The Role of HR in Construction

In this blog we’ll look at the role HR plays in construction companies and how HR software for construction can improve your operational efficiencies.  

Workforce Management 

Construction companies require a diverse workforce with a variety of skills. HR is responsible for recruiting and hiring the right people with the correct qualifications needed to do the job safely, onboarding them properly into the organisation, and providing training and development opportunities.  

However, HR are also responsible for collaborating with project managers to ensure that work schedules and shift rotations provide sufficient coverage of projects. This also allows for HR to plan for the future and identify any skills gaps which may prevent projects from being completed on time.  

Compliance and Regulations  

The construction industry is highly regulated with numerous laws in place to protect workers and to ensure the buildings they are working on are safe. This helps with avoiding major incidents.  

HR plays an important role in ensuring construction companies remain compliant through documentation. This can involve things like contract compliance, permitting and licensing, and risk management. Making sure you have the right HR processes in place is vital to keeping your organisation compliant and minimising legal issues, fines and project delays. 

Safety and Training 

HR is crucial in developing and implementing safety policies and procedures. Safety is paramount to construction companies, and HR can help by creating training programs, educating employees on safe workplace practices and showing the potential hazards that exist. It is also vital for HR to ensure managers know about incident management should the worst occur. 

HR will also be responsible for developing policies (and communicating these policies) to keep the workforce safe and compliant with regulatory standards. These could include policies such as personal protective equipment (PPE), operation of machinery or fall prevention.  

Labour Relations 

Construction companies often work with many organisations and HR will need to coordinate lots of different aspects of each project. This can include figuring out labour needs and dividing up responsibilities for certain tasks. 

Labour market analysis, contract compliance, union relationships, and communications and negotiations are a few ways in which the HR function will play a pivotal role to ensure all projects run smoothly and keep to deadlines. 

Employee Relations 

In a high-stress and physically demanding environment like construction, it is crucial for HR to have effective communication with employees to create a positive and productive environment. Because of this, it is important for HR to implement health and wellbeing programs to support workers. This can be done in numerous ways which could include fitness programs, access to counselling services and wellness workshops. 

However, HR is also there to help with performance management and employee engagement to ensure your employees are happy. A happy workforce is a productive one, and it’s the role of HR in construction to ensure employees are getting what they need to allow them to be successful in their roles. 

Lastly, HR can help with grievance handling giving employees a safe space to raise concerns professionally and confidently. HR should investigate all grievances ensuring that they are listening to all parties involved and coming to a satisfactory resolution. 

HR software for construction is important to handle the complexities that construction companies face. By implementing construction HR software, you can streamline efficiencies by ensuring you remain compliant, keeping your workforce aligned, trained and up to date with safety procedures. 

Interested in how we can support your HR team to provide the best possible service to your employees? Check out our guide to how we support construction businesses just like yours.