Within our industry, the large, complex projects often get highlighted the most. From overlapping trades to maintaining high-pressure schedules, these projects demand attention and often overshadow the smaller jobs that only take one or two people to run. Being smaller in scale does not disqualify these projects of being less worthy of attention—tradespeople who work on their own bring astounding value and problem-solving skills.
Within our team, we have several FZers who regularly work on their own. With solo work, there’s still a need to communicate well with the rest of the team to ensure individual progress and safety. But due to the nature of their work and their proven integrity, they are often autonomous within their role.
We wanted to hear some of these FZers who often lead their own projects. Here’s what they had to say!
What is it like to work on your own?
- Sean: “It’s very free. I get to work at my own pace and work my own hours. When you work with a team, you have to work the supervisor’s schedule, but this way I can work around appointments and taking care of family if needed. Talking with my customers sill provides me with a social aspect to my work.”
- Robert: “There’s a huge difference compared working on a team. You have to be self-motivated and work at your own schedule. Working on my own, it’s like I’m my own boss since I get to interact with the customer and the project responsibilities are all on me. It’s exciting since I get to show the company and my supervisor what I can do.”
- Ray: “Working independently sometimes feels like you are on an island, so to speak. On the plus side, you have a lot of freedom to be creative and do things the way you want to. You also have the benefit of doing every part of a job and learning or gaining experience on every project that you handle.”
What do you like about it? What’s challenging?
- Ray: “I feel that there is a much greater satisfaction and sense of accomplishment when you did a project all on your own. But working on your own, it can feel like you’re often the last to get companywide updates since there’s not as much focused communication.”
- Sean: “I strive to do well because the project is all on my shoulders. On a job, there’s no one else to pick up the slack if you need to take a break, so I have to be on point at all the times. I get to prove my hard work but have to consistently do so.”
- Robert: “On top of the ability to manage a project, I like that I get to showcase my value and that I’m the face of the project. A challenge is in troubleshooting a room since it takes longer to find a solution.”
What’s a typical day like?
- Robert: “Every day is different. I come in at different times depending on what’s needed for the project. My schedule fluctuates, so that changes days up.”
- Ray: “Having worked on jobs that have upwards of 30 workers on site, I can honestly say that a typical day is about the same. The goals and the way the work is performed is the same. The environment is typically just more solitary than social.”
- Sean: “I’m on site every day by 6:30am and stay until my work for the day is done. Most of the time that’s 2:30pm, but sometimes I’ll be there ‘til 5:30pm. It just depends on what the job needs.”
How do you live into FZ’s core values?
- Robert: “I’m there 100%—I dress professionally and always wear correct PPE. I’ve upheld all the core values since I’m the face of FZ at the project and FZ trusts me to do what the project needs. So, I work to validate that trust.”
- Sean: “Safety is still considered when working on your own of course. I also do my best during the project so that we can exceed the customer’s needs and hopefully work with them again. I take on professionalism and integrity to make that happen.”
- Ray: “I live into FZ's core values by understanding that I am a direct representation of what this company stands for in the eyes of the customer and the community. I am proud to fill this role and understand its importance.”
Whether they’re working on large construction projects or small maintenance jobs, FZers consistently operate with our core values in mind. Interested in seeing our capabilities?
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