right for your company’s situation.
To some it may feel like the human connection is, well, disconnecting. It’s for our health and well-being, but it’s hard, even for this somewhat introverted homebody (me). You will find that the article on page 40 offers ideas for holding in-person meetings for those times when Zoom just doesn’t cut it. Sometimes the key might be finding the right location. This isn’t in the article, but it made me think: Don’t many of you have access to supply yards and warehouses? Read the article and let me know if you are thinking the same thing. It could work.
As always, you can reach me via email at [email protected] or you can find me on LinkedIn, Facebook and Twitter. Whether it’s good or bad, I like hearing from our readers—you!—especially now that we can’t meet face-to-face. So please take a moment to comment on this issue of AWCI’s Construction Dimensions or suggest ideas for future articles. Tell me what’s on you mind. Tell me what projects you’re working on. And remember that you can now set your subscription to receive the print magazine, a digital version or both by going to www.constructiondimensions.com.
Enjoy! And stay safe.
