Construction is one of the most challenging industrial environments for effective people management. It is characterised by geographically dispersed projects, production-oriented management styles, long working hours, high levels of staff turnover and employment practices grounded in the traditional ‘personnel’ paradigm. The employee resourcing function – recruitment, selection and deployment – is largely reactive and intuitive, and fails to draw on the longer-term benefits of strategic human resource management (SHRM). This book explores the challenges inherent in employee resourcing in-depth. It provides insights into the strategic considerations and operational approaches adopted by large construction organisations in deploying their human resources. It presents an improved framework for informed SHRM-style decision-making derived from an extensive study conducted within eight major construction organisations. This book provides a valuable resource for both students and practitioners interested in evaluating and improving current organisational practice.

The need for a skilled, motivated and effective workforce is fundamental to the creation of the built environment across the world. Known in so many places for a tendency to informal and casual working practices, for the sometimes abusive use of migrant labor, for gendered male employment and for a neglect of the essentials of health and safety, the industry, its managers and its workforce face multiple challenges. This book brings an international lens to address those challenges, looking particularly at the diverse ways in which answers have been found to manage safe and productive employment practices and effective employment relations within the framework of client demands for timely and cost-effective project completions. Whilst context, history and contractual frameworks may all militate against a careful attention to human resource issues this makes them even more deserving of attention. Work and Labor Relations in Construction aims to share understanding of best practice in the industries associated with construction and related activities, recognizing that effective work organization and good standards of employee relations will vary from one location to another. It acknowledges the real difficulties encountered by workers in parts of the developing world and the quest for improvement and awareness of some of the worst hazards and current practices. This book is both critical and analytical in approach and seeks to alert readers to the need for change. Aimed at addressing practical issues within the construction industry from a theoretical and empirical standpoint, it will be of value to those interested in the built environment, employment relations and human resource management.

Although construction is one of the most labour-intensive industries, people management issues are given inadequate attention. Furthermore, the focus of attention with regards to HR has been on the strategic aspects of HRM function - yet most problems and operational issues arise on projects. To help redress these problems, this book takes a broad view of HRM, examining the strategic and operational aspects of managing people within the construction sector. The book is aimed at project managers and students of project management who, until now, have been handed the responsibility for human resource management without adequate knowledge or training. The issues addressed in this book are internationally relevant, and are of fundamental concern to both students and practitioners involved in the management of construction projects. The text draws on the authors' experience of working with a range of large construction companies in improving their HRM operational activities at both strategic and operational levels, and is well illustrated with case studies of projects and organizations.

This new book looks at employee resourcing in-depth, both analytically and in order to provide a practical insight into the strategic considerations and operational approaches which modern large contractors take in deploying their human resources. It is a valuable resource for both students and managers.

The construction sector is one of the most complex and problematic arenas within which to manage people. As a result, the applicability of much mainstream human resource management (HRM) theory to this industry is limited. Indeed, the operational realities faced by construction organizations mean that all too often the needs of employees are subjugated by performance concerns. This has potentially dire consequences for those who work in the industry, for the firms that employ them and ultimately, for the prosperity and productivity of the industry as a whole. In this new edition of their leading text, Andrew Dainty and Martin Loosemore have assembled a collection of perspectives which critically examine key aspects of the HRM function in the context of contemporary construction organizations. Rather than simply update the previous edition, the aim of this second edition is to provide a more critical commentary on the ways in which the industry addresses the HRM function and how this affects those who work within the industry. To this end, the editors have gathered contributions from many of the leading thinkers within construction HRM to critique the perspectives presented in the first edition. Each contributor either tackles specific aspects of the HRM function, or provides a critical commentary on industry practice. The authors explain, using real-life case studies, the ways in which construction firms respond to the myriad pressures that they face through their HRM practices. Together the contributions encourage the reader to rethink the HRM function and its role in defining the employment relationship. This provides essential reading for students of construction and project management, and reflective practitioners who are interested in theoretically informed insights into industry practice and its implications.

While the concept of social value is not new, recent interest in social value in construction has grown because of new social procurement legislation around the world and an increasing acceptance of the need to ensure construction projects provide social value, rather than simply economic value. Despite this growing recognition, literature and professional guidance on the subject is hard to find. This is the first book looking at social value in construction and it sets the agenda by asking and answering important questions like: How is the construction industry developing and supporting social enterprise and social value and for who? How and when is the industry recording and measuring social value and its effect? Which organisations are doing things well and what can we learn from their experiences? What can industry players do together to consolidate efforts and drive improvements? What are the key challenges in the field and what does the future look like? Drawing on a variety of professional and academic experiences and disciplines, the authors present global perspectives and lay the foundations for creating social value in the construction industry. This timely book makes use of real-life case studies and examples of best practice to demonstrate how innovative companies can utilise contemporary research to create social value through their projects. It is time the construction industry viewed community involvement and corporate social responsibility as an opportunity rather than a risk, and this is the book that shows the industry how. This is essential reading for all professionals in the construction, engineering, architecture and built environment sector. In particular, project managers, clients, contract managers, quantity surveyors, CSR and HR personnel will gain a lot from reading this book.

The Construction Chart Book presents the most complete data available on all facets of the U.S. construction industry: economic, demographic, employment/income, education/training, and safety and health issues. The book presents this information in a series of 50 topics, each with a description of the subject matter and corresponding charts and graphs. The contents of The Construction Chart Book are relevant to owners, contractors, unions, workers, and other organizations affiliated with the construction industry, such as health providers and workers compensation insurance companies, as well as researchers, economists, trainers, safety and health professionals, and industry observers.

Construction Company Management will give readers a detailed understanding of the critical aspects of managing a successful construction company in a dynamic and complex construction business environment characterised by intense competition, supply chain disruptions, and rapid changes in technology, regulations, client preferences, and market conditions. The book will introduce readers to different dimensions of construction company management. The topics covered reflect current business practices in the construction industry, including company strategy and business models, stakeholder management, contract management, resource management, risk management, knowledge management, company finance, digital innovation, organisational resilience, and the regulatory environment. The book also includes much-needed discussions on ethics, integrity and professional standards, and diversity, equity, and inclusion in construction companies. It explores the opportunities and challenges relevant to construction company management in global contexts with the help of case studies from different regions of the world. Providing a concise book on this essential subject, Construction Company Management serves both students and those educators who teach it in their built environment courses. Practitioners will find the theory-informed company management practices discussed in the book valuable and useful in their practical contexts.