INTRODUCTION
Work-life balance is an important aspect of employee well-being and job satisfaction, regardless of the industry or location. The industry is known for its demanding and at times dangerous work environment. Large scale or international projects often require workers to stay away from home for long periods of time, which can have an impact on mental health and overall job satisfaction.
THE CHALLENGE
Our Client is a multi-services company that operates in the construction of commercial and residential buildings, sport and leisure facilities, infrastructure, environment and marine-related projects with a workforce of 15,000 worldwide. They have built some of the most famous and largest projects in the world.
The company highly respects its employees and its bi-annual engagement survey clearly indicated good scores on engagement and satisfaction of employees resulting in a good score on the attractiveness as an employer. However, pain points were surfaced with regards to the well-being of the employees including workload and the subsequent mental strain on workers.
With the aim of enhancing employee well-being, the management team took the feedback to heart and launched an initiative to improve work-life balance. To this end, they collaborated with Renoir to identify and implement effective solutions.
PROJECT APPROACH & OPPORTUNITY ANALYSIS
The project had two important phases: the design phase and the implementation phase. The design phase defined the improved working regimes that are in line with the business reality of the company:
- The construction industry is a highly competitive market in this location where clients expect 6 working days during the week in order to deliver projects in time.
- Active supervision and presence of the management is required to assure safe, quality and productive execution of the work.
- In order to remain competitive, the cost of new working regimes should be absorbed in the overall personnel cost.
In-depth market analysis and interviews with stakeholders provided insights into potential scenarios to improve the work-life balance. Subsequently, two types of working regimes were defined (site execution versus non-site execution) together with instruments to balance out the difference in working regime for the employees. A robust financial model enabled management to decide on the final working regimes, balancing both the realities of the construction industry and the desired work-life balance for the employees.
“ Renoir helped greatly in finding a realistic balance in the new working regimes and was instrumental in detailing the way forward for implementation. ”
Director
IMPLEMENTATION
The implementation phase consisted out of 3 important milestones. The first one was the validation of the proposed solution. A final sense check of the proposed solution was undertaken by the active use of a sounding board of key people and influencers in the company in combination with a survey to a wide range of staff. The formal validation of the new working regimes was done by the Executive Committee and aimed to prepare for all possible discussions and challenges during the implementation.
In parallel, we commenced preparation of all policies and procedures to ensure they were ready for implementation. Also, the necessary changes for the IT system were made to accommodate changes with regards to remuneration and payment cycles. Finally, a critical success factor for the work-life balance project was the preparation and execution of a multi-country, multi-project communication plan to ensure all staff were informed appropriately and questions answered.
“ The Management team can be proud to have implemented the new balanced working regimes… they truly impact the work-life balance of our staff. ”
Chairman
KEY RESULTS
Improved work life balance for all 2650 staff members
Zero cost impact of the new working regimes on the P&L
Reduced the amount of working days for all staff
5-day working week for non-site execution staff
Balanced working regimes with extra benefits for Site execution staff
CONCLUSION
In conclusion, by collaborating with Renoir, our client was able to identify and implement effective solutions to improve work-life balance for its employees. The two-phase approach, which included in-depth market analysis and stakeholder interviews, enabled the design of new working regimes that balanced the realities of the construction industry with the desired work-life balance for employees.
The implementation of these regimes was seamless and resulted in improved well-being and job satisfaction for all 2650 staff members, without any negative impact on safety or productivity. The project was a success and showcased the client’s commitment to employee well-being and solidified its status as an attractive employer.
