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Exoskeletons are wearable devices designed to mechanically assist workers in the workplace.

By Zhenhua Zhu, Ph.D., P.Eng, and Mariya Sorensen

The construction industry is labor-intensive even with the continuous development and advent of new tools and machines in the market. Millions of people are hired and associated with different trades (e.g., laborer, carpenter, plumber, and electrician). They are heavily involved in the vast majority of skilled manual handling work. Almost 90% of their jobs require manual handling of materials for approximately one-half of their time. [1] The long-time, repetitive, and physically demanding manual handling work exposes them to a great risk of work-related musculoskeletal disorders (WMSDs), a group of painful disorders of muscles, tendons, and nerves caused or aggravated by work.

At present, the industry has not recognized the price, stability, and versatility of active full-body exoskeletons, while arm- and back-support passive exoskeletons, such as Hilti-EXO 01, Ekso EVO, HeroWear Apex, and Ottobock SuitX, have entered the marketing stage and received wide attention. Their effectiveness has been tested in a number of controlled laboratory studies. The results have illustrated that the use of these exoskeletons could help test participants reduce their muscle activity levels, perceived exertion, and metabolic costs, although the magnitude of these beneficial effects depend on specific task conditions and individual differences. For example, more neutral work postures and reduced spinal muscle loading were noted when lifting with low-back exoskeletons. [6] Deltoid muscle strain was also decreased for overhead tasks while using shoulder-assist exoskeletons. [7]

Despite the promising effects noted from the laboratory-based studies, it is still essential and critical to collect field-based evidence to support the safe and efficient use of exoskeletons by construction workers before any decision is made to deploy exoskeletons in practice. So far, the quantitative assessment of exoskeletons’ efficacy as an intervention to control the risks of WMSDs in construction fields is limited. Most assessment works were built upon qualitative or subjective measures through interviews and surveys. To address this limitation, the Digital and Robotics Construction Research Group at the University of Wisconsin–Madison has been working with the Milwaukee-based team in the M.A. Mortenson Company. Several pilot tests (photos on the previous page) were conducted to compare the joint motions, heart rates, task completion time, and opinions of professional construction workers when they perform routine tasks with and without exoskeletons. The quantitative comparison results help researchers and construction practitioners advance an understanding of the actual effectiveness, practicality, safety, and user acceptance of exoskeletons in construction fields. Also, they provide insightful thoughts on optimizing the match among exoskeletons, workers, and tasks to maximize exoskeletons’ beneficial effects and minimize their potential undesirable outcomes or risks. This ongoing work is financially supported by the National Science Foundation.

If the accumulated field-based evidence supports the efficacy of exoskeletons, it will facilitate and promote the use and integration of exoskeletons in construction operations. Then, the following benefits or broad impacts are expected:

Improving the safety of construction workers and creating a better safety culture.
Workers are critical assets contributing to the success of construction projects. The use of exoskeletons will improve their safety by reducing the chance of fatigue and muscle strain and the risk of wear and tear injuries at work. This, in return, will benefit the construction industry and society with huge cost savings.

Alleviating the shortage of skilled construction workforce.
The use of exoskeletons will provide additional assistance for post-surgery construction workers and help them with recovery and discomfort. It facilitates retaining the current workforce by extending their career life spans. Also, it can expand the skilled workforce by attracting candidates (e.g., women) into construction trades who may otherwise not consider such jobs due to their physically demanding nature.

Enhancing construction labor productivity.
The work performance gains achieved by exoskeleton-enabled work may help increase construction productivity and reduce project cost overruns and schedule delays. The construction industry accounts for a significant portion of the economy and it is still booming. However, its productivity has only grown by 1% over the past two decades, compared with the 2.8% growth of global productivity. [8] 44% of construction firms reported that projects have taken longer than originally anticipated, and 43% reported that costs have been higher. [9] With the passing of the $1 trillion Infrastructure Bill in 2021, it has become imperative that we address the need for growing the construction workforce and improving construction productivity.

Zhenhua Zhu, Ph.D., P.Eng. is Assistant Professor at the UW-Madison Dept. of Civil and Environmental Engineering. Mariya Sorenson is Senior Integrated Construction Manager with M.A. Mortenson Company, Waukesha.

References

[1] Center for Construction Research and Training (2018). “The construction chart book: the U.S. construction industry and its workers”, <https://www.cpwr.com/research/data-center/theconstruction-chart-book/> (Mar. 25, 2023).

