Design
T
he construction in-
dustry presents set and
specific challenges on
the human resources
side, which, if unrecognised can
hinder significantly achievement
of results in the area. Siegal (2015)
argues that while there is common-
ality in human resources practices
with other industries, there are also
a large amount of idiosyncrasies
which warrant consideration. In
this article, a number of these spe-
cific challenges will be discussed,
and where possible, an attempt
will be made to identify potential
means for addressing the issues.
This list is not comprehensive but
it will offer food for thought on
select areas.
A stable kernel of staff members enhances loyalty.
The Project Nature of Construction
Construction is inherently a pro-
ject based activity which calls for
the deployment of a skilled and
qualified workforce on a general-
ly short notice for the duration of
an activity. The scaling and size of
the operation will fluctuate based
on size and complexity (El Tayer,
2015). Whilst project based work
is not exclusive to construction
(for example, some software de-
velopment companies operate in
a similar manner), however the
challenges resulting from this are
accentuated by limitations in avail-
able resources, seasonality of cer-
tain work, expertise required and
health and safety elements.
Linked to the project nature of
construction is the fact that once
projects are undertaken, tight dead-
lines are generally set, which lead to
DESIGN&BUILD
the need for employees to work long
hours and at potentially high levels
of stress.
Within all this, implementing
an overarching human resources
strategy becomes challenging. On-
boarding, employee development,
and performance management
may possibly end up taking a back
seat as focus tends to be placed on
the timely completion of projects,
rather than on the long-term
management of the employees
themselves. In addition, the varied
nature of the projects themselves
might call for the utilisation of
different personnel, which may
lead to issues relating to employer
loyalty. While there is no quick fix
to address the situation, having
a stable kernel of staff members,
particularly at supervisory and
challenges...are
accentuated
by limitations
in available
resources, sea-
sonality of cer-
tain work, ex-
pertise required
and health and
safety elements
Q 2 , 2017
27