General managers for construction companies, also called construction general managers, general contractors, or constructors, are some of the busiest people in the entire workforce. They are in charge of planning, implementing, and tracking safety, compliance, and training activities for hundreds or even thousands of people.
The right general managers can help companies develop an efficient work environment, lead innovative ideas, allocate company resources, and oversee daily operations. They are capable of minimizing costs and maximizing revenues.
Read on for 13 facts about them you may not have known and a straightforward solution to assist these valuable members of our workforce hit their targets.
Fact 1: General Managers Drink More Coffee Than Others
A typical day for construction general managers begins very early, so they drink more coffee than others. The average American consumes three cups of coffee per day, and between negotiating contracts, managing staff, and keeping construction workers safe, construction general managers often drink more than that.
More often than not, these managers work beyond the typical nine-to-five workday and need more coffee to cope with the job requirements.
If you want your general managers to perform better, do not just give them coffee. Provide them with the workforce and learning tools to help them succeed. After all, their success is your success.
Fact 2: General Managers Often Worry About The Accuracy Of Their Employees’ Training Records
A construction general manager’s plate is almost always full, and training is one of the things that take up most of their time and energy. Managers in all industries have to worry about training, but there’s more at stake for construction companies than learning sessions.
Safety training is one of a construction general manager’s crucial tasks. Such training is not just about getting a high score on job site inspections—it is about thoroughly understanding the theories that can potentially save lives in the future.
Help general managers keep track of records by digitizing them.
Fact 3: General Managers Often Need To Pull Training Records When Bidding On New Projects
Construction bidding is the process of submitting a bid to a client as a proposal to handle a specific project. The bidding process includes an invitation from the client that contains the scope of work.
If you are still manually tracking your staff’s learnings, your general manager will have to look for the records, pull them out, and compare them with the project requirements.
However, if you have digitized your training tracking, your general manager can perform this task in minutes. If you want to save valuable company time, go digital.
Fact 4: General Managers Are Often Called In Any Time There Is An External Audit On Training Records
Our top management routinely performs external audits to follow specific laws in assessing a company’s financial statements.
Investigating training records is part of this activity, and general managers will usually be called in to answer questions about them. Let’s face it: we cannot expect them to keep tabs on every training session each employee has ever had.
If you are using a manual system to track records, fulfilling external audit requirements will take your general manager many precious company hours. However, if you automate this process, your general manager can quickly search their computer for training data.
Fact 5: General Managers Are Often Held Ultimately Responsible For Safety-Related Incidents
Construction is a hazardous industry. Every year, there are thousands of injuries and deaths that happen in the workplace.
While construction company owners are primarily responsible for ensuring employee safety, construction general managers are also investigated. They have to minimize or eliminate on-the-job hazards for employees.
You can protect your directors and managers from liability by digitally keeping track of each employee’s training and all the precautions the company applied to ensure employee safety. Keeping such records can prove that you did everything in your power to prevent accidents.
Fact 6: General Managers Often Work Very Long Hours
Construction general managers wear many hats during work hours because modern projects are often complicated undertakings. Some of their tasks include:
- Hiring and training a team of subcontractors
- Explaining contracts
- Scheduling tasks
- Supervising onsite activities
- Computing cost estimates
- Managing budgets
- Making construction decisions
- Developing workarounds for delays
- Complying with building and safety codes
To say that construction general managers have to be organized is an understatement. A relaxed week for such employees means 40 hours of work. But during the busy season, they can work up to 80 hours a week.
Automating some of their duties like training subcontractors and explaining contracts can take hours off their hands.
Fact 7: General Managers Oversee Everything
We earlier enumerated the things most construction general managers do. Among many other things, they oversee schedules, finances, and safety daily.
Many duties are dependent on a construction general manager’s capability to focus on each task, no matter how many things they have to do in a day.
Help your general managers to be more productive by simplifying some of their tasks.
Fact 8: General Managers All Wish They Had More Time In A Day
With so many tasks at bay, especially during the busy seasons, it is natural for general managers to wish they had more time in a day.
Some general managers have to work 80 hours when projects are in full swing, and sometimes they still do not finish all the tasks they have to do.