[2] Dong, X., Betit, E., Dale, A.M., Barlet, G., and Wei, Q. (2019). “Trends of Musculoskeletal Disorders and Interventions in the Construction Industry”, CPWR Quarterly Data Report, <https://www.cpwr.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/Quarter3-QDR-2019.pdf> (Mar. 24, 2023).

[3] Liberty Mutual Insurance (2021). “Workplace safety index 2021: construction.” <https://business.libertymutual.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/2021_WSI_1002_R2.pdf> (Apr. 01, 2023).

[4] Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) (2018). Nonfatal Occupational Injuries and Illnesses Requiring Days Away from Work. <https://www.bls.gov/iif/soii-data.htm> (Dec. 5, 2019).

[5] Sacros Robotics, Sarcos Achieves Unprecedented Power Performance Overcoming Major Obstacle to Commercial Deployment of Full-Body, Powered Industrial Exoskeletons, 2018. <https://www.sarcos.com/company/news/press releases/powerperformanceguardian-xo/> (Accessed on June 10, 2020).

[6] de Looze MP, Bosch T, Krause F, Stadler KS, O’Sullivan LW. Exoskeletons for industrial application and their potential effects on physical work load. Ergonomics. 2015;59(5):671-681.

[7] Gillette, J., Saadat, S., & Butler, T. (2022). Electromyography-based fatigue assessment of an upper body exoskeleton during automotive assembly. Wearable Technologies, 3, E23.

[8] McKinsey & Company (2017). “Jobs lost, jobs gained: workforce transitions in a time of automation.” Mckinsey Global Institute,<https://www.mckinsey.com/featured-insights/future-of-work/jobslost-jobs-gained-what-the-future-of-work-will-mean-for-jobs-skillsand-wages> (Feb. 6, 2022).

[9] Associated General Contractors (AGC) (2019), “2019 Worker Shortage Survey Analysis” <https://www.agc.org/sites/default/files/Files/Communications/2019%20Worker%20Shortage%20Survey%20Analysis.pdf> (Mar. 05, 2021).

By Nick Lewitzke, Mega Rentals, Inc.

Each year the Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance (CVSA) conducts an International Roadcheck Event. This year’s event is scheduled for May 16th- 18th with an emphasis on anti-lock braking systems (ABS) and cargo securement.

The CVSA is a nonprofit organization comprised of local, state, provincial, territorial, and federal commercial motor vehicle safety officials, and industry representatives from the U.S., Canada, and Mexico. The Wisconsin State Patrol is the acting Class I member within Wisconsin and will lead enforcement efforts during the May 2023 Roadcheck Event.

During the 72-hour Roadcheck in 2022:
• More than 58,000 Level I, II and III Inspections were conducted in the U.S.
• 7% of Level I inspections were placed out of service.
• Total vehicle out of service rate in the U.S. was 23.8%
• 2% of drivers inspected in the U.S. were placed out of service.

Cargo Securement
Improper cargo securement was the No. 5 out of service (OOS) violation during last year’s enforcement blitz. Improper securement is a serious risk to both the driver of the commercial vehicle and other road users. Shifting loads can greatly impact the vehicles maneuverability, causing drivers to lose control of their vehicles. Even worse, unsecured cargo can fall, resulting in vehicle collisions and traffic hazards.

During a recent four-year study conducted by AAA, it was found that unsecured cargo and dangerous debris was a factor in more than 200,000 crashes. Two-thirds of these accidents were caused by cargo not being properly tied down. These crashes resulted in 500 deaths and 39,000 personal injuries.

In construction, it is common for drivers to transport raw materials such as lumber, sheet metal, and other building materials between jobsites, suppliers, and shops. These materials often seem heavy enough or bulky enough to be safely transported without securement. The materials can seemingly be confined or secured within a vehicle to prevent failure such as the bed of a pick-up truck.

However, it is required that cargo carried by a motor vehicle with a gross vehicle weight rating more than 10,000 lbs. must be secured in accordance with CVSA standards when the vehicle is operated on a highway. Vehicles exceeding 10,000 lb. GVWR can include heavy- duty pick-up trucks and other vehicles that may not require a Commercial Driver’s License or are not typically viewed as a commercial motor vehicle.

