Like all other industries, the construction industry is not immune to the COVID-19 crisis. The federal and state governments have implemented strict measures on social distancing to slow down the spread of the novel coronavirus. Only a few sectors, including the construction industry, have been declared essential and are thus permitted to continue operations, albeit in limited capacities.
As the COVID-19 pandemic goes underway, construction business owners face the challenge of continuing operations with skeletal crews and a disrupted supply chain. There will be longer completion times for projects or even a total stoppage of work if things get worse. One measure that a lot of businesses are adopting during this pandemic is remote monitoring.
Understandably, a lot of business owners are still on the fence about remote monitoring, especially those who are new to this concept. Fortunately, there are several technological innovations that you can use to support your workforce in these trying times. Here’s how remote monitoring can help you continue your operations during the COVID-19 crisis.
1. Tracking employee productivity
Not all employees are able to transition smoothly from an office environment or a construction site to a work-from-home setup. Having colleagues within speaking distance is actually conducive to productivity and not having them around may affect your employees’ workflow, not to mention the current situation has been emotionally taxing to everyone.
One way to improve supervision and accountability is to use mobile time tracking software. This will help keep your employees on track even if they are working in multiple locations. Some of these time tracking applications even have GPS tracking and digital timesheets to ensure that employees are working where they say they will be.
2. Improving payroll accuracy
Despite being a back-office role, the payroll department has been at the forefront of discussions as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. With new rules for sick pays and leave entitlements as well as government relief packages, the payroll department needs to get on top of the calculation of fair compensation for employees as they also work from home.
Using time tracking software can help your human resources staff introduce these adjustments and improve the accuracy of your payroll. This lets you avoid any more payment issues that can impact your cash flow, especially during this critical situation.
3. Adjusting project schedules
While construction business owners are used to project delays, the extraordinary circumstances in the COVID-19 pandemic will only make things worse. You may have to reevaluate your jobs and see how you can adjust task durations to more realistic ones. You may also have to take into account transportation delays such as those caused by checkpoints that your fleet may have to deal with while they are en route to the construction sites. These disruptions can increase your fuel expenses and other construction work costs.
By having remote monitoring tools, you can adjust the schedules of your fleet to adapt to the situation. It also lets you observe driver behavior and correct any poor habit that may affect your bottom line.
The benefits of technological innovations, especially remote monitoring tools, are apparent during the COVID-19 pandemic. As we deal with the effects of the crisis, you will need the advantage provided by these tools to ensure business continuity.
About the Author:
Chris Woodard is the Co-Founder of Handle.com, where they build software that helps contractors, subcontractors, and material suppliers with late payments. Handle.com also provides funding for construction businesses in the form of invoice factoring, material supply trade credit, and mechanics lien purchasing.