Karakhan, A A; Gambatese, J and Simmons, D R (2020) Development of assessment tool for workforce sustainability. Journal of Construction Engineering and Management, 146(4): 04020017, ISSN 0733-9364
Abstract
The work environment in construction is physically and mentally demanding. This demanding environment can place adverse risk on the construction workforce including emotional, physical, and financial challenges. To minimize such challenges, continued development and cultivation of the construction workforce is required. Continued development and cultivation can sustain the workforce and lead to both personal and business growth. The process of developing and cultivating the workforce enhances construction workforce sustainability, a measure of the social sustainability of the construction workforce. The aim of the present study is to develop a practical tool for assessing workforce sustainability in construction. A mixed-methods research approach that relied on a review of literature, semistructured interviews, and a multiround expert survey was utilized to achieve the aim of the study. The developed workforce sustainability tool includes three levels of components (attributes, indicators, and metrics) organized in a hierarchy to characterize a workforce. The use of the assessment tool yields a final aggregated score that reveals the level of sustainability of a workforce. The present study contributes to the body of knowledge by providing a means to assess and ultimately improve workforce sustainability in construction. Widespread use of the tool is expected to help the construction industry develop and nurture its workers to produce a healthy, productive, and resilient workforce.
| Item Type: | Article |
|---|---|
| Uncontrolled Keywords: | competence; diversity and inclusion; employee retention; equity; maturity; social sustainability; training and education; workforce development |
| Index terms: | diversity and inclusion, interview, survey, workforce development, competence, body of knowledge, retention, business growth, work environment, social sustainability, construction industry |
| Subjects: | knowledge management, strategic management, data collection methods, industry analysis, communities and social development, management, personnel development, professional development |
| Topics: | Human Resources, Education, Organizational Design, Business Strategy, Information Management, Research Practice, Stakeholder Management |
| Descriptive scope: | 4 PCTE |
N.B. Descriptive scope is a count of how many of the five facets of empirical research are indicated by the words used in title, abstract and keywords. It is not intended as a judgement on the research; merely a count of the kind of word we would expect to indicate Phenomenon, Concepts, Theoretical framing, Empirical techniques, Analytical techniques. If all five are present, then a code of “5 PCTEA” will indicate this. If you feel the coding for this record is questionable, we welcome discussion around the terms we matched or the way we categorized them. The facet you would expect may not be coded, or a facet may be coded inappropriately. This can also bear on a larger question, of which facets should be treated as defining in construction management research. Please get in touch, and we will look at it. More details here