As construction looks to attract and retain a more diverse workforce, could better-designed, more inclusive site welfare facilities play a role in creating healthier, happier and more productive workplaces?
The industry is under pressure. With an ageing workforce, attracting talent with greater diversity is more important than ever. However, this is only half the battle: we also need to retain this broader workforce by creating environments where they feel safe, valued and want to stay.
Whereas the traditional office environment is often well considered in terms of its effect on employee wellbeing and productivity, onsite welfare facilities are commonly an afterthought. Yet they are central to life on site and are spaces where people spend a significant part of their working day.
For example, in a study – A Building For The Builders: What is the Value of the Welfare Facility? – by Mackenzie Thompson via the CIOB scholarship programme, 66% of those questioned stated that the welfare facility was “very important/ essential” to them.
Encouragingly, we are seeing customers increasingly exploring equality, diversity and inclusion (EDI) when discussing their site accommodation and welfare facilities needs. In fact, this is playing a far more important role in their recruitment and retention strategies. They are moving beyond basic welfare provision and focusing far more on the experience of the people using the environments.
Hygiene, accessibility, ventilation, increasing natural light and reducing noise levels are becoming more important in a holistic and best-practice approach. As are gender-based welfare facilities, multicultural toilets, well-equipped rest areas and spaces for neurodiverse operatives, as well as wellbeing rooms to help support a positive and proactive approach to mental health strategies.
Mental health issues
And not without reason. The UK charity MIND acknowledges that one in four people in England alone experience a mental health problem each year, and that construction workers are more likely on average to experience work-related stress and other mental health issues.
National Highways and University of Leeds research (2025) also found that targeted D&I interventions could improve job satisfaction by up to 42%, reduce turnover intention by 21% and potentially save a major infrastructure project around £236,000 annually in replacement costs.
It’s therefore hard to deny the potential contribution thoughtfully designed welfare facilities could make to morale and overall wellbeing. An inclusive site is no longer viewed as a nice-to-have; many principal contractors increasingly see it as a business and project performance issue.
Whether it is for a small number of people or a workforce of thousands, the reasons to incorporate inclusive welfare environments are compelling. They can positively contribute to a contractor’s EDI strategy, attract scarce labour, comply with regulations and improve the environment and experience for an increasingly diverse construction workforce. When this happens, it can result in higher engagement, stronger retention and improved productivity from a far happier and healthier workforce.
Given just how much the construction industry talks about attracting new talent, the question is: when will we see this issue addressed on the far larger scale needed?
Andy Brind is UK key accounts director at Algeco
