TCL Episode # 5 – Respect The Next Trade!

TCL is back with another episode discussing a very important issue. Respect the next trade, It’s obvious, but people working in the field know how things can mess up when those doing their job don’t bother cleaning up for making the floor ready for the next trade. Every person working in construction is an artist so you can say, an artist should clear the stage for the next participant. Let’s go through some important details of this phrase that so many use on a daily basis.

Clean Your Mess!

Cleaning is not a designated job. From owners to foundation guys, everyone is responsible for cleaning and everyone can pick a broom to clean up. It’s an irony that workers think that cleaning is not part of their job instead they need to do their work only. No one is either a parent or a kid at the job site. No one has to clean the mess for the others! If you ask questions about cleaning from the people on the site, you will realize everyone has negative experiences even though there’s always a place to throw the garbage on almost every floor, there’s always a broom, and there’s always someplace to put trash. So, if you do work, you’re drilling holes, you’re stripping wire, you are setting tiles, it’s your duty to clean up before leaving. No one is responsible for cleaning your mess except you.

Everyone is moving on the site

Every professional knows their work and their tools. Don’t pick someone else’s tool and make an assumption, if you don’t know the tradesperson? Get to know them, introduce yourself, learn something about them, share something about yourself.  At the job site, everyone is moving, loading in, loading out, cleaning up, finishing up, take advantage of the moving around and be productive with your time and movements.  And if you get to know others, they will help, they will lend you tools, they will be your friend, but it’s the responsibility of every tradesperson to put any tools back in the right place, that’s respect.

Cleanliness = Safety

This episode also beautifully explains that it is not just about cleanliness but also about safety. A clean job site is safer than an unclean one. Cleanliness leads to lesser accidents. The mess is like a snowball or a ripple effect, it keeps passing on and gets bigger with time. For example, if the framing guys are not cleaning up after each work day, they are creating tripping hazards and wasting valuable space on site.  Being lazy will ultimately present a negative appearance of the ongoing renovation, remember, there is always someone watching, your client, your next client, another trade, inspectors, cioty officials.

Reflection of your personality

The place where you work, your job site, the way you carry out things, the way you clean up the place are the reflection of your personality and ultimately your brand. No one would want an inspector, their clients, or the homeowner to visit a messy job site. You know if they visit the messy job site, cleanliness will become a prominent concern, and all of your work, your competitive edge, your worth will be questioned!! If they do so, they will review your business, and question your work.

Homeowners are willing to pay higher amounts to those contractors who know the importance of cleanliness. So, improve your worth with cleanliness!

Thorough Inspection at the end of the day

Another important point is that the contractor should do a thorough inspection at the day end. Manny shares how one Friday he was running late and didn’t inspect the site, and on Saturday he went to the job site where clients were about to show up, and there were empty beers into the walkout portion of the build where there was a little puddle of water. No matter who did it, or when they did it, if the clients showed up earlier, who would have faced the embarrassment? The contractor! So don’t take it lightly as your reputation is at stake!  Never hire any trade that treats your jobsite like a trash can.

Work as a team and respect other’s work

You have to work as a team. Last trade didn’t take care of you doesn’t mean you will not take care of the next ones. Every person should consider the project as their portfolio, something they will be proud of. The workers should not work to compete with each other, there must not be any differences and they should work as a team.  Respecting others’ trade is an important part of your professionalism. Manny shares a story of how a landscape guy showed unprofessionalism by forgetting the meeting, coming late, and ditching at the last moment for a quote and he made a decision to never work with him again though he tried to stay in touch. You should respect the time and work of others’ trade!

Management skills

The contractor must have good management and leadership skills to bring together a group of people and make them a team. Also, some people are not wired to do the right things or they have worked with people who didn’t care. So, you have to make your professionals realize that you care so they have to do things the right way. You have to keep an eye on how they are doing things and tell them your expectations!  A contractor is the pivot point. They should know how to create balance, harmony, respect through communication and by setting an example!