Is Stress Keeping You Up at Night?

Construction is traditionally viewed as a masculine job, and thus, there’s a stigma around talking about stress.  However, construction is also one of the most mentally and physically stressful jobs around.  According to the Labor Force Survey 2016, stress in construction costs the industry nearly 400,000 work-days a year.  The survey also outlined that “20% of all cases of ill health in construction” were related to stress.  This includes stress from anxiety and depression.  Is stress keeping you up at night?

If stress-free construction is not made a priority, not only will workers suffer, but millions will be lost to inefficiency.

Here are a few ways in which you can manage stress in the construction industry.

Crack Down on Scheduling Issues

Everyone wants their projects to be completed on time. This stress gets handed down the line. Scheduling conflicts or issues make already mounting stress even worse. Delays in deadlines cause losses and this causes even more stress.

At the root of this problem is unrealistic expectations by bosses from employees or by clients.  Supervisors need to take a stand to either make this process more efficient, or to manage expectations.  Otherwise, not only will the workers buckle under the pressure, but construction management stress will become unbearable.

Prioritize Focus

Ask your employees to focus on one thing at a time.  There are times when employees may think that handling more than a single task at a time will ensure a promotion.  What they end up doing is overburdening themselves and doing a bad job.

In construction, people’s lives are depending on the job that you do. Hence, it’s vital to focus on the task at hand. Teach employees that they should focus on one task at a time.  This not only improves the quality of their work, but reduces stress by focusing on one thing.

Communicate Often

Allowing for open communication channels, not only between departments, but between employees and executives, will help reduce stress.  Most employees need to know that they can go to their supervisor for help whenever they need it.  If an atmosphere of openness is cultivated at the workplace, there is a greater chance of reduced stress.

Be sure to communicate that people can go to each other not only for work-related matters, but to talk about concerns. All too often, when people are at work, they feel isolated and foster a cold resolve against mounting pressure. That is no way to run a workplace.

If people are allowed to communicate personal and professional problems to each other, efficiency will rise.  Most people just need an outlet to try an unburden themselves.  If supervisors, managers, senior employees and executives are encouraged to talk to each other, workflow will undoubtedly improve.

Teach Employees to Ask for Help

This is part of encouraging communication. There are tasks that you and your employees will face which they’re unfamiliar with.  At this point, it’s healthy to tell everybody to ask for help.  Don’t ask them to do things on their own or incentivize being self-learning.  Sometimes Google doesn’t give you the answers you need.

If employees are trained to ask for help, they will also be encouraged to speak up.  This will make the environment more conducive to cooperation and helps with managing stress in the construction industry.  And cooperation will improve yields in projects.  In the long run, teaching your employees to ask for help can speed up a project.  Hence, it’s in your self interest and in the interest of efficiency to do so.

Make Breaks Mandatory

Right now the construction business is going through a time of labor shortage and skill depletion.  Most of the construction business owners and professionals that are asked say they’re facing skill shortages.  In this atmosphere, it’s very easy to disregard employees and simply focus on getting as much business as possible.

That puts undue pressure on the existing workforce.  And it also tempts managers and business owners to take more projects on than is warranted.  That’s not a great way to do business, or treat your employees.

Instead, try the opposite of making breaks mandatory.  Not only during the year, but during the day.   Make space in the daily schedule so that workers can relax and take a load off.  To maximize productivity, allow them to plan out their days in advance, week by week.  By doing this, you’ll prioritize stress reduction and stress free construction. This way, there will be a greater chance of improving the quality of their work and their physical and mental health.

Note that this doesn’t mean there should be no overtime ever.  However, overtime should not take precedence over an employee’s mental or physical health.

Is stress keeping you up at night?  Stress is not only something that can be a detriment to your well-being, but it can also cause lasting damage.  Be the kind of boss that you’d like to work for.  Encourage stress reduction activities and a stress management workplace culture.  This way you’ll not only rake in the money, but improve productivity.

Another good way to help reduce some of the stresses found in the construction industry is by outsourcing some of your workload to our virtual support firm.  To learn more, contact us at Pickett Fence Virtual Services.

Is stress keeping you up at night?  What are some ways that you manage stress in this industry?  Share your thoughts below.