Cargo that must be secured but can be typically taken for granted are items such as:
• Hardware
• Fuel cans
• Tools (power tools, leaf blowers, chain saws, etc.)
• Small generators
• Wheelbarrows
• Ladders

Even when confined within a truck bed surrounded by the vehicle body or gates, these items must be secured with properly rated straps or tie-downs. Failure to do so can result in serious accidents, or vehicles being placed out of service (stopped at the inspection point) until the problem is corrected.

Anti-Lock Braking System (ABS)
While ABS violations do not result in the vehicles being placed out of service, the goal of this year’s campaign is to put further emphasis on the importance of properly functioning ABS systems. When operating effectively, ABS systems greatly reduce the risk of collisions by preventing the wheels from locking up or skidding. This allows drivers to maintain control of their vehicles during hard-braking events. During the 2022 enforcement, brake systems (25.2%) and defective service brakes (12.7%) were two of the top three OOS violations. It is important to ensure that the ABS indicator lights do not remain on after the ignition is started in trucks and vehicles. Although this seems simple, this is the method of testing that will be performed during this year’s roadcheck. When the indicator light remains on, this means that the system is not functioning and will result in a warning. The warning must be signed and returned to WisDOT by the individual responsible for correcting the problem prior to the vehicle being re-dispatched.

Other Areas of Inspection
During the roadcheck, drivers and vehicles will be subjected to the routine North American Standard Level I Inspections. These exhaustive inspections focus on both driver and vehicle safety compliance. The Level I inspection is a 37-step procedure that involves the examination of the carrier’s and driver’s credentials, record of duty status, the mechanical condition of the vehicle and any hazardous materials/ dangerous goods that may be present.

Common items that can force a vehicle to be put out of service in addition to cargo securement and brake systems include:
• Coupling devices (hitches)
• Lighting systems (headlights, taillights, brake lights, marker lights, trailer lights)
• Tires (tread depth and pressure)
• Wipers (wiper motors, blades, and windshield wiper fluid)
The exhaustive 37-point inspection list, along with more information can be found on the CVSA website at cvsa.org.

Responsibility
It is the responsibility of both the operating company and driver to ensure safe and proper operation of vehicles.  This starts with the proper maintenance, resources, tools, and education to ensure that loads are secured, and the vehicles are in proper working condition before leaving the garage, shop or yard. This continues with proper operation, obeying traffic laws, eliminating distractions, planning/patience, and defensive driving tactics.

Finally, be mindful that inspections can occur anywhere, not just at Wisconsin Safety and Weight Enforcement Facilities. Wisconsin has also adopted the use of Weigh-In Motion scales on heavily traveled highways that allows State Patrol to monitor vehicles from remote locations. They can then pull the vehicles over upstream in a safe area to conduct their further inspections.

Nick Lewitzke is Operations Manager at ABC member Mega Rentals, Inc.

This requires a collective effort by all contractors.

Matt Morley

By Matt Morley, CHST, Kraemer Brothers

According to Mental Health America, one in five American adults is currently struggling with diagnosable mental illness. Examples of these illnesses include anxiety disorders, depression, bipolar disorder, and substance abuse disorders. Over half of these adults do not seek treatment. When left untreated, like any other medical condition, mental health challenges can worsen and lead to crisis. Current estimates show the percentage of American adults reporting serious thoughts of suicide is 4.6% and rising.

The construction industry is not immune to this nationwide trend; in fact, it is quite the opposite. The suicide rate for construction workers is the second highest of all industries, with agriculture having the highest rate overall. To put our crisis in clearer terms, the construction industry as a whole currently averages three fatal accidents per workday. In that same 24-hour time period, 15 construction workers will die by suicide. In other words, American construction workers are five times more likely to die by suicide than to experience a fatal accident at work.

Why is the construction industry so uniquely impacted by this crisis? There are a variety of theories but in all likelihood, the root cause is a summation of several moving parts. As a safety professional, I still encounter tradespeople who are reluctant to report physical injuries due to what I would call their “suck it up” mentality. They feel they will either be branded as weak or they can treat the injury themselves. Now apply that same mindset to an invisible illness. How do you think that same tradesperson will address that pain?

Working construction can be isolating. Our projects and workforce are fluid, which leads to some employees failing to establish meaningful relationships at work. Maybe your organization has people on the road away from their families for days, or even weeks, at a time. A feeling of social isolation can lead to depression, which when left untreated, can lead to the individual becoming even more socially withdrawn. This downward spiral is cyclical and happens more quickly than we can process it.

