How Did Construction Companies Cope Up with COVID-19?
How Did Construction Companies Cope Up With COVID-19?
By
Zia
|Last Updated: 26 Jul 2022
With the present COVID-19 pandemic, the world is presented with a global economy and business environment crisis—something we may have not been prepared for.
As the virus continues to spread, the lockdown of public life and suspension of business operations have been placed and the World Health Organization (WHO) took the unprecedented step to release strict health protocols we’ve never seen or experienced before. People are now locked at home and the slowing down of consumer demand has been significant. Despite the paralyzing levels of uncertainty, the entire construction industry is taking steps to immediately react to this crisis, making the business thrive while keeping clients safe and secure. This boils down to a single question, how did construction companies cope up with COVID-19?
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They embraced technology and other digital tools
The COVID-19 crisis acted as a catalyst for preparing the workforce to fully embrace digital tools. The importance of innovation and adaptability has been apparent since face-to-face interaction has been restricted. Personal home visits and oculars are now being replaced by Zoom meetings and video conferences. Sales processes have been tweaked and online transactions have been fully operational.
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They have kept their clients (and other stakeholders) posted
Good communication between subcontractors, suppliers, store partners, and homeowners are the most important during this pandemic. Companies have dedicated their time and effort to create a strong social media presence. They’ve done it to easily inform the public about the latest updates regarding the business and what other alternatives they can offer to best serve their clients. From there, homeowners can make educated decisions and determine if it is still better to put the project on hold or let it push through (while strictly following health protocols).
With both company owners and the rest of the stakeholders on the same page, the project could still run smoothly—keeping all the impending communication issues at a minimum.
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They established a health safety plan
Although health protocols have been established long before coronavirus, preventive measures such as increasing sanitation stations and limiting face-to-face interactions among the stakeholders have been placed. Implementing these additional safety measures and sanitation procedures are deemed necessary in preventing further spread of the virus. A well-established and well-communicated health safety plan has been crucial for minimizing the impact of COVID-19 and construction companies like Eano Home Renovation made sure to have this exercised right away.
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They had their way around the workforce
The construction industry has been well aware of how face-to-face interactions are important in doing such projects. Meeting clients in person builds trust between the two parties. However, due to COVID-19, companies had to work their way around their employees' work schedule—allowing flexi-time, skeletal workforce, and work-from-home arrangements. Business owners, through the help of their human resource managers, got a sense of how would a job be done amid this pandemic. It all boiled down to how much would the homeowners understand the apparent change of the construction procedure and how would employees see themselves working for a much longer time on a shorter period.
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They formed a solid cross-functional crisis team
Last but not the least, construction companies have thought of creating a cross-functional crisis team to address the problem. These teams are comprised of stakeholders from sales, marketing, internal management, and other various individuals who can represent each department. This group's sole purpose is to keep everyone abreast of the current situation of the company. It's also their duty to provide updates using crisis-specific dashboards to propose an immediate resolution in case an issue arises. Construction companies have also drafted contingency plans and assign individuals who are equipped and ready to throw out solid decisions for short-term and long-term goals.
What we learned:
Although little can be done to eliminate the consequences of this pandemic, Eano Home Renovation and the rest of the construction industry have done their part to put the people's welfare above all else. Just like any other business, everyone has deviated from their goals and plans and adapted to what can be done for this year. As the world continues to battle its way amid this global crisis, we could all do our best to do things we can control. After all, we all deserve a pat on the back for thriving and striving still to continue and do business as usual.
*All images are from the internet.
Sources/references:
https://www.constructiondive.com/news/how-contractors-are-responding-to-the-covid-19-crisis/574465/
https://www.pbctoday.co.uk/news/planning-construction-news/construction-projects-covid-19/75172/
