As the reality of life during the COVID-19 pandemic sets in, groups like the BC Construction Roundtable (BCCR) have had to shift their strategies to connect people without meeting face-to-face.
“The roundtable is about creating a forum to network and build relationships between anything that touches the construction industry,” said Jesse Unke, president of the group and director of project management at RAM consulting.
The non-profit’s board is an eclectic mix of people from all areas that impact construction, including owners, government, lawyers, consultants, contractors and suppliers. Normally, the group would have regular breakfast sessions and networking events to discuss issues and build partnerships, but COVID-19 has changed things.
Now, breakfast sessions have been moved over to virtual meeting apps like Zoom and content has shifted to pressing COVID-19 related issues. April’s “virtual breakfast” session will feature Jeffrey Busby and Jennifer MacLean, TransLink’s director and deputy director of the Surrey Langley SkyTrain project. The two will be discussing the project’s benefits, its construction timeline, procurement opportunities and how COVID-19 is impacting it.
Unke said certain functions on Zoom, like the ability to break out into smaller groups for discussion, are something the BCCR will be trying out.
“Not being able to network in person is just an adjustment we are going to have to make until we are out of this situation,” said Unke, adding that the BCCR will continue to plan breakfast sessions and networking events.
The BCCR has also joined the COVID-19 Cabinet to help represent the construction community. The cabinet represents business, labour and employees, and allows for collaboration and quick response to changes in the business environment. It will work with the government to share information and advocate on behalf of the B.C. business community and workers.
“We are all connected,” said Unke on working with the cabinet. “The tourism, hotel and restaurant industries – there is only one degree of separation. This whole experience has taught me that and as a business community we have to help and support each other and facilitate opportunities to help industries that are hurting more than construction.”
One of the tasks the cabinet has been tackling is collecting data on how the COVID-19 crisis is impacting workers and businesses through a series of surveys. The latest data revealed 43 per cent of B.C. businesses surveyed stated they can only continue to operate for up to three months under current restrictions.
For businesses temporarily closed, the future is similarly dire, with only 53 per cent expecting to reopen once the restrictions are eased on workplace operations, while 38 per cent are unsure. Eight per cent stated that they will not reopen.
Unke strongly encouraged construction workers and construction related companies to participate in the ongoing surveys that are shared by cabinet members.
“It helps give the government a view of the economy and where it should be focusing,” said Unke. “We need to keep construction going in a safe way,” said Unke. “Gas, transportation, utilities, sanitation, these are some of the things we need to make sure we have good access to, and the only way to do that is ensure that construction can move forward.”
To keep this work going, Unke stressed that workers must be kept safe and directed companies and workers to the Canadian Construction Association’s (CCA) standardized protocols for construction sites.
He also encouraged the construction community to share their concerns with the BCCR to help it better shape the content of its events.
Follow the author on Twitter @RussellReports.
Recent Comments
comments for this post are closed