Using Tech To Solve 3 Challenges The Construction Industry Faces

Construction organisations are no stranger to hiccups day-to-day. Anything from project overrunning, budgeting issues, staff management or bad weather - there’s always something! There will forever be elements beyond our control, but what if technology could offer a helping hand?

We’ve taken a look at some common problems in the industry and how apps can help solve them:

1) Recruitment, Skills and Training

One of the biggest challenges the sector faces is labour shortage of skilled workers. Younger people are now less likely to opt for a career in construction - meaning a lot of experienced workers are lost to retirement. In fact 61% of the construction workforce is due to leave the sector in the next decade, leaving behind a huge skills gap. However, this doesn’t mean that the demand for construction workers has stopped - it’s reported that ​​the UK needs to hire approximately 266,000 extra construction workers by 2026.

Implementing a recruitment app such as Facto HR can help alleviate some of the administrative strain associated with recruiting and onboarding.

Organisations can also take steps to make the role more appealing to today’s young, tech savvy,  jobseekers. Focussing on up-skilling recruits or offering apprenticeships and highlighting career progression, could help young people see the potential within the industry. Making efforts to build an online presence, creating resources or reaching out to school and college open days for Apprentices, can all help put the spotlight on the sector that so many young people are missing out on. Learn more about Apprenticeships and the support available.

Training

Knowledge is power, and within this highly skilled workforce, continual training will be needed as the sector and tools advance and demands change. Supporting employees in their professional growth has a huge impact on retention too - over 90% of workers admitted that development opportunities would keep them in a role.

In addition to regular training and reviews with senior managers, employees should have access to resources to facilitate their own growth and development. Implementing a Learning Management System can help employees remain engaged, and up to date with their mandatory training.

In addition to regular training and reviews with senior managers, employees should have access to resources to facilitate their own growth and development. Implementing a Learning Management System can help employees remain engaged, and up to date with their mandatory training. Systems such as Bridge have reminders for certification renewal to help you stay compliant, along with a library of resources employees can self-serve in multiple languages, encouraging them to take ownership and track their progress, to reach their full potential.

2) Time Management

Second only to health/dental care in employee satisfaction, workers rank personal time off as one of the most important benefits. Making all aspects of time management easy and accurate from the get go, can help employees feel valued and less guilty about taking their entitled days off.

A traditionally offline sector, construction companies are generally a little slower up-taking digital transformation compared to other industries. Manually collating scribbles, timesheets, WhatsApp messages into a legible timesheet for payroll is difficult enough. Add in overtime, flexi time, and PTO? You’re losing hours to this archaic task and increasing the likelihood of error. Not to mention that A2 wall calendar with everyone's leave, appointments, sick days pencilled in - only to be crossed out and changed from time to time.

Utilising a time and attendance tool, like TimeKeeper can help alleviate the issues associated with these tasks. Having timesheets and overtime calculations automated, means workers can be confident they’re being paid accurately for the work they do and administrators can reduce their payroll task considerably. Furthermore, using the mobile app to request leave (PTO and sickness) will streamline the process for both parties. Investing in a tool like TimeKeeper shows workers you respect their time both in and out of work.

3) Project Management

From the owner to the architect, foreman, labourer and site manager - there are lots of individuals who need to be kept in the loop. As projects progress, there’s inevitable snags that need to be addressed, queries to be resolved and assessments to be made. That’s where a project management tool comes in. Some apps like TimeKeeper have project management built onto their core functions. There are also tools like Fieldwire which specialise in project management. Keeping track of actions and updates, digitalising forms whilst keeping in contact with all involved via their instant messaging feature.

It’s reported that 20% of all project delays are caused by poor communication. And in worse cases, leads to project failure one-third of the time.Ensuring communication is tight, along with updates and progress, can help keep projects on track and prevent costly delays.

Despite construction being a hands-on physical career, there’s plenty of scope for technology to assist different areas of your organisation. Communication apps, BIM tools and project management - there’s a plethora of apps out there that can help your construction business thrive.