With their thoughts flying from safety to budget and back, they have to find a way to get more things done given the same work hours. Allow them to explore options that can help them perform their tasks quicker and more efficiently. For example, training software can simplify operational and repetitive tasks.
Fact 9: General Managers All Wish They Had An Assistant
Given the many hats general managers have to wear to work daily, they all wish they had an assistant. Consider getting one for your construction general manager. The right assistant can guarantee the hassle-free completion of a project.
For example, an executive assistant can help a construction general manager create organizational structure, manage emails, schedule meetings, and prepare reports. Taking these tasks off your general manager can make more room for safety plans and onsite visits.
If you have the means to hire an assistant for your general manager, do it.
Fact 10: General Managers Wish They Could Photocopy Their Best Employees 1,000 Times
Construction general managers wish they could photocopy their best employees 1,000 times. Let’s face it—we all do!
The sad truth is that we cannot control our employees’ attitude. Some have a strong work ethic, are innately motivated, and possess leadership skills, while others lack these qualities.
We can provide each of them with powerful training that can help them fulfill their tasks better. Creating a training program for employees enables a company to strengthen accountability, compliance, and productivity. It increases job satisfaction, morale, and motivation.
A motivated workforce can power a company’s financial growth and sustainability.
Fact 11: General Managers Love Visibility
General managers love organizational visibility, which means knowing who is working on what, managing a team’s schedule to maximize productivity, and matching an organization’s goals to daily tasks.
They need valuable information about which employees lack training and which tasks can be completed by the week’s end.
On the other hand, construction general managers are employees too and enjoy different work visibility—raising their profile at work. Shining a little light on their achievements can prove beneficial for their satisfaction and motivation.
Provide them with crucial data right at their fingertips, and watch how your team finishes tasks one by one.
Fact 12: General Managers Love Accountability
In the workplace, accountability means that all employees are responsible for their actions, performance, and decisions. However, given that general managers oversee many business processes, they are more accountable to a company than most employees are.
A workplace without accountability encourages an environment where a few employees have to carry the whole organization’s weight, including that of their unreliable workmates.
VAIRKKO is a software solution that can help general managers and other employees keep track of completed training in compliance with job requirements.
Provide general managers with such software. They can help the company gather information on which employees are meeting their return on investment (ROI) and those that are not. With our software, employees can identify their points of improvement and required training.
Fact 13: General Managers Love Clarity
Clarity in the workforce means employees have a complete understanding of their tasks, responsibilities, and processes at work. Clarity includes knowing their duties, as well as their colleagues’ roles.
Clarity is crucial in maintaining productivity and performance. Without it, employees will end up feeling stressed and confused. Employees with a high level of role clarity enjoy effectiveness, work longevity, productivity, and job satisfaction.
Construction general managers love clarity. They understand that they need clarity, so each workforce member is aware of a company’s expectations from individuals and the whole organization.
Help general managers to clearly define individual roles as well as necessary training per employee.
Bonus! Fact 14: General Managers Need Certainty
Certainty in the workplace means being able to determine the outcomes of each task. General managers are always trying to predict the future, and they like taking control of situations to meet deadlines and eliminate unnecessary risks.
Construction general managers like using tried-and-tested methods in the workplace to achieve certainty. Not knowing what will happen next can trigger powerful effects on our body and emotions, which we refer to as stress. Businesses thrive on routine and predictability.
To create certainty in the workplace, you must provide your general managers with helpful information available at their fingertips. For example, you can improve your training system to ensure that every employee undergoes the same high-quality safety training. Doing so eliminates unnecessary risks and gives your general manager peace of mind.
Maximize Your General Manager’s Productivity
We cannot stress enough how important the role of a general manager is in the construction industry. They are in charge of many tasks, including overseeing bidding, hiring, training, managing budgets, and ensuring safety.
To help them meet the deadlines and the targets set for them, you should minimize their workload and maximize their productivity by automating highly-repetitive tasks such as training. VAIRKKO offers a training system that contains powerful reporting and analytics available through an e-learning cloud that your general manager can access anytime, anywhere.
Such systems increase compliance, accountability, and productivity in the workplace. Take advantage of VAIRKKO’s 30-day trial to appreciate the kind of impact a simple solution can make on your construction company.