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Growing pains: work-life impacts in small-to-medium sized construction firms

Auteur(s):


Médium: article de revue
Langue(s): anglais
Publié dans: Engineering, Construction and Architectural Management, , n. 3, v. 22
Page(s): 312-326
DOI: 10.1108/ecam-07-2014-0100
Abstrait:

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to compare the quality of work-life experiences of workers in construction firms of differing sizes and explored the work conditions and circumstances that impact upon the work-life experiences of workers in small-to-medium sized enterprises (SMEs) in the Australian construction industry.

Design/methodology/approach

Data were collected in two stages. First, data from a sub-set of construction industry workers were extracted from a large scale survey of workers in Victoria, Australia (the VicWAL survey). The survey measured work-life interference using the Australian Work and Life Index (AWALI). Next a subset of survey respondents was identified and interviewed to gain more detailed explanatory information and insight into work-life experiences.

Findings

The survey results indicated that respondents who reported working for a construction firm with between 16 and 99 employees reported significantly higher AWALI scores (indicating high work-life interference) than workers in organisations employing 15 or less or more than 100 workers. The follow-up interviews revealed that workers in small construction organisations were managed directly and personally by the business owner/manager and able to access informal work-life supports that were provided on an “as needs” basis. In comparison workers in medium-sized firms perceived higher levels of work pressure and an expectation that work would be prioritised over family life.

Research limitations/implications

The research shows that the findings of work-life balance research undertaken in large construction organisations cannot be generalised to SMEs. Organisation size should also be treated as an important variable in work-life balance research in construction.

Practical implications

The research suggests that a better understanding of how workers in SME construction firms experience work-life balance is important in the design and development of work-life balance programs. In particular the challenges faced by workers as companies grow from SMEs require careful consideration and management.

Originality/value

Previous research has focused on the work-life balance experiences of employees in large construction firms. Little was previously known about the experiences of workers in SME construction firms. The research provides new insight into the work-life experiences of construction workers in organisations of varying sizes.

Structurae ne peut pas vous offrir cette publication en texte intégral pour l'instant. Le texte intégral est accessible chez l'éditeur. DOI: 10.1108/ecam-07-2014-0100.
  • Informations
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  • Reference-ID
    10576468
  • Publié(e) le:
    26.02.2021
  • Modifié(e) le:
    26.02.2021
 
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