How to boost morale at your construction site
- Thursday, 20 April 2017
When things seem to be going through a rough patch at your construction site, team members can easily lose morale. Here are a things you can do to make sure your team is resilient and pushes through any difficulty.
Teach your team about resilience
Some may think that resilience is a trait and not something you can learn over time. In fact, resilience is just like muscle memory, it builds over time with the right attitude. Team leaders can make sure their colleagues learn to be resilient. The American Psychological Dictionary defines resilience as "the process of adapting well in the face of adversity, trauma, tragedy, threats, or significant sources of stress.”
Set the mood for team members to feel trusted and empowered. If employees feel free to express themselves or know that accidents can happen and that mistakes can be corrected, then they know that things can be fixed. They become resilient.
Reinforce your company culture
Time and time again company culture has come up as the very foundation upon which your company will operate. This aspect alone can make or break your company. Your company culture must empower employees, and allow them to collaborate, not compete with each other. Make sure morale can bounce back from a stressful situation if everyone has each other's backs.
Create a safe space
During a stressful situation, tempers may rise, things may be said, and feelings may be hurt. Make sure to create a safe space for employees to communicate with each other and with you as their leader. This can be done face-to-face or via your construction management app if people feel safer if they write their thoughts down before sharing them. Defusing a situation is about putting differences aside and being empathetic. We have talked about a few dos and don'ts when solving conflicts within the organization that can act as a guide if you ever find yourself in a similar situation.
Rough patches are not uncommon, it's your response to them that counts.