If you are a contractor, you are probably struggling to find skilled employees. After all, according to the Associated Builders and Contractors, the construction sector is currently about 650,000 workers shy of meeting customer demand.
While it may be possible to mitigate the effects of the worker shortage by pushing back your schedule or narrowing your company’s focus, going out of business is not an option. Unfortunately, the labor shortage is likely to come with a spike in defect claims.
Doing more with less
Even if your customers are understanding, they may not be willing to deal with the fallout from your labor shortage. That is, you can expect your clients to be as discerning as ever. If you or your subcontractors make mistakes when trying to do more with less, you can expect your customers to complain.
Pushing back projects
Most customers tend to have a limit to their patience. If you must delay work because of a lack of workers, your clients may be itching to complain to someone. They also may be less likely to overlook any future issues that arise.
Defending yourself
You have a right to defend yourself against construction defect claims, of course. Indeed, doing so may be one of the more effective ways to preserve your good name. Regardless of whether a claim comes from your labor shortage or something else, you should explore your defense options as quickly as you can.
Ultimately, while the labor shortage is not likely to last forever, you are going to need a strategy for dealing with associated defect claims for the foreseeable future.