Morrison, E and Thurnell, D (2012) Employee preferences for work-life benefits in a large New Zealand construction company. Construction Economics and Building, 12(1), pp. 12-25. ISSN 2204-9029
Abstract
The construction industry is a challenging environment in which to work, with job characteristics that are linked to work-life conflict, and it is important for its future sustainability that initiatives to support employee work-life balance are undertaken. 121 head office and site-based employees within a large New Zealand construction company rated their preferences for work-life benefits, and the results were compared with those of a similar previous (Australian) study. The most preferred work-life benefit factor (as for the previous Australian study) was found to be 'wellness and personal development'. Results suggest that company provision of a wide variety of work-life benefits from which employees can choose during different stages in their life and career is ideal. Qualitative results suggest some work-life conflict associated with working long hours and weekend work exists. It is proposed that to attract and retain valuable employees, the New Zealand construction industry must provide useful work-life benefits, reasonable working hours, and supportive workplace cultures in line with such initiatives.
| Item Type: | Article |
|---|---|
| Uncontrolled Keywords: | construction company; human resource management; New Zealand; work-life balance |
| Index terms: | preference, construction industry, human resource management, construction company, work-life balance, career, working hours, personal development, New Zealand |
| Subjects: | industry analysis, management, decision-making and reasoning, organization, employment law, Geography, professional development |
| Topics: | Research Practice, Geographical Context, Information Management, Business Strategy, Human Resources, Legal Issues |
| Descriptive scope: | 3 PCT |
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