When employees
The construction industry is one sector that faces this dilemma, but software company Lumber is aiming to help. The company was formed specifically with the
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For Cris Rivera, general superintendent with Level 5 Drywall in Northern California, keeping track of everyone's schedule and job details is essential. For this reason, it's Lumber's scheduling feature that he likes the most, and he notes how intuitive the platform is for users. Even those who aren't tech savvy find it easy to use, he says. Employees can access the platform through an app on their phone or on a kiosk at the job site.
"It automatically tells you what task you're doing and where you're going to be — there's no need to call the office to ask, 'Hey, where am I going to be today?'" he says. "It also helps the guys understand where they spend their time. In the past, when we had paper and pen time cards, they would call me every day and ask me, 'Where did I work yesterday or last week?' I don't have to remind them that they worked in San Francisco on Monday and Palo Alto on Wednesday — it saves us all that trouble and keeps everybody organized."
As a new father, Rivera also appreciates any way to add time back into his day to spend with family, and wants his workers to be able to do the same. While those in the construction industry average a 40-hour workweek, daily shifts can begin very early and run late, reaching up to 12 hours and requiring overtime depending on the project, according to job site Zippia.
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More accurate recordkeeping also means greater ease of compliance and budgeting for the company. Gerardo Rivera, Level 5's COO and Cris's father, notes that at a different company that did not use technology to track hours worked, employees would log 40 hours per week on their time cards when they were really working less. The higher level of detail provided by Lumber has shown actual hours worked to sometimes be closer to 33 or 34 — a savings for the company that can yield more business.
"This is one of the reasons a lot of companies should switch over to digital time cards and an app to track their time, because not only are you more accountable for the hours, but in the backend we estimate the projects better, because we can estimate how many hours we actually spent on a job site," Gerardo Rivera says. "When a contractor comes to you and says, 'Hey, I've got this $4 million project, but you're 15% over budget, or you're 15% higher than everybody else,' now you can go and see your estimated data, compare it to your real data, and then from there you can make a decision of, 'Yes, I can reduce it.'"
Another high priority for construction companies is compliance, especially in the area of safety. It's critical to keep track of employees completing safety courses and other requirements. In addition to getting recognized for everyday tasks such as clocking in and out on time and taking breaks, workers are given badges for completing certifications and training. Not only can these be shared by workers with each other and on social media, but employers can attach rewards such as cash and gift cards.
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If an employee or team is recognized for doing an especially good job, leaders can add and store this and other good performance-related feedback in the platform.
To ensure inclusive access, the entire platform is formatted in both English and Spanish. That can be important given that roughly 30% of those in the construction industry are Hispanic.
By offering a platform that simplifies administrative processes while also driving positive outcomes, Lumber provides a way for construction companies to streamline workflow while also incentivising and engaging their workers, which helps with retention, says Oleg Pravdin, the company's head of product management. The industry has an average turnover rate of 54%, according to employee recognition platform Awardco, and this number is higher among younger workers.
"If it's just a paycheck, if it's just benefits, especially if you're a skilled worker, you frankly have other options, so that's not enough," he says. "We see younger folks joining the construction workforce, and it's becoming more important that engagement is not just lip service, but true engagement is top of mind."
Overall, the ability for employees to have everything they need at their fingertips serves Level 5 well, and has been a great way to make the employee experience better.
"They love it," says Cris Rivera. "Lumber is like having HR in your pocket."
