Last updated on Jul 7, 2024

What do you do if your building design clients have conflicting demands with your employees' well-being?

When you're caught between the expectations of your building design clients and the well-being of your employees, it's like walking a tightrope. You're not just creating structures; you're shaping work environments that impact daily lives. Striking a balance requires tact, understanding, and a commitment to both client satisfaction and employee health. It's a challenge, but with a thoughtful approach, you can navigate these conflicting demands successfully.

1 Assess Needs

Understanding the specific needs and desires of your clients is crucial, but so is recognizing the limits and well-being of your employees. Start by having an open dialogue with both parties. Listen to your clients' visions and requirements for the building design, and then discuss these with your team. It is essential to be transparent about the project's scope, timelines, and the resources available. This way, you can gauge what is feasible and what might be pushing your employees too hard, risking burnout or dissatisfaction.

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2 Prioritize Health

When a project's demands start to encroach on your employees' well-being, it's time to prioritize. Health and safety are non-negotiable, and it's your responsibility to ensure that workplace conditions do not harm your team. If client demands are unreasonable, negotiate adjustments that align with safe working practices. Explain the importance of employee well-being to the client, emphasizing that a healthy team is more productive and can deliver better quality work.

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Robert N. H.

Lead Creative and Designer.
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Sometime the healthiest thing to do is nothing. Taking time to reset mentally, emotionally and/or physically is something that should be monitored as closely as the project itself. Maintiaing one's health wards off project fatigue.

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3 Open Dialogue

Maintaining an open line of communication with both clients and employees is key. Regularly update your clients on progress and any challenges that arise, while also keeping your team informed about client expectations. This transparency can build trust and understanding on both sides. When employees are aware of client demands, they can offer creative solutions that might meet these demands without compromising their well-being.

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Waleed Abdelaal

General Manager Aide's @ ACUD
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Ensure transport communication between clients and employees clearly convey the constrains and concerns of both parties to each others

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Dawn Paruta, Well Ap, Fitwel

Senior Project Manager at Ark
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Set expectations early in the project so the team can deliver on time. To build a client's trust, it's better to meet realistic deadlines with quality deliverables than miss deadlines or submit poor-quality drawings. Over time, you can learn where to cut or the most critical deadlines. I see so many examples of PMs feeling they need to meet unrealistic deadlines to keep the client happy at the project inception, hoping the client will ease up over time. Clients will never learn to budget their time better if the design team works day and night to meet unrealistic deadlines.

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4 Find Balance

Finding a balance between client demands and employee well-being is an art. It may involve compromise, creative problem-solving, or even redefining project goals. Explore alternative design solutions that satisfy your clients while keeping workloads manageable for your employees. This might mean suggesting different materials, construction methods, or timelines that are more aligned with what your team can handle without undue stress.

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Dawn Paruta, Well Ap, Fitwel

Senior Project Manager at Ark
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To help schedule discussions, I create a detailed breakdown of the tasks, such as production time, holiday closures, client review periods, QA/QC reviews, and coordination meetings. I layer in their stakeholder meetings and critical dates. This allows both parties to identify negotiable and non-negotiable timeframes. I make adjusting the schedule a shared experience; in the end, we better understand each other's pain points, and the schedule becomes a joint project.

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Waleed Abdelaal

General Manager Aide's @ ACUD
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Set clear boundaries regrading work hours, workload and other issues and factors that affect employees well being & ensure that clients understand these boundaries

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5 Implement Changes

If a project continues to strain your employees despite efforts to balance demands, it may be necessary to implement changes. This could involve adjusting project timelines, increasing your workforce, or even re-evaluating client contracts. The goal is to create a sustainable work environment where employees can thrive without being overwhelmed by unrealistic expectations.

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Robert N. H.

Lead Creative and Designer.
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Pivoting throughout a project does not have to be as stressful as we sometimes make it. Understanding a clients priorities and checking in frequently during a period of transition or change helps to put everyone at ease.

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6 Reflect and Learn

Every project offers a chance to learn and grow. Reflect on what worked and what didn't in managing client demands versus employee well-being. Use these insights to improve your processes and policies for future projects. This continuous learning will not only benefit your employees' health but also enhance client relations and the overall success of your building design practice.

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7 Here’s what else to consider

This is a space to share examples, stories, or insights that don’t fit into any of the previous sections. What else would you like to add?

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What do you do if your building design clients have conflicting demands with your employees' well-being?

1

2

3

4

5

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1 Assess Needs

2 Prioritize Health

3 Open Dialogue

4 Find Balance

5 Implement Changes

6 Reflect and Learn

7 Here’s what else to consider

Building Design

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What do you do if your building design clients have conflicting demands with your employees' well-being?

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

1 Assess Needs

2 Prioritize Health

3 Open Dialogue

4 Find Balance

5 Implement Changes

6 Reflect and Learn

7 Here’s what else to consider

Building Design

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