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Safety and Satisfaction Key Factors for Retaining Workers in the Construction Industry

Oct 4, 2022

With construction on the rise, finding ways to keep workers safe, secure and satisfied while minimizing costs is crucial to success

Earlier this summer, the U.S. government announced a massive $1 trillion infrastructure bill aimed at refurbishing America’s transportation network.

While the bill obviously details spending in the United States, there are several Canadian implications as well. Buried in the massive proposal are provisions that could mean new roads and railways for Canadians.

With such massive spending on tap, the bill is expected to add roughly two million jobs every year for the next decade to the U.S. economy. As a direct result of the bill, construction spending is expected to increase 5% in 2022 and 5.5% in 2023.

At a time when the U.S. construction industry is experiencing a shortage of 430,000 workers, the increase in activity means recruiting and retaining staff has become more crucial than ever.

Along with the current worker shortage being experienced in the construction industry, the coming years are expected to provide another obstacle. According to Forbes Magazine, over 40% of the current U.S. construction workforce is expected to retire over the next decade.

With such an exodus taking place in the United States and similar issues expected to arise in Canada, recruiting the next generation of talent will be key.

Keys to recruiting and retaining staff

One key factor in retaining staff is providing working conditions that provide for workers’ well-being. A recent study showed that well-being benefits were among the key considerations for those applying for new positions.

Although these conditions differ for workforce travel crews from those working in a traditional office environment, the importance of ensuring your workers are safe, secure, and comfortable remains paramount.

More than just providing crews a place to sleep, factors such as commute times, site amenities and even parking accessibility can help boost worker satisfaction.

Though long hours are often considered the norm in the construction industry, there are ways to reduce those hours, while also controlling costs. This can be done by analyzing efficiencies and processes to see where time can be saved while still abiding by safety and aesthetic standards.

One example is ensuring workforce crews are housed near the worksite. With so many projects set to break ground under the U.S. infrastructure bill, there are bound to be times when crews are venturing off the beaten path.

Securing nearby accommodations can save workers hours of travel time they would otherwise spend on commuting. This helps provide a better work-life balance and decreases risk for workers – key considerations when trying to attract the next wave of employees.

Along with location, another important factor to consider is the quality of your crew’s lodgings. For a team putting in long hours on a busy job site, something as simple as adequate parking or 24-hour meal service can make a big difference.

In addition to providing crews with suitable conditions when everything is running smoothly, it’s especially important to be prepared when complications arise.

A Duty of Care program helps manage risk, while travelling during an emergency, or when travel plans change unexpectedly.

When a massive storm ravaged Texas in 2021, travel plans across the state were thrown into disarray. Leaving highways impassable and many without power and water, Citadel Drilling was one those companies forced to make changes, quite literally, on the fly.

“It’s helped so much with flight cancellations, delays, changes and the communication is much better. That's usually the biggest problem that we face," says Alex Meaver, Human Resources Administrator for Citadel Drilling.

"We can let our team know if they have to hurry and even send gate numbers to warn them beforehand so they’re not in the dark. They get off the plane, they know exactly where they have to go. They know if they're still going to make it.”

However, thanks to having a Duty of Care program in place, their employees were kept safe and avoided undue stress.

“We were alerted with cancellations a day before the designated travel date which saved us time and money. We were aware flights were cancelled so we were able to hold off on Covid testing saving us the cost of having to rebook and sending numerous employees to the airport only to be turned back around,” said Alex Meaver, Human Resources Administrator for Citadel Drilling.

Headquartered in Calgary, with operations centres in Odessa, Texas and Leduc, Alberta, Citadel Drilling regularly rotates up to 35 rig technicians between Canada and the U.S. With so many staff travelling back and forth, the ability to relay any unforeseen changes to staff on-the-fly was a key aspect of Duty of Care.

Looking into what’s next for the construction industry, reports suggest the construction sector will continue to be the largest contributor to the U.S. economy in 2023, growing by nearly 9% in 2022 and continuing to expand well past 2025.

Such a massive investment in road construction, transit and rail expansion, rebuilding outdated bridges and tunnels, spending on new areas in the energy will require the mobilization of thousands of workers across North America.

Along with labour shortages, the increasing difficulties presented by rising costs and material shortages mean it’s increasingly vital for companies to focus on their finances while searching for efficiencies.

Currently, managing budgets, overseeing projects, and being responsible for policy compliance are just a few of the difficulties companies face when looking to control their bottom line.

For construction companies tasked with sending crews out to countless projects proposed under the U.S. infrastructure bill, finding ways to simplify the required travel and accommodation will be crucial.

For those looking for an end-to-end solution to workforce travel, LodgeLink provides online crew accommodation booking and management, access to a large network of hotels and lodges, and air and ground transportation services for customers that require more comprehensive crew travel management services.

To assist with reducing costs, we remove many of the manual processes and replace time consuming activities with online technology that helps you find and book accommodations, provides simplified payment methods, powerful reporting, visibility, and cost control.

By combining up-front savings and back-office efficiencies with group discounts on air and ground transportation, companies can reduce their costs by as much as 30% by partnering with LodgeLink.

And at a time when retaining and recruiting crews is more important than ever, LodgeLink’s Duty of Care Program helps keep your team happy, safe and secure. By advising travellers during a travel change, potential safety risk, or in the event of an emergency, you are prepared to manage risk and provide safety and security in the event of a travel disruption.