In today’s modern world, offering salary raises alone is just not enough to inspire workers and retain them. As much as the construction industry is highly volatile and dangerous, employees must be acknowledged, encouraged, supported and engaged. Most of the mechanisms for employee engagement are designed for a person working in an office environment. In the same breath, it should be channeled to those on-site experiencing this firsthand, particularly the construction staff. Your crew is invariably on the move and presenting battle-like challenges at the front line within the construction industry. For that matter, these laborers are very often working under critical mental or physical circumstances.
The concept of employee engagement itself is abstract. To begin with, defining it and measuring it takes work. However, in industries like construction, employee engagement can mean life or death. An employee who is disengaged or is just going through the motions on what is not 100% automatic pilot on their life and someone else’s may be at risk. In the rest of this article, we will be going over and reviewing employee engagement and why an employer needs to assume how you keep your crew motivated/engaged.
What Is Employee Engagement?
Employee engagement is typically defined as an emotional connection that comprises responsibility and accountability, which an employee feels towards his job and the organization he works for. It is a definition of the passion employees have for their work and company.
So, what is the difference between an engaged and disengaged employee? Fully engaged employees are emotionally attached to their jobs, committed to the organization’s goals, and strive to deliver outcomes that will ensure high performance. On the other hand, disengaged employees translate into lost productivity, which amounts to millions of dollars.
Each organization needs to monitor and sustain employee engagement to counteract labor shortages while improving productivity and maintaining sanity. General contractors and project managers leverage engagement metrics to identify problem areas, create strategies for improving engagement, and foster positive employee outcomes.
Why Should The Construction Industry Care About Employee Engagement
Disengaged employees equate to a higher turnover, which is an expensive endeavor. For one thing, it costs more to hire replacement employees, not even considering the indirect costs of the knowledge and experience lost when that worker leaves. In this section, we discuss a variety of ways in which low employee engagement can lead to labor scarcity in construction firms.
High Level of Labor Turnover
The minute employees become disengaged, they start losing their sense of responsibility towards their jobs and thus tend to seek other areas. This, therefore, cultivates a high level of employee turnover and attrition. As this, too, is a skill- and experience-based industry, it is hard for construction firms to continuously hire and train new employees.
Bad Reputation
Unsatisfied employees will spread negative words about your company and their dissatisfaction with working at your firm. A reputation that potential new employees and recruits will view unfavorably.
Lower Productivity
Disengaged employees feel less motivated even to work at a usual pace and effectively, which results in lower levels of productivity critical for the completion of your projects. Inefficiencies due to low engagement increase, thus forcing the demand for more workers in an attempt to compensate for low productivity.
Safety Issues and Concerns
Engaged employees are more likely to follow safety protocols and regulations than disengaged workers. Engaged employees become indifferent to standard rules and regulations, and their tendency to not follow the rules may lead to an increase in workplace accidents and injuries. Hence, it may affect employees’ safety and deter potential candidates since the workplace is hazardous.
Lack Of Innovation
Engaged employees are more likely to contribute ideas, innovate, and solve problems. When employees become disengaged, they are even less likely to provide suggestions for improvement or to point out potential problems. Without those suggestions for improvement, it becomes difficult to help the company adapt to technological advances and market demand changes.
What Benefits Does High Employee Engagement Bring To Your Company?
Having happy workers in the construction industry can boast a significant number of benefits and ensure that prosperity and sustainability in their industry will stand. In this chapter, we’ll review a few key benefits you can realize:
Improved Recruitment and Retention
Where construction companies become concerned with and invest in the wellbeing and development of their workforce, they can be an employer of choice. This not only reduces turnover rates but it also ensures a sustained supply of experienced labor.
Improved Safety Performance
As earlier mentioned, an engaged employee cares about a safe workplace since the same employee can see him or herself working with the organization for a long time. They also contribute to and adhere to safety programs and procedures.
More Productivity and Efficiency
When employees feel valued and motivated, they put extra effort into their work. Construction workers with more engagement exhibit greater productivity, efficiency, and top-quality output that enhances the overall project timeline and client satisfaction.
