Real-Life Communication
You are a construction manager employed by an architectural firm
in a large city. It has been a busy summer. Construction is booming, and the
architectural firm you work for has been forced to turn down a number of interesting
projects.
Unfortunately, while business is good, this does not mean
the year has been problem-free. It is getting harder and harder to find enough
skilled tradespeople to complete projects. Two of the projects you managed
this year weren't completed on time due to a shortage of workers.
Your
employers understand the problem. After all, it's not as if you are the only
construction manager struggling to find tradespeople. It's a simple case of
too much work and too few people. Nonetheless, time is money, and your reputation
will begin to suffer if this happens too often.
One of the reasons
for the shortages is that few young people are choosing a career in the construction
industry. You are concerned, but not surprised, when you read an article saying
that the average age of a skilled laborer is 42.
However, you are surprised
at the reason many young people don't choose a career in construction. They
don't like the image that construction workers have in society. Several paint
a picture of a construction worker as someone who spits, swears and wears
grubby clothes. Many have tattoos.
Looking around the work site, you
must admit there is some truth to the remark. While there is nothing you can
do about the clothing construction workers wear, you decide to write a memo
about the need for the workers to tidy up their image.
This is a delicate
task. You believe changes are needed. On the other hand, you don't want to
stir up resentment among the construction crew. How can you write a memo that
won't sound overly critical?