Perceptions of construction work: Views to consider to improve employee recruitment and retention

With increasing demands for new infrastructure and a decreased availability of skilled construction craft workers, the need to recruit and retain workers is becoming critical. It is important to understand the preferences of workers and, consequentially, ensure that positive attributes of the job are preserved and negative attributes are mitigated in practice. To better understand the preferences of construction workers, 222 interviews were conducted with workers on active commercial construction sites in Colorado. Workers were asked simple, open-ended questions about their jobs and work preferences using a social constructionist approach. The results indicate that workers most enjoy seeing tangible results, social interaction with coworkers, problem-solving, challenging and diverse work tasks, and working with their hands. Conversely, negative attributes were work pressure, indirect communication, mandates from upper management, dangerous work, and a feeling of indifference perceived by their coworkers. These results improve understandings of the fundamental reasons why construction workers are attracted to their profession.