Words: Dick Dentinger
Look, I get it. Yes, I have gray hair, but to be fair, I first started getting gray hair at age 16. Still, there’s no denying I’m an “old guy.” I’m a baby boomer, and I’m aware that some new trends and changes our companies have witnessed in recent years may have been more easily adjusted by those from Gen-X, Millennials, and Gen-Z types. And much of the change has been quite valuable. That said, I thought I’d share an observation regarding the importance of trying to hold on to some habits from previous generations.
Past generations were allowed to adapt and reasonably adjust to societal changes. Industrial revolutions in those periods made our lives and businesses safer, more efficient, and more reasonable. However, in recent years, there has been a tsunami of change that occurred much more rapidly with little time to adapt and adjust. And while some of that change was welcome, other changes resulted in new challenges for businesses. To me, one such issue is the new trends in how people choose to interact in day-to-day communication.
In a very short period of time, we embraced new apps and new software programs for businesses and all industries, which caused changes that have grabbed hold of our entire society. Just to make things more interesting, we also mixed in the challenges of a flu pandemic. This was complicated even more by the crisis management of the pandemic by our local, state, and national governments. These included mandates aplenty, forced lockdowns, and other non-negotiable restrictions on our businesses and our daily activity. Dramatic percentages of the white-collar workforce began working remotely from home for weeks, turning into months, turning into years before returning to the office. Some never returned. Those returning to the office are doing so – kicking and screaming. Over this short period of time, businesses were forced to adapt. It has been difficult, particularly for our industry. We build buildings for a living – and many were quickly emptying.
The use of virtual meetings exploded. There’s no denying it’s convenient and often smart and productive. Retail sectors found new ways to sell goods. People don’t just get their pizza delivered; they get nearly anything delivered right to their doorstep. Groceries, clothing, fully loaded entrees from sit-down restaurants, you name it, and it can be delivered to your front door. Or, you can order a list of things from a retailer, and they’ll do the shopping for you and bring it to your vehicle in the parking lot. So many of these changes have created convenience and should bring us more free time. They also eliminated the need for us to actually speak to one another.
Already captivated with social media, we’ve now added new streaming platforms for movies, TV programs, and podcasts; exciting stuff. As a film geek, I’m knee-deep in the streaming craze. Still, it caused us to have even more screen time and even less time to communicate with each other.
The combination of these changes in how we socially interact, happening on so many levels, can dilute effective and efficient communication when addressing more complicated issues and general relationship building. Issues that, once upon a time, were resolved quickly through face-to-face communication or a phone call are now commonly dragged out through days, weeks, or longer. I hear this from virtually every level of stakeholder in our industry. All generations seem to share the frustration.
Last week, a project manager from our company set up a meet and greet at a general contractor’s office. An old-school face-to-face interaction with a key customer. He brought breakfast sandwiches, donuts, coffee, and energy drinks. One of my partners and I tagged along. It’s not a new idea, of course, but lately, it’s less common and harder to pull off. The PMs and engineers came in and out of the breakroom and chatted with us. We thanked them for their business and discussed what was in the pipeline. Most of their team are millennials or younger, so I was pleased to learn in our chats how they all found it refreshing to see people actually come to visit them in their office. They shared our take on the lack of face-to-face interaction. One stated how he thought our industry, especially, is really being hurt by the changes in how we communicate. He stressed frustration with getting issues resolved that could be done effortlessly with face-to-face meetings or even a good back-and-forth conversation on the phone. He noted we instead have Zoom calls where not all the same team members show up on subsequent calls, resulting in poor follow-through in attempts to resolve discrepancies in drawings or materials and, most importantly – schedule. As we subcontractors are lower on the food chain, it was good to hear general contractors share the same concern. It was also good to hear different generations do as well, even if they don’t have fashionable gray hair like some old baby boomers.
Completing our projects correctly and on time requires better communication. Especially when considering the small print on the contracts we sign, and all is at stake when we don’t get timely answers and resolution. Our crews are expensive, even more expensive, when standing still waiting for answers. So, it’s prudent to cherry-pick some of the changes we are seeing and instead lean on past practices when necessary. If we sense an issue on a project continues to be abandoned through unanswered emails, messages, or virtual meeting promises, it’s best to bring back face-to-face communication. Face-to-face interaction always gives us the edge in resolving issues, building trust, and securing business relationships. So, we should embrace change but hold tight to past practices that have proved effective for decades.