Working hours can vary greatly depending on the overall workload and schedules of specific projects. Construction offers a combination of low job control (being physically relocated where the work is), job insecurity (potential lay-off), and long hours when project schedules fall behind or are especially tight. The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) refers to these occupational factors as “job strain” and indicates, “The odds for moderate to severe suicidal ideation [suicidal thoughts] were about four times greater in those with job strain or those who reported long work hours.” I challenge you to find another industry with greater potential for excessive job strain.

A byproduct of inconsistent working hours is potential financial hardships. The unknown of next week’s hours can lead to paycheck anxiety. Without proper budgeting, large fluctuations in work leave employees in dire circumstances during slow periods. Falling behind on car payments, mortgages, or even simply struggling to put food on the table can leave people feeling helpless with very few options to get out. According to the Aspen Institute, 16% of suicides in the U.S. occur in response to a financial problem.

Substance abuse issues can also lead to, or be a symptom of, mental health challenges. According to American Addiction Centers, “Employees of the construction industry, mostly blue-collar workers, have nearly twice the rate of substance abuse as the national average. Around 15% of all construction workers in the U.S. have a substance abuse disorder compared to 8.6% of the general population of adults.” Many of us are not surprised that Wisconsin ranks in the top ten for alcohol consumption per capita; it seems to be ingrained in our culture. According to the National Library of Public Medicine, those suffering from alcohol use disorder are ten times more likely to attempt suicide than the national average.

What you can do
I encourage you to think of all the proactive steps you take within your organization to prevent workplace injuries. Everything from the safety professionals you may employ or consult, to training programs, to the personal protective equipment you provide. Contractors across the country spend millions of dollars and countless hours in an effort to minimize injuries on their projects and keep their employees going home to their families each evening. As a result, our industry has seen a drastic decline in the recordable incident rates (RIR) and lost time incident rates (LTIR) over the last 30 years, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Now consider what steps you are taking to prevent self-harm or suicide within your workforce. As mentioned, the average construction worker is five times more likely to die by suicide than to become a victim of a fatal workplace accident. By simply looking at that statistic, should we as an industry be doing something to bring awareness and provide resources to those at risk? The answer to that question is we are, but it needs to be a collective effort made by all contractors.

This year at SuperCon 23, the ABC of Wisconsin Safety Committee devoted an entire track, or 20%, of the sessions, to mental health and wellness.  OSHA has made suicide in construction a point of emphasis and has Construction Suicide Prevention Week September 4-8. Internally, I was able to attend a Mental Health First Aid class presented by the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) last year, which placed an emphasis on the agricultural and construction industries. No matter the resource, the underlying message to combat this crisis is very similar.

The first step in normalizing and bringing awareness to the unique mental health challenges that plague the construction industry is simply talking about it.  Our society as a whole has stigmatized mental illness to the point where those who suffer from them are reluctant to seek treatment out of fear of being judged or labeled as inferior or unstable. The truth is, one in five Americans are living with a diagnosable medical illness that can and should be treated like any physical illness. ABC of Wisconsin, along with OSHA, has a variety of toolbox talks and publications that can help start this conversation among your workforce.

The next step is providing resources for employees to seek help, while also encouraging them to do so when needed.  Employee Assistance Programs (EAP’s) are awesome resources for employees and can provide counseling on mental health, financial, legal, or other life challenges.  If your organization does not currently offer an EAP, ask your health insurance provider or broker what is available.  At Kraemer Brothers, we found an EAP was available to us at no additional cost. Sound mental health often translates into better physical health, so chances are your health insurance carrier will celebrate your enrollment in an EAP.

Lastly, if you encounter a situation where you believe a suicide attempt by your employee or coworker is imminent, know what to do.  Do not hesitate to call 911; especially if the individual has divulged they have a plan and the means to take their own life.  Several crisis lines also exist and can be utilized by an individual in crisis or a concerned coworker or friend. Use them and spread the word. We’re all in this together.

National Suicide Prevention Lifeline: 1-800-273-TALK
Crisis Text Line: Text HOME to 741741
Suicide and Crisis Lifeline: 988

Matt Morley is Safety Director at ABC member Kraemer Brothers.

