Problems are ever-present on a construction work site because of how much the job depends on good weather conditions, timely delivery of materials and a number of different subcontractors who need to work in tandem with each other and yet separately. Due to the chaotic nature of a construction worksite mistakes happen which can cause conflicts to arise. In such a situation it can be quite difficult to get everyone to be civil and play nice with each other.
Sometimes these daily squabbles turn into something more serious. If these conflicts lead to accidents you might have to deal with expensive litigation and arbitration charges. Even if things do not escalate to that extent you will still have to deal with reduced productivity if there are any interpersonal conflicts or long-simmering feuds that have festered among your employees.
Although you cannot always avoid disagreements but you can build a culture within your organization which encourages employees to work well with each other. In order to be able to do that successfully, you need to make sure that as a leader you model soft skills and are able to listen to and collaborate with your team members. If there are any interpersonal issues between workers they will impact everything and everyone on site. At a construction work site, these problems often have a snowball effect where they don’t just impact the people involved in the conflict but everyone else present on-site gets pulled into it as well.
How problems at construction work sites turn into disputes
No matter what industry you are in if there are conflicts at the workplace they are going to be costly for your business. The same thing happens in the construction industry as well, dealing with conflicts costs employers quite a bit. Surveys and reports show that disputes at construction work sites occur mainly because of safety concerns, missing equipment or due to workmanship-related issues.
However, when these problems are not resolved on time these concerns turn into conflicts. Instead of focusing all your energy on finding the best deal equipment you should pay some attention to how your team is doing as well. A small issue that might not seem important at the time can later turn into a bigger problem. You can avoid that outcome by paying attention to employee concerns when they arise.
Whenever people in the construction industry are asked about the top skills that would improve work sites, communication and interpersonal skills are almost always among the top five mentioned. However, it is very rare for companies to invest in training programs to cultivate these soft skills. When it comes to resolving conflicts you need to have people on board with effective communication and problem-solving skills who can effectively diffuse a tense situation. So, when hiring project managers look for people with such qualities.