What Does Work/Life Balance Mean in Construction?

There is a growing trend among companies today to make work/life balance part of their culture. Work/life balance simply means an employee can easily balance work demands with demands in their personal life. In a perfect work/life balance world, weeknight soccer games aren’t disrupted by work calls and employees are focused on their tasks when they’re on the clock. But we don’t live in a perfect world. Work/life balance tends to become more of a juggling act, made even more difficult when your “office” changes by the project and your “desk” is a work vehicle.  

What Does Work/Life Balance Mean in Construction?

Construction workers need work/life balance just like office workers. Employees that can’t balance their work and home lives are more susceptible to burnout, which can impact productivity and even safety. With current worker shortages, construction companies need to figure out how to relieve workplace stress by providing a better work/life balance. 

Offer as Much Predictability as Possible  

Construction work doesn’t always happen between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m., but managers can get an idea of what it will take to complete a project. If a project will require early days, late nights or weekends, let workers know ahead of time. Crews will appreciate knowing if their work schedule will affect their personal lives. A good scheduling app can help both managers and workers plan their days. Webofconcrete’s time clock app includes a scheduling feature that keeps everyone on the same page. Drop down features allow managers to add or remove workers from shifts. Recurring or repeating shifts can easily be created as well as adding multiple workers to one shift or a series and workers can view their schedule anytime. Workers can receive SMS texts, emails or both, about an upcoming shift up to an hour beforehand. Managers can also receive alerts in the case of a late worker, a clock-in at the wrong location or a no-show. 

Provide Tools that Improve Efficiency 

It’s difficult to be productive when your tools, or lack thereof, consistently slow you down. The saying “Work Smarter, Not Harder” definitely applies to construction. Efficiency can be improved on the jobsite when managers and workers don’t work more than necessary. When projects finish on time, everyone is happier. Tools including project management apps, like Arcoro partner Procore, let managers make notes or complete paperwork from the field—or from the stands at that Little League game–making after-hours paperwork obsolete. Crews and managers alike have real-time access to documents, project details and schedules to make sure all employees are on the same page. It provides mobile access to Procore’s collaborative, cloud-based construction management platform including drawings, daily logs, punch lists, RFIs, photos, specifications, submittals, timecards, BIM, observations, time and materials tickets and schedules. Procore also integrates with Webofconcrete’s time tracking software.  

Focus on Safety 

When workers stay safe and healthy, they feel free to live the rest of their lives. Workplace safety is a top priority for all construction companies. More than 5,000 workers died on the job in 2019, according to the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA). Ensuring a safe and healthy work environment in construction begins and ends with training. Construction is such a high-risk industry that OSHA has designated four areas that all construction companies should focus on:   

  • Falls 
  • Being struck by an object 
  • Electrocutions 
  • Caught or crushed by equipment or machinery