Some dos and don’ts

• Hire for experience and personality.
  Candidates not only need to be able to do the job but get along with their colleagues. Someone who can do the job but who no one can work with is not worth hiring.
• Take time to make the right hire.
  While tempting to hire fast, that’s when mistakes are made, and critical information is overlooked. You can shorten the time between the steps in your process – just don’t skip any of the steps.
• Use experiential interviewing.
  Don’t hesitate to ask a candidate to “practice” a skill in front of you or take a skills test.
• Using both qualitative and quantitative interview processes.
  Interviews are only as good as the interviewers are objective. Using assessments can help validate what interviewers “think” or “feel” with a candidate.

What is the Right Hire structure?

While there is no way to guarantee a “right hire”, there are three crucial criteria to establish and integrate into a recruiting process that will get you close:

• Personality Traits: will they fit in with your team? Can they get along with others?
• Work Model: are they willing and able to work within the work model you have? Whether it’s remote/hybrid/in-office standards or a short or long sales cycle – can they follow or adapt to it?
• Behavior: can they execute on key behaviors required for the role? For sales, will they cold call and be successful? Are they willing to log their activities if they are working remotely?

Even with a “Right Hire” structure, you won’t get it right all the time, but you’ll get close. If putting a “right hire” structure together just isn’t something you can tackle right now, don’t worry! It takes time, evaluating what works/doesn’t work for you and your team, and it takes practice. By reading this article you’re already a step ahead! If you can find just one thing to implement or change today – that’s a start. The rest will follow.

Want a quick “Do this, not that” list to get you started? Check out our list below:

Don’t do this –

• Just rely on your gut.
• Trust everything you hear. (it’s okay to ask for proof!)
• Disregard the effect the hire will have on your other employees.

Do this –

• “Look under the hood” before you buy.
• Tackle the tough stuff first before adding another layer.
• Include your team in setting your standards.
• Honor the standards you have

Laura Berkan Mael is Director of Recruiting for Pareto’s Talent, a Lift Consulting Company, 608-561-7714,

Sales people must lead the dance.

What’s going wrong for so many people in sales? And more importantly, what, if anything, can you do about it?

Sandler published a report that examines why salespeople fail. It looks at what keeps so many otherwise talented, capable people from reaching the top of the selling profession. It explains why some sales careers rocket to great heights and then suddenly sputter and why others never quite get off the ground.

The report is based on data and best practices from the Sandler Research Center, and on countless interviews with salespeople and sales managers performing in every industry and at every conceivable level of sales success. It consists of more than five decades of frontline sales and sales management training experience with over 1 million salespeople in over 25 countries and 15 languages.

The good news is that sales performance can be improved; dramatically and permanently. But to make that happen, you must know where to begin, and that means understanding the root cause of the problems. Too many sales leaders and experts focus on treating the symptoms of sales struggles, and not the causes.

While the telltale signs of sales underachievement may appear endless, the true causes are generally quite specific. Often, their roots can be found in the approach we choose to take to the selling process itself.

In his best-selling book, You Can’t Teach a Kid to Ride a Bike at a Seminar, David Sandler tells of a breakthrough moment: his realization that buyers had his number. They knew what he was going to do and say before he even opened his mouth. Not only that, but they had also already developed a system to defend against what he wanted to do in the meeting. Sandler had lost the battle before it began. That, he realized, is what happens to typical salespeople.

Sandler realized that in what he called the “buyer-seller dance,” there are always two systems at work: the buyer’s system and the salesperson’s system. To lead in this process, you must lead the dance, which means knowing and applying a selling methodology that works. Merely showing up at the sales meeting, serving, and educating your buyer is not enough.

Ideally, the sales process should be viewed as a win-win situation. But as any salesperson who has spent time in the trenches knows, buyers often see themselves as individuals with something to lose: their money, time, and/or reputation. As a result, they adopt an adversarial approach to salespeople.

Most salespeople tell us they are not even aware of the manipulative measures buyers take during sales calls. Most salespeople fail because they do not know how to take control of the selling process and lead buyers through it as a trusted advisor.

Contrary to popular belief, selling is a noble profession, the sales process can be something both parties enjoy, and helping others through your sales process is a real, tangible, and teachable skill.

Salespeople really can take the uncertainty, worry, and pressure out of the sales process—if they understand the psychology behind the sale and the qualifications necessary to make an opportunity worth their time. They must know where they are in the sales process and have a good idea about what will happen next.

