The majority of party wall jobs go smoothly and follow the statutory process without hitch. However, now and then it’s normal to be faced with a challenging situation, owner or even another surveyor. In these circumstances it’s essential to always remain professional, even though this isn’t always easy, especially when emotions may be running high!
The good news is that there are a few things you can do to maintain your professionalism!
1. Reinforce professionalism within your company
This may sound basic! However, when dealing with challenging situations and conversations, it can get complicated. If you work alone, periodically review how professional you’ve been and consider how you could have dealt with some situations differently. If you work with a team, instil a culture of professionalism and respect towards each other, your owners, and other surveyors. This ensures that all team members behave with the same integrity and level-headedness.
2. Remember it’s not aimed at you
It’s easy to take difficult conversations personally, especially when you feel like you’re in the firing line. However, you aren’t the problem. Usually, the challenging person is upset or angry at the situation and not directly at you. Try to ensure any harsh words wash over you so you remain neutral.
3. Rise to the challenge
The only way things will be resolved is to rise above the behaviour and language of the challenging person. It may be tempting to lower yourself to their level if they’re insulting you or being childish. However, you are a professional and you can deal with it!
4. Back yourself up
Always leave evidence of your communications with the challenging person and summarise your conversations. Keep a record of all phone calls, video calls and emails so you know exactly what’s taken place. Also, it serves as a good record if the challenging person makes a complaint to your manager or professional body. This exercise may feel time consuming but it could save much aggravation at a later date.
5. Follow company processes and protocol
This goes back to Tip 1. It’s much easier to remain professional when you know you have full support from your team. Plus, when you have a process in place for how to deal with challenging conversations, this gives you the confidence to stay cool.
By trying these tips, you’re likely to resolve the situation faster, or at least keep the other person calm while you find a solution.
Of course, in an ideal world communication would always go smoothly. As you already know that it doesn’t, being prepared for any negative experiences means you’ll be able to handle anything in a professional manner.
Let us know if you ever need to use these tips and which you find most helpful.
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Written by the SurvPal Team.
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