Has Construction Finally Cracked Flexible Working Practices?
Date Posted: December 7, 2023
Posted In: Discussion, Organizations, Workforce,
From Bluebeam Blog: Given construction’s historic reputation as a manual and labor-intensive industry, the sector isn’t the most obvious example by which to judge the merits of remote work.
The industry has long been seen as a slow adopter of new working practices and technology. However, the COVID-19 pandemic triggered, or was at least a catalyst for, a much-needed shift in attitudes towards remote construction work.
In the initial stages of the pandemic in early 2020, building sites were effectively shut down as part of government-imposed lockdowns. The impact was worldwide. Estimates suggest that global construction activity fell by more than 3% in 2020. In China it was said to have been more than 5%.
But as much as the pandemic blunted economies around the world, it also prompted many industries to reconsider how they operated and the potential benefits of a flexible working policy. Construction was no exception, and as activity slowly ramped up again in 2021, the sector became receptive to change, building on pockets of progress that were already underway.
Balancing commercial considerations with flexibility at work
Being more open toward flexible and remote construction work followed in the wake of the belated recognition that technology, particularly digitization, could empower companies to deliver more, better and efficiently.
One of the hurdles to flexible working practices in construction is the perception that it would risk the commercial priorities that require projects be delivered on time and within budget.
Emma Stewart, co-founder of flexible working consultancy Timewise, believes operational demands can limit “more innovative approaches to improving working practices and well-being from being trialed, however good leaders’ intentions may be.”
Working with construction trade group Build UK, Timewise ran a series of pilot schemes with four leading contractors – BAM Construct UK, BAM Nuttall, Skanska UK and Willmott Dixon – to understand what flexible working might entail, how it might be implemented, its potential benefits and the challenges it posed.
The pilots revealed some interesting findings, which were published in a report, “Making Construction A Great Place To Work: Can Flexible Working Help?” The number of people who agreed with the statement: “My working hours give me enough time to look after my own health and well-being” leapt from 48% to 84%, while many workers – perhaps predictably – welcomed the opportunity to spend more time at home with their family.