When salespeople take a systematic approach to their work, they lead the dance. They regain control of enough variables to make positive outcomes more frequent and predictable. And last but certainly not least, when they establish a mutually beneficial and respectful relationship, both parties can operate from a foundation of trust.

Amateur salespeople rely on their “people skills” to control the situation. This usually fails. They end up feeling subordinate to the buyer, chasing them down, and doing anything to make the sale. They make the mistake of believing that high-pressure selling is the way top salespeople exceed quota. It’s not.

The amateur approach gives the buyer more control and leaves the salesperson in reactive mode with all the pressure. None of the responsibility is on the buyer, which ends up stressing out both sides.

What is needed is an effective, efficient sales methodology that changes the game. One that shows you how to work smarter, sell more, and sell more efficiently – break the rules and close more sales.

You may not always win every sale, but you will at least know what’s happening on each sales call. And more importantly, you’ll know what to do about it!

Most of the time, amateur salespeople do not know what is happening on the sales call. That’s because they are letting the buyer lead the dance.

Tony Hoslet is President of Sandler Green Bay. For a closer look at all of this please email Tony at Tony.Hoslet@sandler.com and he will send you the full report. 

Here are four actions your organization can take to reduce risk in your banking:

1. Identify uninsured deposits

Going forward, it’s critical for your organization to understand what percentage of your funds are insured and what aren’t.

In the United States, the FDIC maintains the Deposit Insurance Fund (DIF) to insure deposits at federally insured banks. While the DIF is normally funded through quarterly assessments on insured banks, a special assessment will happen soon to cover the depletion of funds being used to make SVB depositors whole.

On the credit union side, all deposits at federally insured credit unions are protected by the National Credit Union Share Insurance Fund, which is maintained by the National Credit Union Administration (NCUA).

Banks and credit unions are required to have signs at their locations letting you know they are insured by the FDIC or NCUA. Additionally, both must include their insurance status in advertising and on their website.

This means you’ll want to first verify that your financial institution is insured by the FDIC or NCUA. Then, assuming they are, you’ll want to have them walk you through all your holdings and identify what amount is insured and what isn’t. While both funds insure deposits up to at least $250,000 per individual depositor, the limits to what’s insured does differ based on account types and ownership structures, so working with your bank or credit union will help you gain a complete and accurate understanding versus trying to do this complicated work yourself. (For those who do want to figure this out on their own, you can use the FDIC or NCUA estimator tools on those respective websites.)

Some organizations specifically need to have a complete understanding of their funding sources. Organizations, including some municipalities, school districts and grant-funded nonprofits, may be required to have their funds wholly insured in some instances, so it’s especially critical to understand if you’re not in compliance with this requirement.

2. Determine your options and weigh them against your risk tolerance

Once you have this understanding, your financial institution can provide recommendations for how your organization can cover uninsured deposits. These may include obtaining additional insurance with your institution; if CDs are a part of your investment strategy, using CDARS (Certificate of Deposit Account Registry Service); accessing a cash management account; diversifying by depositing money into different financial institutions; or using a program like MaxSafe (offered by Wintrust) that divides your deposits for you among a group of banks so that you can insure a greater amount of your organization’s funds.

What makes the most sense for your nonprofit or small business depends on your situation. For example, if you have a covenant with an institution tied to a loan or line of credit with them, you may want or need to keep most of your funds with that institution instead of opening accounts at other banks or credit unions. That’s when you might look at obtaining more insurance with the institution or perhaps leveraging a CDARS program that places excess deposits with other institutions. It is important to understand whether the terms of your credit relationship have these requirements.

Once you’ve asked your bank or credit union what options they have to help you ensure all your deposits are insured, you can discuss with your board and/or management (if required) and determine which options you want to act on and how much risk you’re willing to accept. Some boards will accept a certain amount of risk, especially given the risks for depositors in the current system is still quite low, and the U.S. banking system is resilient. Understanding your overall risk tolerance will help your board and management make the right decisions for your organization.

3. Monitor the health of your financial institution

One of the simplest things you can do to reduce risk is to monitor your bank or credit union’s health. Look at their quarterly call reports, annual reports and bank rating. And since this won’t give you complete transparency into their investment portfolio and liquidity management risk, make sure you have regular conversations with them about these things, too.

Keep assessing and reassessing your deposit strategy. Know on a monthly basis what amount of money is at what institution, know your influx and outflows, and be able to report your organization’s exposure to your board so they can continue to confirm their comfort with that exposure. Actively managing your banking relationships with continual monitoring and conversations is critical.

