Toolbox
Some of the major factors that must be addressed by site-work estimators.
Evaluating Estimators—What you can learn from the movie “Moneyball”
Topic Sponsor
Top Management Articles
Q: What proven business practices will help subcontractors build a better business?
Engage your employees in the transition process to create a unified company.
Use this guide to implement a process that yields lasting results for your construction business.
How to reduce the time and money spent on HR tasks, payroll and healthcare.
Q:
Customer gifts are always a problem for us. I don't know what to give and how much to spend. Do you have any recommendations for a small general contractor? We do interior tenant improvements and remodels for small real estate investors and developers. Our jobs range from $25,000 to $100,000.
In reading your "Mediocrity" article I picked up on some great tips about the importance of maintaining a good relationship with clients. I would like to send a thank you letter to a few clients that we recently completed projects for. I feel that this letter needs to have something more than just a generic thank you in it. Can you offer any suggestions? Your input would be greatly appreciated.
No matter how many times I tell my employees to look and act a certain way, they don't. I know I don't do a great job following my own rules, but since it's my business, I think I ought to be able to do things the way I want. Why won't my employees just do as they're told?
For most construction companies, the recruiting and hiring process is ongoing. The fact that there is a shortage of qualified people in the construction industry should not be a surprise to anyone. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, employment in the construction industry will grow at an average 11.4 percent between 2004 and 2014, with almost one million new jobs created within that period.
Despite the predicted need for more workers, the primary working age group (those between the ages of twenty-five and fifty-four years old) is projected to decline, resulting in approximately three million fewer workers in this age range alone. Pair that with the graying (and impending retirement) of the baby boomers, plus the negative image of the industry itself, and recruiting qualified people into construction-related positions has never been more critical. So much depends on a company’s ability to attract, recruit and retain talented people, and there are a number of factors to consider in order to maintain a competitive edge over other companies vying for the same potential employees.
Latest Management Articles
Evaluating Estimators—What you can learn from the movie “Moneyball”
Q: What proven business practices will help subcontractors build a better business?
Engage your employees in the transition process to create a unified company.
Use this guide to implement a process that yields lasting results for your construction business.
How to reduce the time and money spent on HR tasks, payroll and healthcare.
Q:
Customer gifts are always a problem for us. I don't know what to give and how much to spend. Do you have any recommendations for a small general contractor? We do interior tenant improvements and remodels for small real estate investors and developers. Our jobs range from $25,000 to $100,000.
In reading your "Mediocrity" article I picked up on some great tips about the importance of maintaining a good relationship with clients. I would like to send a thank you letter to a few clients that we recently completed projects for. I feel that this letter needs to have something more than just a generic thank you in it. Can you offer any suggestions? Your input would be greatly appreciated.
Work... the daily grind…it’s a place where productivity is measurable and the bottom line serves as a necessary evil. Some say work can’t be fun, because if it was fun then it would be called “play.” Can work be fun? Can work include a bit of humor and still see objectives attained? Can laughter and smiles benefit a work environment, or do they serve to create added risk to the organization? Humor in the workplace is a revolving door through which employees and employers pass each time a joke is told at the water cooler, a funny comment is made in a team meeting or a political cartoon is posted on the wall of a cubicle. The question becomes, where will the employee and the organization be led each time they pass?
"Negotiation" defined is a "discussion aimed at reaching an agreement"-which is not always the simplest of tasks. Following certain guidelines is helpful to develop better negotiation skills.
Key Resources
