Occupational stress management for UK construction professionals

Abstract

Purpose The increasing awareness of stress as an issue in the construction industry, and the increased realisation of the more effective approach of preventing stress as opposed to treating mental health, has placed a great responsibility on industries that rely heavily on the performance of their workforce. In line with this, this paper aims to investigate the causes of stress and the best strategies for improving professional resilience and stress management proficiency in the construction industry. Design/methodology/approach Using exploratory sequential mixed method research design, the top factors that cause stress, mitigate stress and build resilience are identified and discussed. Findings The findings show thematic similarities in the causes of stress, by displaying a reoccurring theme relating to the quality and lack of information, as well as poor communication among the construction professionals. This implies that poor collaboration and “over-the-wall syndrome” of the construction industry does not only contribute to defective output and reworks, it also has significant impacts on the health and well-being of the professionals. Recommendations are made on how to mitigate stress in the industry, by addressing its root-causes and implementing the identified mitigation strategies. This includes a realistic approach to budgeting and project duration, as well as improved communication and collaboration. Originality/value Finding of this study could help in mitigating stress and mental health concerns that are currently plaguing the construction industry.

Digitally-Enabled Design Management

“…Despite best intentions towards collaborative processes, research suggests fragmented working practices can persist. Poor communication, leading to poor quality information and poor information flow, does not only impact on the success or failure of projects, but also causes significant workplace stress (Ajayi et al, 2019). Significant costs and losses in productivity and talent are associated with conflict (Malik & Lenka, 2019) and stress in the workplace (Stevenson & Farmer, 2017cited in Ajayi et al, 2019, with construction having particularly poor reputation (Farmer, 2016;Monitor Deliotte, 2017cited in Ajayi et al, 2019.…”

“…In line with the frustration-aggression model, work related stress can be displaced into other areas of functioning (Hackney & Perrewé, 2018). In the case of poor information flow, problems can be mitigated with realistic project planning, resource allocation and risk management, and improved team communication (Ajayi et al, 2019). Moreover, as moods such as anger can predict destructive behaviour (Hackney & Perrewé, 2018), the effective DM can influence these 'moods' to create an environment more inducive to learning and creativity (Long and Arroyo, 2018 cited in Tvedt et al, 2019).…”

“…It is important to facilitate and foster a high trust and well-resourced working environment (Ajayi et al, 2019;Malik & Lenka, 2019) for high-trust and productive workplaces (Hackney & Perrewé, 2018). Future research directions lie in investigating the causes of conflict in project team relationships, and how DMs can intervene and facilitate productive working relationships, creating value in the learning and design process (Tvedt et al, 2019).…”

“…The DM should use early engagement to develop collaborative and trusting relationships among participants in the project team (Piroozfar et al, 2019). BIM can be used as a communication tool (Ajayi et al, 2019) to integrate information and manage information flow (Tvedt et al, 2019) according to the ISO 19650 standard.…”

“…Alongside BIM implementation (Piroozfar et al, 2019), DMs should use strong social skills, pay attention to sources of conflict (Tvedt et al, 2019) and use good prevention and intervention measures Digitally-Enabled Design Management according to Malik & Lenka (2019) to ensure that stress does not become embedded in the project team (see Ajayi et al, 2019 andSamnani &Singh, 2016). Successful collaborative working will establish a good learning, decision and design process (Tvedt et al, 2019) to ensure information flow (Uusitalo et al, 2019) and the 'pull' of value.…”