John Perkins Construction Supply Chain Workshop 2024

29th May 2024 | Blog Posts

For the last seven years we have been hosting our annual Supply Chain Seminar, an opportunity for us to share industry knowledge with our sub-contractor partners.  Last month however, we decided to shake things up, and instead of hosting a seminar, we wanted to work more collaboratively with our sub-contractors and have a two-way conversation in the form of a workshop. It was a great success!

This time we felt more than ever that this was the format of choice to build on the engagement we achieved at the last event. There is no avoiding the fact that the global and UK economies remain under strain. The Construction Industry is also therefore challenged, the supply chains are stressed, and margins are increasingly difficult to maintain. People are, in short, under pressure.

In the face of all of this, it is all the more important to maintain open communication, respect, empathy, and positivity within the workplace. We wanted this workshop to focus on opening up lines of communication and finding the best ways to work better together. The major theme of the day was positivity and the impact of ones behaviour on others, and all importantly, giving our teams a forum to speak to one another openly and productively.

After enjoying a mountain of bacon sandwiches and pastries the attendees proceeded to the presentation room where they were welcomed by our MD, Rupert Perkins.

The morning was then led by Pauline Traetto, CEO of Reconstructing Minds, encompassing an overview of the current economic climate conditions, ice breakers with pennies and talking about the power of positivity.

After a well earnt break for tea, coffee and cake, everyone got stuck back in to group working, where they were tasked with discussing and presenting back how they believed John Perkins Construction and sub-contactors could work better together.

Here’s what we learnt in summary.

Communication – This is without a doubt the most important tool we have.

• Pick up the phone, email should not be our primary method of communication.
• More face-to-face meetings – TEAMs is helpful but it’s so much better to meet in person, when possible.
• Regular follow up meetings help everyone to manage expectations, they are not an inconvenience, they are a necessity.

Trust – Building trust requires ownership and accountability on both sides.

Positivity – Engaging in a conversation with a positive attitude will contribute enormously to a positive outcome for both parties.

Respect and Empathy – Understanding that people have their own set of pressures and responsibilities, respecting this and having empathy if they are struggling with them will help to maintain positive relationships.

Overall, the morning was uplifting and a real success. It was fantastic to have so many of our supply chain join us and we are grateful to them for investing their time with us and for contributing to thought provoking and positive conversations. We are invested in taking our learnings from the day and embedding them further into how we work. We look forward to seeing the positive impact of the session on our working relationships.

Tags: Events, supply chain