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But managers can play a critical role in helping a worker
achieve a good work-life balance. Managers serve as “gate
keepers” for employees, providing them with information
about, and access to, a company’s formal work-life benefits.
Plus, they’re often the first people workers go to when they
have issues due to their knowledge of the company’s work-life
policies. Managers need to let staff know they’re able
and available to provide help if one encounters work-life
balance issues.
Let construction workers know they’re supported
Managers also need to let employees know the company
supports a work-life balance environment. Also, by using
initiatives designed to teach construction workers how
to balance work-life issues, managers can help alleviate
much of the stress people feel on the job while increas-ing
their productivity. Some steps managers and com-panies
can take to create a supportive work-life balance
environment include:
•• Maintaining structural consistency by creating a stable
work environment
•• Offering meaningful and beneficial community
engagement opportunities
•• Allowing schedule flexibility for employees that need it
•• Engaging in team building exercises to foster a sense
of solidarity
•• Encouraging construction workers to take much-needed
vacations
•• Creating short breaks throughout the day to stave
off burnout
•• Allowing for unpaid time off for life events
•• Making sure managers are good models for a
work-life balance
•• Creating an approving work-life balance culture
•• Allowing for sufficient safety training
•• Reminding employees of their habits and tendencies
Managers and companies also need to ask for guidance
from employees. Who better to query about their needs than
the workers themselves? Holding regular meetings, either
one-on-one, or in a group, to discuss the needs of employees
is a great method of understanding employees’ needs.
Work-life balance is a growing management issue. Any
company that wants to survive in the future will need to
create a supportive work-life balance environment – espe-cially
if the company is in the construction industry. The
long-term benefits for organizations that support work-life
balance greatly outweigh any policy changes or temporary
inconveniences they may experience. These benefits can help
construction companies beat what may be considered the
top challenge in the industry today – recruiting and retaining
experienced, highly skilled construction workers. n
Jenny Snook is a content executive at GoContractor with the job
of researching the latest health and safety trends in the heavy
construction industry. This article was originally published on
GoContractor.com and is printed here with permission.
B U S I N E S S
ALBERTA HEAVY Quarter 1 2020 37
/Asphalt
/GoContractor.com
/Asphalt
/GoContractor.com
