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Health & Fitness

Architext #1311: Five Ways to Treat the Worker Bees on Your Job

Surprisingly, when a new residence or major addition is being built, often there is a strange standoffish relationship between the homeowners and the “worker bees” on the site.  I have noticed this repeatedly over the years. 

This new-build relationship is markedly different than the one that develops when workers are sharing the same space as the owners during the course of an interior renovation project.   In the new-build scenario, the homeowners often develop close ties to the general contractor, and perhaps her super, but the actual laborers, diggers, carpenters, electricians, plumbers, roofers, siders, trimmers and other workers rarely figure in the equation.  Here are five recommendations on how to treat those workers on your new home project. They seem simple, but you’d be amazed at how many times I have seen owners miss ALL of them.    

1.  Introduce Yourself:  You can count on the fact that pretty quickly everybody working on your job knows that you’re the owners. And they know when you’re on-site.  But nothing beats the value of the personal connection made by self-introduction.  So, come on down from that high horse! You don’t have to make a big deal about it, and you don’t have to do them all at the same time.  Introduce yourself, your spouse/partner and kids too.  This does many positive things. Perhaps the most important is that it let’s them know that they are crafting this house for “Tom and Karen and their two kids, Adam and Chris”, not just another owner…..  

2. Show Interest and Engage:  Let’s face, if you’re like most homeowners, you haven’t got a clue what most of those workers are doing most of the time.  Stop and pause, look at what’s happening, ask questions- you might be surprised at what you learn.  Most people like to talk about what they do- give them a chance.  If you’re interested in what they are doing, they’ll feel that excitement.  Remember, it’s the handiwork of the worker bee that results in the quality of your house (not the sales pitch from the realtor or the GC!).  

3. Respect:  Yeah, for sure, it’s your new house. But for now, it’s their workplace. In that  sense, right now, it’s more theirs than yours.  Respect that.  They need to believe that they “own it” and that they’re not just passing through.  That way they’ll invest more of themselves, their talent and their passion---and you’ll get a better job.   

4. Buy Coffee & Donuts (or bring cookies, at least once): It’s a simple gesture, but it goes a long ways.  I worked on a project once where the owner would stop by at lunchtime ever Friday and bring the crew a couple dozen homemade cookies.  She had a full-time job and three kids, but every Friday she showed up with cookies.  Some days she stayed and talked, other days she just dropped them off.  I can’t tell you how much that meant to those workers---and I can’t help but think that it was a small, personal gesture that contributed to the positive atmosphere that existed on that job.  

5. Express Gratitude:  Nothing beats this one.  They might not admit it, but every worker on the job site feels good when the owner looks at him and says “Good Job” or “That came out nice” (but don’t wear it out because then it’ll become trivial).  There’s a simple rule here though: If it look’s good and is noteworthy, tell the worker.  If it looks bad and you’re not happy with it, tell the general contractor or the super.  In general, it’s not good to take a worker to task when they are in the middle of an operation.  They may be doing exactly what they were told…… Directing your ire at her can have a broad negative affect on the attitude of not just this worker, but the others as well.  If you’re visiting during the workday and you see something amiss, go find the super or step outside and call the GC.  

There they are. Like I said, common sense.  Try them next time you’re involved in a major building project.  I hope they are just one more way to point your project toward success.   Cheers, DN   

Dom Narducci is a practicing architect in Southbury, CT.  He provides complete architectural design and project management services (Freestone-inc.com) and offers a line of stock house plans (FreestonePlans.com). Additionally, Narducci teaches and writes on design and construction issues. Comments are welcome. If you have a question for Ask the Architect!, email Dom at: dnarducci@freestone-inc.com.
          

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