4. Seek the advice of third parties

Since deposits aren’t the only funds nonprofits and small businesses have, make sure to involve your accountant and your financial advisor in decisions about diversifying your assets and ownership structures and actively managing your investments. Understand your risk appetite, as it will help you make appropriate decisions.

And don’t panic. Don’t react to inflammatory headlines. Do your research, talk to your banker and money managers, and make decisions with them and your board based on your specific situation and risk tolerance. A good relationship with your banker often means they can monitor and flag any new funds that become uninsured, helping you continue to make good and quick decisions for your organization.

Marcie Bomberg-Montoya, OXI, OEI, Principal with Wipfi, brings over 25 years of experience in executive leadership roles in both financial institutions and private enterprise to her engagements. She has developed a high level of proficiency, leading a myriad of complex enterprise-wide endeavors such as mergers and acquisitions, strategic analysis and plan implementation, growth and transformation strategies, as well as innovative product and service development. 

Another resource that can be used in making masonry wall bracing determinations is the Mason Contractors of America (MCAA) Standard Practice for Bracing Masonry Walls Under Construction 2012.  This standard was developed by a committee of professional engineers, masonry contractors, and industry experts to simply provide contractors with a framework to make their own bracing determinations, along with bracing plans for various types of walls. For contractors who prefer not to engage a P.E. on each project with 8’ masonry walls, this is an excellent resource. Internally, Kraemer Brothers leans on MCAA’s standard for a majority of our wall bracing determinations and plans, with the exception of very large or complex projects.

Keep in mind that the intention of both 1926.706(b) and MCAA’s Standard Practice for Bracing Masonry Walls is to ensure the safety of employees working around masonry walls, and not the wall itself.  For example, MCAA’s bracing standard for walls with 24 hours of cure is designed to a wind speed of 35 mph.  When winds increase above that threshold, there is potential for collapse and employees within the restricted zone must evacuate.  Masonry wall bracing systems are generally designed to buy the contractor time to get out of harm’s way before an incident occurs, ultimately preventing injury or death. They are not a guarantee the wall will never collapse, no matter the wind forces applied to wall.

Matt Morley is Safety Director with Kraemer Brothers, a general contractor based in Plain, WI and a long-time member of the ABC of Wisconsin Safety Committee.

Resources:

Masonry wall bracing requirements. | Occupational Safety and Health Administration (osha.gov)

Concrete and Masonry Construction Safety Standards; 1926.706 | Occupational Safety and Health Administration (osha.gov)

1926.706 – Requirements for masonry construction. | Occupational Safety and Health Administration (osha.gov)

By Dan Paulson, Invision Development International, LLC

Every business owner wants to improve their profitability. Challenges like labor costs and supply chain issues are some of the immediate concerns. There are also hidden costs that impact you and your team as well.

I recently attended ABC of Wisconsin’s SuperCon and had a chance to experience many of the courses offered through the two-day event. There were many great presenters and even though subjects changed, the underlying theme was the same. Owners want better performance from their teams. Herein lies the secret to better workflow. Software and systems may be important to efficiency, but that can only be achieved when these three things to improve workflow are first addressed: communication, mapping your course, and training and coaching.

Communication

When it comes to improving productivity, Communication is THE most important element. As you may know, it is also one of the most difficult elements to develop successfully. We interpret information differently, even though we may speak the same language. Focus on understanding.

Have you ever played the game Telephone in school? The object is to start with a statement or phrase and whisper it to the person next to you. Repeating is not allowed. The next person must take what you shared with them and pass it on to the next. Once the last person is reached, they must state out loud what they thought they heard. In almost every case, the end result is nowhere near what they started.

Leaders seem to forget this. Owners told me more times than I can count that they communicated instructions, and employees just don’t listen. Why? It goes back again to understanding.

