Construction Success Story: Contractor Creates a Total Communications Plan

Target Audience: Construction Companies, Construction Company Owners, Midsize Construction Companies, Communication Coordinators, Accounting Consulting Firm Interest, Management Teams, Job-Site Managers, Monitors of Employee Loyalty

The owner of a midsize construction company that specializes in commercial projects was growing increasingly concerned that many of her staff members felt left out of the communications loop. And she wanted to restore morale without blowing her budget on expensive technology. For guidance, she turned to her financial advisor and, together, they devised a cost-effective “total communications plan.”

For starters, because everyone on her management team already had a cell phone, she and her advisor agreed that she should establish weekly phone calls with each job-site manager. Doing so would give the managers a routine, reliable opportunity to report progress and discuss any new challenges or issues.

The calls would also allow the contractor to pass along tidbits, such as birthdays and employment anniversaries, to keep off-site employees feeling part of the team. In addition, she would announce that her phone would be on 24/7. So remote employees would be able to report problems and garner her advice at any time.

Next, the contractor and her advisor looked at the company’s e-mail capabilities. Although remote employees could access their e-mail through a Web page, they couldn’t always view or send attachments. To solve the problem without overhauling the entire system, the contractor decided to set up a File Transfer Protocol (FTP) site on its server. It would allow employees to upload and download files from any location, including very large files (such as those exceeding 100 MB).

At the same time, the two recognized that nothing can replace face time for building employee loyalty. The advisor found a way to add some dollars to the contractor’s travel budget so she could visit each job site regularly. She would spend the day observing work, discussing concerns and generally just strengthening connections with her crews.

After assessing the cost of her total communications plan and refining it a bit, the contractor put it into action. So far, the results have been good. She’s not only more aware of the day-to-day progress of all of her company’s projects, but also more familiar with the names on her payroll.

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