Survey of social factors of construction workers' absence behavior
Date
2013
Authors
Ahn, S.
Gellatly, I.R.
Lee, S.H.
Fayek, A.R.
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Journal Title
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Conference paper
Citation
Proceedings, Annual Conference: Canadian Society for Civil Engineering, 2013, vol.2, pp.1221-1227
Statement of Responsibility
Conference Name
Annual Conference of the Canadian Society for Civil Engineering 2013: Know-How - Savoir-Faire, CSCE 2013 (29 May 2013 : Montreal, Canada)
Abstract
Absenteeism, defined as not showing up for a schedule, is particularly problematic within the construction industry where intact crews are needed to complete assigned work. Not only does workers' absenteeism adversely affect the reliability of manpower supply in projects, but it can increase safety risks, and potentially damage the schedule and the cost of the entire project. Although numerous studies have been conducted to identify the various causes of individual absence, it isn't exactly clear whether decisions to be absent from work are motivated by personal factors or by forces within the social-job context in which these decisions are made. In this study we examined the behavior of individual within tunneling crews. Specifically, we examined whether perceptions of several team characteristics (cohesion, communication/cooperation, and support) accounted for variance in attendance behavior. We also looked at performance in terms of overall effectiveness. The data came from 70 labourers who worked in 10 tunneling crews, as well as the tunneling project manager. Crew members provided ratings on the three team characteristics, and the project manager provided data on each crew members' attendance level over the previous year, and on their overall effectiveness. Our findings revealed that team process variables explained 16% and 19% of the variance in attendance and overall effectiveness ratings, respectively. Our findings highlighted the importance of strengthening the degree of cohesion and communication within tunneling crews, as well as fortifying team support. Implications for attendance control are discussed.
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Copyright 2013 Canadian Society for Civil Engineering