Positive Organizational Culture
A strong culture of engagement binds us together and fosters belonging and teamwork, creating an enabling environment whereby we thrive and work together. It boosts morale and attracts new talent who desire a meaningful workplace experience.
Challenges to Improving Employee Engagement
Now that we have determined how vital employee engagement is to this industry, what difficulties are we going to face when we try to enhance engagement metrics? Let us see below:
Generational Differences
The construction workforce is intergenerational, meaning different generations hold onto their respective values, preferences, and manner of communication. Narrowing the gap between older, experienced employees and younger, tech-savvy employees is very important.
Mental Health and Wellbeing
The high stress, long hours, physical demands, and tight deadlines associated with construction work can have a devastating effect on employees’ mental health and wellbeing. To minimize construction workers’ burnout, the construction sector needs to devise strategies that focus on mental health and attaining an appropriate work-life balance.
Lack of Recognition and Feedback
Construction projects often involve big teams operating in a fast-moving environment, where supervisors find it hard to routinely provide Feedback and recognition. Without any recognition of contributions or achievements, mere working soon dampens the enthusiasm of employees and lowers their sense of engagement with the job and the company.
Diversity and Inclusion
The construction industry is highly male-dominated; diversity in this industry is not common. There are some cultural issues in construction cultures where promoting diversity and inclusion initiatives can result in resistance to creating a non-discriminatory environment that would make all employees feel valued and appreciated.
Measuring Employee Engagement Metrics
Now that we have identified the key employee engagement metrics, it is time to discuss how to track them. Surveys, feedback sessions, and interviews are effective ways to collect valuable insights into employee satisfaction and engagement levels.
Employee Engagement Surveys
Surveys are one of the potent ways to monitor employee engagement in an organization because they directly garner Feedback and insights from employees. An organization can use several types, such as employee feedback forms, pulse surveys, focus group surveys, and many others.
360-degree Feedback
These surveys elicit employee responses and those of their managers, peers, and direct reports for a comprehensive view of employee engagement. This helps provide a more complete view of what is taking place in the experience of all employees and the impacts one employee can have.
Exit Interviews
Conducted by the HR department when a member leaves the company, exit interviews can be a goldmine of insights into real workplace truths current employees may not vocalize.
Onboarding Feedback
First impressions mean everything and new hires can offer fresh eyes on the health of your company’s culture. Their Feedback helps refine the onboarding process and ensures the right orientation for new employees.
Analyzing Employee Feedback
It is not good enough to measure employee engagement only. Leaders must be capable of analyzing the information and drawing insight from it.
Putting Change into Action: Improving Employee Engagement
Here are a few ways you can increase the level of engagement for your employees:
Develop a Sense of Community
Team-building exercises and social activities help build bonds and relationships within your team.
Offer a Positive Work Culture
Ensure an inclusive workplace where everyone feels welcome and valued. Foster transparency and communication at all levels and offer a balance between work and personal life.
Offer Recognition and Rewards
Compensation scales for employees must be matched to the competition, considering their worth. Employees must be recognized for their efforts through employee recognition programs, thus enabling the rewards attached to making the organization successful.
Provide Growth and Development Opportunities
Create clear career paths and opportunities for advancement while investing in employee training and professional development programs. This would help modify employees’ job satisfaction and, in the long run, the organization.
Seamless Communication
Enablement Construction conditions keep on changing. Be it the weather, traffic stops, legal requirements, or any other factor, something or another unforeseen factor always seems to have its say on the work. Regular updates and communication will let the construction workers be in the know. Having effective employee communication does not just provide the workers with tools for bringing specific changes, but it is a way of showing them that they are important to the organization, too. You can use digital means like construction management software to connect the field and job site without any obstruction.
Motivate and Support Employees
The work associated with construction is hazardous in every way. From daily physical labor to negotiating contract agreements, workers in construction can be mentally and physically exhausted. Employee engagement in construction will require frank, enthusiastic leadership that motivates and inspires employees over the long haul.
