Culture in construction
The construction industry in NSW is one of our largest employers and it is critical to the ongoing development and delivery of Transport infrastructure that improves the way we live, work and travel around the State.
Transport is committed to working with industry to address long standing cultural issues such as:
Long working hours: Hours of work can be excessive, resulting in high rates of turnover, absenteeism, and stress-related leave.
Lack of diversity: Low levels of gender diversity. Only 12% of workers across all jobs in the sector are female, meaning we are forgoing the talents of a large proportion of available workers.
Wellbeing: Research shows stress levels and suicide rates amongst construction workers are double the national average.
In 2023, Transport's Mulgoa Road Stage 1 project become one of the first projects in Australia to pilot the Construction Industry Culture Taskforce (CICT)'s draft Culture Standard.
Piloting the Culture Standard
The pilot on Mulgoa Road Stage 1
In 2023, the Mulgoa Road Stage 1 project became one of the first infrastructure projects in the country to run a pilot of the CICT's new Culture Standard.
Transport for NSW, in partnership with Seymour Whyte and Turnbull Engineering will deliver Mulgoa Road Stage 1 with all partners committed to implementing the Culture Standard.
The pilot is testing if projects can achieve measurable improvements in workforce culture through flexible and capped working hours, and by encouraging initiatives to improve workers' wellbeing and increase female participation.
The Culture Standard sets out the framework for Transport to work with Seymour Whyte and Turnbull Engineering to develop targeted initiatives that improve the working culture on site. The project team also meet with the CICT each month to discuss each initiative and their impact, as well as identify possible challenges and opportunities.
So far, the Mulgoa Road Stage 1 project team have implemented a number of initiatives including:
A MyTime Calendar for staff to black out hours for personal use
Training mental health first aiders to support staff with their mental health and wellbeing
Regular surveys and discussions to track staff wellbeing
To understand the impact of the Culture Standard on productivity, the CICT is working with Frontier Economics to rigorously track project delivery. While Mulgoa Road is still some time to go before completion, early signs indicate that the Culture Standard has been a net positive for the project productivity.
Research and preliminary findings
Research has been conducted by a team of Australia’s leading workplace academics led by RMIT’s Professor Helen Lingard and including input from University of Melbourne, Australian National University and University of Tasmania, together with Frontier Economics. Two rounds of interviews were conducted with project staff with promising findings showing high levels of satisfaction, particularly around working hours and supervisory support for flexibility.
Broadly, the research is showing us:
A 5-day week is the preferred work pattern among salaried and waged workers
Mental wellbeing is linked to work-life balance, fairness, respect, engagement and banter that sometimes goes too far
Most workers are working between 46 and 55 hours per week
Salaried workers more likely to work >55 hours than waged workers
Transport for NSW is a member of the Construction Leadership Group and is proudly supporting Infrastructure NSW with their campaign to increase women's participation in construction. To find out more about this program and how you can get involved head to the NSW Government's Women in Construction website.
About the Culture Standard
A framework to improve construction culture
The Culture Standard provides a framework for clients and contractors to work together to improve the conditions for workers and increase productivity in the construction industry. It proposes a set of standards be incorporated into procurement processes to improve worker time for life, wellbeing, and diversity and inclusion.
Following the public consultation in late 2021, the Culture Standard is now being piloted in NSW and Victoria on a range of projects and contract types. It is anticipated that the evidence base supporting broader adoption of the standard will be finalised by the end of 2024. Subject to the findings, governments Australia-wide will be called upon to adopt the standard through procurement processes in each jurisdiction.
About the Construction Industry Culture Taskforce
The Construction Industry Culture Taskforce (CICT) is a collaborative initiative between the Australian Constructors Association, representing the nation’s largest construction firms, the Governments of New South Wales and Victoria and Australia’s leading workplace researchers.
Since August 2018, the CICT has been working to develop a new Culture Standard which will lift the productivity and performance of construction and address the major issues holding back the construction industry – excessive work hours and fatigue, poor mental health, and failure to attract a diverse workforce.
The CICT works alongside the Construction Industry Leadership Forum (CILF), a joint forum of leaders from industry and the Victorian and NSW public sectors. CILF aims to drive improved collaboration and action around procurement and delivery of major government infrastructure projects, including addressing capability and capacity constraints.
To find out more, visit the Construction Industry Culture Taskforce website.