The benefits of remote camp set up and management
Remote projects are complex enough without adding accommodation, catering and transport concerns into the mix. Setting up an ‘all-in-one’ remote camp for your workforce on site is an effective way of controlling these components and ensuring you get the most out, both from your workforce and for your investment.
Here are some of the benefits of remote camp set up and management:
Workforce monitoring and control
By accommodating your workforce at your project site, you have a more accurate sense of both progress as well as workforce behaviour. Deadlines met before target can be rewarded and any unrest or workforce conflict nipped in the bud. Having your workforce nearby also means any emergency meetings can be called at the drop of a hat, and new developments impacting project success can be shared early with your team.
A camp enables access and togetherness – two things that can really impact project success. Access in the context of being able to communicate with all your employees in one place across the management line, and togetherness in the context of rapid problem-solving, teamwork and collaboration. According to a leading team management app “97% of workers and employers believe that the lack of team alignment influences the success of a task or project” – with your workforce accessible and all in one place, alignment in meeting deadlines and achieving goals becomes that much easier.
Speed
No industry is immune to how fast things change – from technology to employee regulations as well as health and safety guidelines; take the changing covid regulations as just one example. Having your workforce situated in one camp changes the speed game. It means messages can be disseminated instantly, there’s no waiting for resources to drive from accommodation 50 kilometres away (a time and safety risk in and of itself), and that problem-solving happens at greater pace – you’re not coordinating transport for half your team who’s in a different location.
According to McKinsey, ‘de-stack and de-clutter’ is fundamental to enabling speed, and camp management makes both of these a reality. De-stack in the context of focusing on core tasks and not trying to do too much with too many people spread far and wide, and de-clutter in the context of eliminating the unnecessary – meetings and travel being the top two. With all your workforce on-site, you can pull the right people into the room when necessary to solve a problem or push a task forward, and travelling becomes a non-issue in terms of time wastage.
Cost
Although there is upfront cost involved in setting up a remote camp, the camp can in fact be managed as a capital asset, and costs can be recovered over time.
Costs can also be tightly contained as catering and cleaning services are hosted on site, and transport costs are significantly reduced given that your workforce is accommodated on camp premises.
Remote projects are often far flung, and the cost of transporting just one resource 50 kilometres (taking petrol, vehicle insurance, and wear and tear into account) can be prohibitive. Now imagine that x 30, 40 or even 300 employees? Having a managed camp where all employees are housed makes much more sense.
Safety
Employee safety, especially frontline workers, became a focus when the covid pandemic hit and highlighted some critical areas where companies were falling short. Proper communication eco-systems are essential in making sure employees are kept safe and follow the requisite protocols. According to Haiilo (an employee communication and advocacy platform), we need to hear a health-risk-related message nine to 12 times to maximise our perception of that risk. Try doing that when your workforce is spread across multiple, disparate accommodations or have to travel in each day and arrive at different times. The task becomes far more daunting and less impactful.
A camp means safety briefings happen once, and critical safety criteria can be emphasised, and re-emphasised, as and when.
Standardised experience
A managed camp also means your workforce gets a standardised experience when it comes to accommodation, catering and any transport-related services. There’s no special treatment or feelings of being slighted because one group has fast Wi-Fi and a premium DStv package, while others don’t. Security services and aspects affecting performance like noise are also controlled, meaning a workforce that wakes up safe and refreshed.
Treating employees differently can have extremely detrimental consequences to project timelines and overall success. Research has shown that different treatment of staff and favouritism can lead to “stronger intentions to quit the job, less work motivation, and more emotional exhaustion” on top of other consequences.
Community growth
Something we don’t often think about is how establishing a camp in a community can positively impact that community. For example, local Service Providers will be used to handle aspects such as infrastructure, groundwork, security and even accommodation construction. This means employment and gradual organic growth of Service Providers.
As camp set up is done gradually, this growth is also manageable and can be done in collaboration with key stakeholders to ensure the community is effectively capacitated and that there is room for sustainability.
