Building the Future Commission: introducing the workplace, culture and leadership stream

Over the summer, the Construction Skills Network said an additional 266,000 workers would be needed to meet the level of anticipated output by 2026.

While a recession is coming, many in the industry are struggling to square this news with the fact that so many vacancies need filling.

Stanhope construction director Tony Wall told Building in the autumn: “There is a lot of work out there, which makes it a very different issue to previous recessions. If all that [work] happens, we will have problems with labour and professional shortages.”

The answer seems obvious: bring in more people, then.

But that, according to a comprehensive survey from WSP, will be harder than ever. The industry ranked only behind mining in being the least attractive among 16 to 23 year olds.

The industry is not immune to this and knows it must work harder and convince more and more outside it that it is a good one to join. The Building the Future Commission will look at fresh thinking and assess new solutions to make this easirer for construction firms.

One of the more telling comments on the topic in recent months was from Wall’s colleague Laura Collins. A project director, she admits she fell into the industry by chance but is working hard to promote it – especially to girls.

After she wrapped up a speech at an online careers event for a troop of 50 girl guides, she said: “The first question I got was: do I get bullied by men?”

The workplace, culture and leadership stream of the commission will cover topics such as diversity and inclusion in the workforce, environmental, social and governance issues, and post covid working patterns and rethinking office space.

Issues that would never have been on firms’ radars even just a few years ago are becoming more commonplace.

Earlier this year, Kier became one of the first employers in England to offer apprenticeship opportunities to prisoners, following a law change.

With the chronic skills shortage in the industry, construction will have to think creatively at how it can attract talent from different groups in society, in addition to its work with schools and colleges, and the commission will harness creative ideas in this area.

Galliford Try has launched its first ever menopause policy in support of providing a more inclusive working environment. It said the policy “recognises the taboo surrounding menopause, which can prevent individuals from accessing the support they need and encourages open conversation through education for all”.

It is obvious that diversity and inclusion are crucial to industry progression. While there is comfort in the familiar, the industry is starting to cast its net wider, but what ideas are there to improve diversity and inclusion in construction further?

”With the chronic skills shortage in the industry, construction will have to think creatively at how it can attract talent from different groups in society”

Meanwhile, in the post-covid battle for talent, occupiers are demanding super-green spaces in which to work with a clear sense of place. Firms are beginning to realise that to coax employees back to the office, the office itself has to change. For example, cycle stores and showers are mandatory nowadays.

Office occupancy seems to have shifted from single desk use to more collaborative working, with increased demand for amenity and breakout space. And less densely populated offices will reduce the requirements for mechanical, electrical and plumbing systems, thereby reducing embodied and operational carbon.

But post-covid working arrangements are still very much in their infancy and new ways of working, along with the use of technology, will be explored as part of the commission.