March was a busy month for job creation in the construction industry. Payroll processing company ADP reports that 20,000 new jobs in construction were created last month, up from an average 16,000 the previous three months. Also, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics said on Friday that payrolls jumped by 192,000…(Read More)
The ramifications of neglecting safety are enormous, according to a blog post on the General Coatings Corporation website. The firm, which provides paint, wallpaper, and waterproofing to contractors, reminds us that safety needs a seat at the table in every management meeting. This post also recommends that safety be addressed top-down. This sends a…(Read More)
Most people don’t like change, but change has an entirely different meaning to Project Managers working in construction. As change in a project increases, the level of productivity decreases. How can PMs better handle variations? “Project teams should agree up front on standard processes for communicating changes and variations and managing their impact on…(Read More)
By the year 2016, total revenue across the construction industry is expected to be $245 billion. This prediction comes from the U.S. Green Building Council, which lists green building among the top industries of 2014. Inc.com writer Issie Lapowsky explains that green construction is no longer a niche market. “Today, it’s a…(Read More)
Millennials want a different work experience than many organizations have provided in the past. To develop and retain this new generation of employees, construction companies have to adapt by addressing flex time and telecommuting, leadership development, and employee recognition. “Because of technology, businesses are forced to evolve and adapt rapidly—Millennials do this well—they…(Read More)
Wearable technology, such as Google Glass, is causing quite a stir in the business world. Tech folks say Google Glass can be used to visualize a construction project when walking around a jobsite. The head-mounted display provides a virtual reality experience that may be able to locate component details and confirm installation locations. But…(Read More)
Most of the United States experienced a busy month of construction in January. A press release from the Associated General Contractors says that despite harsh winter weather, construction jobs increased in January, 2014, as compared with January, 2013. Kansas topped the list for job creation, with a 10.7 percent hike, or 5,900 new…(Read More)
According to OSHA, only nine percent of people working in construction in the U.S. are women. This includes managerial, professional, and administrative positions. Has anyone parsed the data to determine the number of women who are deemed “bossy?” The ‘Ban Bossy’ campaign initiated by Facebook’s Sheryl Sandberg looks to prevent stereotypes of women…(Read More)
March is Women’s History Month, but according to several new studies, gender biases in the workplace still exist. “The findings, published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, show how an unconscious bias in ‘hiring managers’ can influence them to choose men over women, even when women perform equally well or better…(Read More)
Want to eliminate paperwork and streamline workflows? There’s a construction app for that, and the associate editor of ConstructionBusinessOwner.com has compiled a list of some good ones. Amelia Messamore provides details on apps such as HeavyJob, Payroll Time Entry, and OnSite Punchlist. One of the free apps, the Bosch Toolbox, features a measurement…(Read More)