Time is one of the most valuable resources in the construction industry. Construction projects are often measured in how much time they take. The time your workers spend on a project can increase your profit margin or break the bank.
Managing construction jobs is challenging enough. However, managing workers in the field is a whole different problem. One reason is that most field workers don’t like being spied on or micromanaged. Furthermore, they see most constriction timesheets as time-wasters and prefer to ignore them.
But as an employer, you need to enforce construction timesheets so you can measure productivity and accurately calculate payroll.
So how do you solve this issue?
This article will provide practical tips for tracking field jobs without coming off as a spy or recording low compliance with your construction timesheet policies.
1. Understand the complexities of the job
Most field managers don’t trust their field workers, and rightly so. It is fundamental human nature to slack off when no one is watching.
However, before you take out your frustration on your staff, you must ensure that you are not at fault.
Ensure that they have adequate equipment, tools, and facilities. You should also use a tracking tool that aligns with their educational level and schedule.
We recommend that you invest in practical time-tracking tools that require minimal worker input.
2. Choose the right metrics
You can choose to measure how long your workers work or how productive they are at work. While these metrics might seem similar, they are pretty different.
For instance, GPS tracking allows you to ascertain that your field employees are constantly on the move based on their schedules.
It works for workers who must transport resources and personnel across multiple locations daily. You can ensure they are in the right location at the right time.
It would help if you focused on work time tracking for workers on a fixed site. This metric ensures that the employees are not doing other activities or slacking on company time.
Most automated time tracking tools can be integrated with your payroll system to ensure workers are compensated for the hours worked.
If you are more concerned about productivity, you can use a system that requires workers to log in on how many tasks they perform within their work shifts. You can choose to assign this metric to a supervising worker.
3. Keep an eye on the bottom line
The best way to measure growth is profit.
So while you are measuring productivity and time spent, you should also measure how these metrics affect your profit margins.
You can choose to measure profitability individually and in teams. Using both approaches will have to get a broad and specific picture of your most valuable employees.
4. Set measurable goals
Before putting a construction timesheet in effect, you should know your field employees’ roles and expectations. You should set specific, measurable goals and explain them to your employees.
You should also provide the necessary information, equipment, and tools to help them meet their responsibilities.
5. Use workforce tools
Employees in the field need a lightweight tracking tool to manage quickly and flexibly.
Some automated timesheet tools allow employees to log their time and tasks without needing expensive hardware or sophisticated readers.
It would help if you also employed communication tools to ensure employees have all the relevant communication timely and clearly.
Lastly, it would help if you employed calendars and other scheduling tools to ensure employees know the task they should carry out each time and clarify their work schedules and tasks to prevent overlap.
Conclusion
Employee management is a two-way street. Just as you ensure they are performing up to expectations, you should also perform up to expectations. Sometimes, a little tweak in your construction timesheet maintenance method can make a lot of difference and improve work output.