When communicating, here are some simple actions you need to take to help:

1. Your actions communicate more than you know. One of the biggest reasons your team doesn’t follow instructions is because they see that the owner plays by a different set of rules. You’ve heard the phrase, “Do as I say. Not as I do.” Someone is always watching. Owners also rarely hold accountability for themselves and everyone else. Do you want better results? Then act on higher standards than you expect from your staff. If you want them to do something, you better be first in line to follow through yourself.
2. Change your style. There are three basic learning styles, and they vary from person to person: visual (seeing), auditory (hearing), and kinesthetic (doing). When someone says they send everything via email, this may leave some out. What about the people whose preferred style is hearing? Adapting your communication to match someone else’s makes a greater impact. That is why changing, updating a process, or whatever you are trying to get across, should employ all three learning styles at the same time.
3. Rinse. Repeat. Frequency matters. One and done rarely works. Expect to communicate often. That spaced repetition helps with retention.
4. Repeat it back to me. Create a feedback loop. Have the person who you are messaging repeat back what they understand for mutual understanding. This simple step provides clarity of expectations and can reduce mistakes or bottlenecks.

Map Your Course

Have you ever mapped out your processes? Most procedures in a company are not documented. When the business started, a process had to be created for everything. Over time, as issues come up, those procedures are adjusted to fix the problem. Adding here and taking away there can cause disruptions to workflow. When you ask employees why they do something a certain way, they often state, “That’s how we’ve always done it.” Loops and bottlenecks are common as the years go by. Optimizing your workflow starts with visualizing your process. That’s where mapping comes in. This is simple, but can be time-consuming and tedious. It takes your team looking at every step and decision to accurately record the actions that take place. The more complicated the process, the more detailed the map.

Guiding you through the mapping process:

1. Form a team. Ask yourself, who is impacted by this procedure? These are the people who should be involved as they are most familiar with what is done.
2. The Post-It trick. When mapping, I prefer using Post-It notes for documenting each step. This is much like brainstorming, which means as you write information down, your team may come up with other data that should be included. By placing steps on Post-It notes, it allows you to easily move the sticky notes around and change the order as needed. Bonus recommendation: buy the extra sticky notes and have a large area such as a window or smooth wall for putting the notes up on.
3. Flowchart it. Creating a flowchart involves putting together a diagram of the sequence of activities from your notes. Various symbols represent different actions or decisions. This step allows you to visualize how work moves through your business. Now it is easier to see how work bogs down.
4. Question everything. Look for loops where the same work is being performed multiple times in a row. Also watch for slowdowns in production. What or who is creating this block? After that, have your team review asking, “Is this needed?” with each step. Look for ways to reduce complicated steps as much as possible.

Train and Coach

Time is the most expensive asset you have. Once it is spent, it can never be recovered. Many leaders fail to optimize their time for what I consider their most important role as a coach and teacher.

Too many leaders spend their time doing instead of delegating. The reason I hear: It’s quicker and easier for me to do it than teach someone else. This activity alone is creating most of your time loss and stress. Getting more productivity means having the right people doing the right actions at the right time. That means you cannot do it all.

Where to start:

1. Give it all away. Build a list of tasks and make the assumption that someone else now has to do that job. From that list, determine which tasks are leadership from those that are operations.
2. Focus on development. Meeting with each member of your team regularly can help you understand their ambitions. Getting to know your people will guide you in finding the right fit for taking on responsibilities.
3. Who needs to know? Now that you have your list, you need to determine who should learn the tasks. Choose jobs based on who has the right skills to do the job well and who is motivated to learn.
4. Lay out a training path. Nobody can learn everything overnight. Getting proficient takes time. Set up a timeline for success where you can lay out the steps for taking over the job. Apply a liberal amount of coaching and mentoring. Allow for mistakes and put in stopgaps to prevent anything too costly from happening. Most important: DO NOT take the job back until all corrective action has been taken. People learn at different rates. If you have a good fit and have done your job up front, your candidate should be able to eventually perform the task almost as well as you can.

There are many ways people will pitch you to improve workflow. Technology can address a lot of issues with communication, and you still need to have your systems figured out. The challenge you will run into is that every company is different, and processes need to be adjusted as your organization adjusts as well. No one right way exists.

Expensive software solutions will make an even bigger impact when you have all your ducks in a row. Start with improving your communication. Then know your processes and eliminate bottlenecks. Finally, become the leader you were meant to be and be a coach to your team. This will provide you with the added benefit of understanding what is going on in your company and getting a better handle on its productivity.

Dan Paulson is CEO of InVision Development International. For the past 18 years, he has worked with owners and executives to address the statement, “I don’t feel like I know what’s going on in my company,” and help improve workplace culture, operations, and profitability. His approach helps you implement best practices quickly and efficiently for greater success. Learn more at danpaulsonletsgo.com.