Achieving work-life balance can feel like a challenge when you’re part of an industry run by deadlines. However, work-life balance is extremely important: Not only does it keep crew members happy, healthy and productive, but it helps contractors retain their crew. In fact, one study* found that construction crews required to work 60-hour weeks were 24 percent less productive than crews that were allowed to work fewer hours in a week.

How can contractors achieve better work-life balance for their crew and for themselves? Consider these tips.

Master Time Management

In managing their crews, contractors may feel like they have to “do it all” and take on any and every job they can to be profitable. Consider what your business’s purpose is and stay on target with your priorities. Are you offering any services that aren’t profitable or are more time-consuming than they are worthwhile? Cut those services to save time, so your crew can focus on the jobs that are essential to your business’s success.

At the start of each job, create a plan to keep the crew focused and managing its time, so you can finish the project efficiently. Create a realistic timeline of your project’s workflow and milestones, complete with deadlines, to keep your team organized and on schedule. Place the timeline in a prominent place in your shop and distribute both hard and electronic copies to team members, so it’s easily accessible to everyone.

Know When to Lean on Others

Even when managing time wisely, you can’t always complete every project your customer requests. When a homeowner asks you to do a job that is outside of your skill set, you may feel pressure to say yes, even though you don’t have the time or expertise to complete the job to your standards. Instead of committing to the job, recommend a different, reliable contractor who specializes in that type of job and maintains the same high standard for work that you do. In addition to freeing up your own crew’s time, this will show the homeowner that you care that their project is completed the right way, even if that means you’re not able to do every job yourself. It’s also a great way to build relationships with other area contractors that could benefit your business in the future.

Use Technology to Your Advantage

Are you taking advantage of tools that can make your job easier and save you time? For example, ABC Connect links contractors to ABC Supply’s products and real-time pricing through its integration with leading industry software. This software allows contractors to easily build estimates and place orders 24/7, so they don’t need to visit a branch in person during business hours. ABC’s Pictureit program provides visual renderings of projects to help shorten your customer’s decision-making process.

Cut Down on Commuting

One culprit of poor work-life balance is time spent commuting. How much time do you and your crew spend in the car before you start working on the jobsite? Consider how you can prevent these factors from causing your crew members stress. For example, can you avoid taking jobs that are located too far away? Time spent traveling to the site is less time for your crew to be working on the actual job and can potentially cause the job to be less profitable.

Offer Flexibility in Scheduling

While not all jobs or projects allow for flexibility, working it in as possible is ideal. Think about how you can provide more flexibility in scheduling. Do you require overtime, or is it optional? Do crew members have to work weekends? Are they required to work any holidays? Are they able to leave early or rearrange their schedules in order to attend appointments? Providing flexibility in scheduling will help your crews attain better work-life balance and will show them that you care about their well-being—a value that is particularly important to millennials.

work-life balanc

As important as it is to focus on how to improve your crew’s work-life balance, it’s just as important to ensure you’re obtaining balance, too. After all, if you’re feeling worn down, you won’t be able to give your best self to your crew. Build downtime right into your schedule, blocking out time to spend with family or friends, or just relaxing on your own.

In today’s mobile-friendly world, time spent surfing the internet on your phone, checking email or answering calls and texts (especially when they’re work related) can take up a lot of your free time. Block out periods of your day when you’re unavailable, and let your crew and clients know if you think they’ll try to reach out at these times. Make rules for yourself like no answering calls and texts during family time or after 8 p.m. Doing so will help prevent work from seeping into your free time and will allow you to better enjoy your time away from the job.

Set an example and encourage your crew members to strive for their own work-life balance as well. Doing so can lead to a happier, healthier and more productive team. Read our blog to learn more about retaining crew members and incorporating time-saving technologies into your work.

*https://www.wired.com/insights/2014/12/go-home-the-business-case-for-work-life-balance/