Bell, N; Powell, C and Sykes, P (2015) Securing the well-being and engagement of construction workers: An initial appraisal of the evidence. In: Raiden, A and Aboagye-Nimo, E (eds.) Proceedings of 31st Annual ARCOM Conference, 7-9 September 2015, Lincoln, UK.
Abstract
Construction sites pose unique challenges for employers who are seeking to develop interventions to improve outcomes for workers. The contractors who constructed the infrastructure for the 2012 Olympic Games were encouraged by the client organisation to actively engage their workers and promote their well-being. This paper examines how scholarly research has approached well-being and engagement in the construction industry. A literature review identified a total of 21 papers that have examined either well-being or engagement in construction and only a single paper examined both subjects. There has been very limited research into this area. The existing papers highlight a number of gaps which could be filled through future research. The concept of well-being in construction is poorly defined and predominantly focuses on stress and work-life balance. There is a lack of clarity or certainty about whether and how some of the recommendations for improving well-being can be realistically implemented in construction, such as giving workers more flexible working arrangements. It is also unclear what specific benefits construction companies, and their clients, could expect to see from engagement or well-being strategies. Consequently, it is currently difficult to make a convincing business case or plan for the introduction of well-being or engagement strategies in construction. Nonetheless, there is evidence that engagement and well-being strategies can improve outcomes for individual construction workers and professionals, such as maintaining or improving health or promoting safety or skills development. Many of the practices that engage individuals also promote well-being: They do not need to be approached as completely separate issues. The extant research suggests that construction companies could usefully review; how they allocate and use resources on projects; the leadership and coaching skills of site managers; how workers can influence the planning of their work, and; their human resources procedures.
| Item Type: | Conference Paper (Paper) |
|---|---|
| Uncontrolled Keywords: | engagement; safeguarding well-being; well-being |
| Index terms: | human resource, site manager, well-being, evidence, appraisal, construction worker, Olympic Games, construction industry, business case, work-life balance, literature review, strategy, construction site, skills development, client organization, construction company |
| Subjects: | work location, strategic project management, data analysis and analytics, mental health and wellbeing, client relations, organization, evaluation and assessment methods, practitioner, sociology, industry analysis, factor and component analysis, management, personnel development |
| Topics: | Health and Safety, Business Strategy, Project Management, Research Practice, Roles and Professions, Stakeholder Management, Urban Studies, Human Resources, Site Management |
| Descriptive scope: | 4 PCTA |
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