Construction companies deal with multiple processes simultaneously, including workforce management, risk assessment, planning, etc. On average, a 5-6 month-long residential project requires 26-32 workers for smooth completion.
If you manually manage the workers’ activities, you have to hire additional experts. However, doing so may cost you additional time and money. That’s why it’s important to adapt to efficient construction management software, such as Bridgit, to automate workforce processes.
This post reveals how software helps construction companies boost their productivity and make key decisions for their employees.
Five ways workforce management software helps construction companies
Workforce management software automates employee activities and keeps track of individual performance. This advanced tool gathers data and gives helpful insights for project managers to decide the best for their employees.
Following are five benefits workforce management software provides for construction companies.
Provides a centralized system
Construction projects divide the teams into parts. One part works on the construction site, which includes contractors, engineers, and laborers. The second part handles operational processes from the camp or office, which includes managers, designers, and the IT department.
The workforce management system provides both teams with a common channel to communicate. In addition, both teams can share data using the software.
Usually, miscommunication occurs in construction projects due to the unavailability of a common platform. For example, while the engineers at the site use methodology A, the designers and architects keep using methodology B. This difference in methodologies affects:
- Productivity
- Efficiency
- Schedule
- Management
By using workforce management software, every team working on the project can collaborate and share their inputs with complete transparency. However, senior management, including the project manager, head engineer, and client, can share confidential documents using a private channel or a closed group.
Forecasts workforce need
Using workforce management software helps you analyze the required capacity of your construction project and suggests whether you should hire more employees. Since construction projects need different teams available every time, some employees might not complete their shifts consistently.
The management software uses employee performance metrics and predicts if you need to hire an additional workforce for a project. Additionally, this software helps you make an efficient schedule for the teams.
When you schedule a project, all the key activities are aligned based on:
- Project Plan
- Equipment capacity
- Workforce
- Risks
You can input the above factors into the management system to get useful insights.
However, the system will never give accurate results if you don’t submit the facts. That might lead to bigger consequences, including project delays, cost overruns, and even project failure.
Saves cost and time
Investing in workforce management software is the best approach to save money and time. The biggest advantage of using such advanced management tools is you automate the employee’s processes, making them responsible for their activities.
For example, employees can set their shift schedules without contacting HR. Also, employees can mark their tasks as “Complete,” “Pending,” or “Delayed” without contacting the project manager.
If you are wondering who supervises the software, the project manager has the administrator’s access to the system. The manager tracks each employee’s activity without notifying them. That keeps the employees accountable for their responsibilities.
The company’s organizational structure also remains stable because employees will now work to their maximum potential. Not only that, but the workforce management software also saves time by giving a seamless user experience without delays.
For example, the traditional chain method of approving an employee activity from the team head and senior management is time-consuming.
But since employees can now interact directly with the system’s portal, they can quickly make changes to their schedule, update daily tasks, and communicate with the respective manager or the team head.
Reduces compliance risk
Construction companies must keep track of their compliance with the legal formalities. It’s because government bodies ask for compliance proof any time they want. So your company must have the statistical records in a presentable way to avoid fines.
However, maintaining construction records manually is a hectic job. That’s because:
- First, it’s time-consuming. On average, a construction project takes 15.4 months to build residential buildings with multiple units. The planning team must prepare the project, capacity, scope, and risk documents. Additionally, the transactional history is another key factor that the government bodies ask about.
- Secondly, manually maintaining construction records is risky because there’s a high chance of errors. Even a minor misinterpretation in the compliance document might lead to huge fines. Also, that puts the company’s reputation on the line.
Therefore, workforce management software is the best way to automate the compliance records of your company.
You only have to set the system using the key inputs. For example, transactional ID, project cost overruns, and damages. Then, the software will automatically generate a compliance document required by the official bodies.
That will save time and cost of hiring an additional team to maintain the compliance record.
Increases workers’ satisfaction
The workers of your company need a satisfactory environment and work culture. Although many construction companies pay their worker’s good salaries and wages, the disorganized working environment affects workers’ performance.
According to a study, emotionally detached employees cost companies around $450-550 billion annually.
These employees typically face the following issues:
- Low morale – Employee dissatisfaction kills the team’s morale, affecting collective performance.
- Low contribution – A dissatisfied employee never contributes to the team to their full potential.
- Pressure – Dissatisfied employees work under severe management pressure and might leave the company once they get a chance.
No company wants to see its employees suffering due to poor management. That’s why workforce management software is necessary to ease employees’ activities. This software enables the workers to manage their processes.
For example:
- Work schedule
- Shift confirmation
- Time in/out
Workforce management software can also mark employee attendance and process that data to generate payroll. As a result, you can get automatic monthly attendance and payroll reports without hiring an additional manager. That saves you thousands of dollars annually.
Conclusion
Using the right workforce management software can boost the productivity and profitability of your construction company. Also, your employees will be satisfied by getting full control of their activities.
Fortunately, there are multiple workforce management tools available that you can choose from. So invest in the right management software and simplify workforce activities for your employees.
