Workers happier at smaller construction firms

A survey of construction workers has revealed that fewer than one in four would recommend their place of work to family or friends, though those working for smaller companies were happier than those at larger organisations.

The survey was carried out by the Supply Chain School, a membership body of around 14,000 companies, to gather views on fairness and inclusion in the workplace. Around 1,000 responded to the survey.

On the positive side, almost all respondents (98%) said they felt safe at work and the majority (85%) comfortable to “be themselves”. However, the survey revealed that a culture of fairness, inclusion and respect was still an aspiration.

The survey also found that:

• Respondents within smaller organisations were consistently much happier with their workplace – as many as 53% within client organisations believed people had quit jobs because of the way they had been treated, whereas the figure for labour agencies or SMEs was far lower at only 29%;
• The proportion of respondents that did not feel managers and supervisors behaved and spoke to people in a way that helped them do their best was more than double among clients (39%), compared to labour agencies and SMEs (17%);
• There were marked differences between the responses of operative-level employees and those of directors or management staff. Whilst 39% of respondents on average believed certain groups of people were treated unfairly, or less favourably, than others at their place of work, the discrepancy between a mere 19% of managerial staff and a whopping 51% of operatives was dramatic.

Dale Turner director of procurement and supply chain at Skanska UK and a member of the industry Fairness, Inclusion and Respect (FIR) Steering Group at the Supply Chain School, said: “Ultimately, most damning is the concluding statistic that more than one in four respondents would feel unable to recommend their place of work to family and friends – this is not the kind of endorsement hoped for by a sector desperate to attract and retain talent.”

“Construction has clear issues to address, both within the industry and individual organisations. The call therefore is for inclusive leadership to optimise the performance value of diversity going forward.

“Success will require us to hear, understand and respect different perspectives, better; whilst at the same time challenging divisive behaviours and unfair practices, constructively. The good news is that we have both the incentive and now the tools to change.”