Here are our top tips for those who are getting used to spending more time at home and at a distance from suppliers, colleagues and clients!
1) Get a good working environmentFind a space where you can work or learn productively. It sounds obvious, but I work best when I replicate my normal office workspace, with multiple monitors and a mouse/keyboard rather than just using my laptop screen!
If possible, try to keep your work in a separate space to your living, sleeping and kitchen area. It also helps to get dressed for work and get changed when you are finished to keep your mind in the zone and to help you switch off after working hours.
It's also important to get fresh air and continue regular exercise - keep your mind and body active to stay healthy and focussed!
You may be surprised to hear the impact of air quality on productivity >
2) Keep up the communicationWe all know that keeping up regular communication is important to keep any construction project running smooth. That includes your team meetings, engaging your clients and getting your suppliers on board and involved in the project.
Whilst we cannot meet with our teams or with suppliers on-site or in meeting rooms, we can still engage with each other with text messages, phone calls and of course video tools like Skype/FaceTime! Keeping up this good communication is not only good for your mental health but it also means your construction project will keep moving and keeps you motivated!
If your holding a meeting with a supplier think about whether screen sharing or online whiteboards will help you stay on track with sharing schematics or drawings.
3) Top up your knowledge!Maybe your project has been delayed, your role has been furloughed or you may be looking to use the saved commute time productively… In this case, keeping up your knowledge and education could be a good use of time!
There are some great resources for picking up new knowledge, including webinars, reading handy blogs and following industry leaders online. If you are looking for the deepest level of ventilation knowledge, try one of our Air Academy books!
Join our webinars (Thursdays at 3pm, UK local time) by registering here >
4) Think about digital selection tools
Are you sharing drawings, reviewing schedules or having to make specification choices? Perhaps taking full advantage of specification tools might help! Many organisations produce useful selection programs so you can specify and size products at any time of the day, wherever you are.