When using outside contractors on your commercial properties, it is important to maintain a high level of professionalism while interacting with and working with these entities. Your image and business reputation will reflect your dealings with the owners and employees of contracting companies in your area.
Best Practices When Working With Outside Contractors
The members of the contractors’ profession exercise a body of unique, expert knowledge, and the totality of that knowledge is often established by a professional institution or licencing board for the county or state. Such a level of approval comes with it the ability to protect their licensed members, which in turn protects the business owner. If any disputes arise, for example, that board is the proper authority to appeal to. The business owner will want to contact that authority to find out what the established routes of communication will be for any complaint or commendation.
Professional ethics have been identified as a system of behavioral norms, concerning the relationship between the experts and the lay persons. These behavioral rules are established to make sure that unfair advantage cannot be taken by the expert over that lay person due to the latter’s lack of knowledge in the area of expertise. By the same token, those same rules need to be followed by the lay person with respect to the expert so that a pleasant and productive business relationship can be maintained. The client/lay person has a right to be informed as to the progress of the work being performed, and the continuity of this working relationship will depend on such “informed consent,” i.e. a client cannot approve work if he/she does not know it will be going forward.
Professional behavior is driven by ethical codes of business, which provide guidance for professionals of all kinds in determining appropriate action. The client can expect such ethical codes to be followed while the contractor is performing such works as is required, and the reverse is also true. A contractor should be able to expect ethical codes to be followed by their client, such as compliance with all signed and agreed upon contracts, payment schedules, and behavior on the job sites with reference to safety, etc.
Ethical codes and professional behavior are appropriate and helpful both between members of a group or profession, but they also apply to persons outside the group, serving both the organization and the public. It’s good for business for both client and contractor.
The Ascension General Contractors team is dedicated to maintaining ethical and professional relationships with our clients. Call us today for all your construction needs: (615) 750 2345.
