The efficiency of employees in job sites is dismal. According to research, employee efficiency tops at 30% for most construction jobs. 7 – 15% of most jobs have to be reworked, with 80% often running over budget.
A lot can be done to improve these numbers. For instance, you can improve employee efficiency on job sites by providing real-time communication, encouraging employee growth and training, leveraging software, and providing incentives.
Here’s all you need to know about employee efficiency in job sites and how to improve your crew’s output.
Why is Improving the Efficiency of Employees on Job Sites Crucial?
Employee efficiency is the value produced from an employee’s resources on a project or task. It’s also defined as the output quality realized for the invested input.
On a job site, employee efficiency translates to the capacity of your crew to do their work effectively and efficiently for maximum client satisfaction. Your crew’s capacity will be affected by their experience, skills, knowledge, motivation, and other factors.
Poor employee efficiency leads to massive wastage in most job sites. These wastages typically come in the following forms:
- Time – According to data, 35% of a construction crew’s onsite time gets wasted on non-productive tasks. This includes redoing work, waiting for communication from management, fixing errors, and searching for product and customer data.
- Labor – According to data, about 90% of construction workers classify the industry as non-productive. A small job often has to be handled by a large crew.
- Profits – Research shows that improving employee efficiency in job sites can save the industry about $1.63 trillion annually.
The Benefits of High Employee Efficiency
Efficient employees pack a ton of benefits for your field service business. They include the following:
Increased Profitability
You incur fewer operational costs when your crew works efficiently at the job site. Therefore, it becomes cheaper for your business to fulfil work orders and satisfy customers.
Better Work Environment
Employees work efficiently when they are motivated and committed to their job. Therefore, you foster an energetic and positive work environment. Consequently, you experience lower employee turnover.
Positive Company Culture
Improving your crew’s efficiency sets the tone for other workers in your field service business, fostering a positive company culture and high employee engagement. Therefore, those who’re not motivated to work efficiently get the push from others.
Moreover, as your crew expands, you don’t have to consistently train and talk about productivity standards to the new hires since they can pick it up from others.
High Employee Growth
Promoting high employee efficiency on job sites encourages employee growth. Your crew stretches itself to its limits, incentivizing them to learn new skills and proficiencies that make them more experienced and qualified.
Better Engagement
According to a survey, only 34% of the U.S. workforce feels engaged. These actively disengaged employees cost businesses $483 to $605 billion annually in lost productivity.
Improving employee efficiency in your job site improves employee engagement, making your crew more productive, which allows your business to achieve its goals. It also makes it easier to recruit and retrain talent.
Effective Ways You Can Improve Employee Efficiency
Here’re a few effective ways to improve employee efficiency on your job site and fulfil more work orders.
Have Well-Established Communication
Regardless of your crew member’s roles and responsibilities, effective, real-time communication is crucial for the swift progress of projects and work orders. Real-time communication solves numerous onsite problems before they emerge and develop into dire situations.
An unhindered flow of information also ensures that everyone in the crew is timely informed about ongoing and future tasks on the job site. Therefore, you’re sure your project won’t have costly delays and that the process is transparent.
Have Better Data Management
According to experts, data is the oil of the digital era. It’s the most valuable resource a business can have to improve productivity and employee efficiency. Few field service businesses are leveraging the power of data, leading to poor employee efficiency on job sites. This means valuable insights and knowledge are thrown out of the window daily.
Improper use and management of data leads to repeated mistakes that can be costly to your field service business. You should employ effective data collection and management techniques, such as using CRMs, to make it easier to know your customers, design future projects, and give your crew helpful feedback on their performance.
Encourage Employee Learning and Growth
According to a study, providing employees with more learning and growth opportunities leads to better productivity and efficiency.
Your field service business can offer its crew internal cross-training and employee development opportunities or tuition assistance to help with further education, such as obtaining a master’s degree.
Leverage Software and Technology
Employees can only work efficiently on the job site with the right technology. Technology such as field service management software helps technicians efficiently perform their roles, leading to better productivity.
Field service companies have fewer barriers to implementing technology in their workflows with the growth of mobile devices and cloud computing. The capital costs of implementing a software or technological solution is also less, with your business getting ready access to crucial, real-time data and information.
Match Work Orders to Skills
You must know your employees’ skills and behavioral styles to maximize their efficiency on your job site. For instance, the creative, extroverted, and out-of-the-box thinker in your crew can be useful for coming up with ideas. However, they’ll be inefficient with mundane, unstimulating work.
Ensure you always have the right person to handle the job, especially since field service businesses rely on excellent customer service and satisfaction.
Provide Incentives
Recognizing your crew for a job well done makes them feel appreciated, which boosts their engagement. In turn, they become more motivated to increase their productivity.
You should consider every crew member’s needs and preferences before rewarding them. For instance, one employee may love public recognition, while another may be more comfortable with a private thank you.
You may try incentives such as:
- Additional paid time off
- A meal
- A handwritten thank you note
- A health and wellness program
- Lazy Monday coupon
Invest in Proper Field Service Job Management
Boosting employee efficiency will have a ripple effect of boosting customer satisfaction and your business’s bottom line. Start offering incentives, encouraging better communication, and providing opportunities for learning and growth. Also, invest in software that will match work orders to the right tech and provide better data management, among other productivity features.
Author Bio
Garrett Wilson is the President and Co-Founder of FieldBin. FieldBin is a field service management software designed for trade business owners. The software allows professionals in the fields of Plumbing, HVAC, Electricians, Roofing, and Commercial Cleaning to manage employees and solve their back-office nightmares quickly. Garrett has expertise in Marketing and Project Management, with experience in multiple industries, including cyber security, healthcare, and manufacturing.