Introducing flexible working in construction roles is difficult – but necessary. We’re working with four industry partners to overcome the barriers and design flexible career pathways for construction employees.
By Emma Stewart, Co-Founder
It won’t come as much of a surprise that, when it comes to flexible working, the construction industry is a tough one to crack. However, tackling complex sectors is one of the things we do best. So we’re partnering with four major employers, with the support of Build UK, to research, design and pilot new approaches that will overcome the barriers and bring about sustainable change.
The construction industry is known for a long-hours culture. It also has a dearth of female talent; CIC data suggests that women make up less than 15% of the workforce. What’s more, these women are leaving the industry at a faster rate than men, in part due to the lack of flexible working arrangements.
At the same time, the industry is facing skills shortages and a talent drain. Record employment, a high proportion of over 55s in the workforce and the uncertainties around Brexit (critical in an industry in which around 10% are non-UK nationals) are all colliding, with the result that attracting, retaining and progressing talented workers is an increasing challenge.
It’s also worth noting that the culture of long hours is having a negative impact on both men and women in the industry, affecting their mental health and their ability to balance work with caring and family life.
Overall, then, there is an urgent need to design more flexible roles and career pathways within construction, to deliver better work-life balance and build a more diverse, healthier workforce.
So we have joined forces with Build UK and four employers for a 12-month change project. We’ll be working with BAM Nuttall, BAM Construct, Skanska and Willmott Dixon to gain insights into making flexible working viable within the construction industry, and to design and pilot new approaches.
We’ll start with an initial insight phase, including a deep-dive diagnostic into each of the four partners’ current working practices and perceptions. We’ll use these insights to develop a flexible job design change programme, which we’ll then pilot across a number of construction sites. We’ll end with a thorough evaluation of what worked and what could be improved, and will share our findings with the wider industry.
Throughout the programme, we’ll offer support, coaching and training to HR teams, senior leaders and line managers, so the new approaches are understood and championed at every level. We’ll use these pilots to design industry-wide guidance on operational challenges, large and small, from how to plan and deliver a pilot to the best way to advertise a flexible job.
And when the programme is complete? Well, that won’t be the end of the story, for our partners or for the industry as a whole. Our hope is that it will be the beginning; the beginning of a change within construction towards a better work-life balance for all.
Published October 2019
