Konstructly

Building a strong foundation for your small construction business sets the tone for everything your company does. The foundation will determine how well it performs for your clients, for you and your employees.

A report published this year by the Statista Research Department found that the majority of construction firms in the UK in the third quarter of 2019 were ‘very small’ or ‘small’. There were around 117,000 construction firms with one employee. On the other hand, there were 54 companies with 1,200 or more employees.

World War II encouraged women to enter the construction industry. During WWII, thousands of women worked construction jobs; between 1940 and 1945, the female labour force grew by 50 percent. After the war ended, up to 85 percent of women wanted to keep their jobs, effectively paving the way for women in the labour force.

The global construction industry is set to see growth of 4.3% pa until 2025, concentrated primarily in emerging economies. Through adopting a more strategic approach to global trade, and focusing support on UK comparative strengths, there is scope for the UK to considerably expand its share of global export markets.

To Truly Engage Employees, Dig Deeper. Performance metrics and financials are important - but they won't get employees excited to work for you. Try helping them to understand the meaning behind their work.

If you ever wondered to what extent diggers can speed construction work up, it is estimated that they can work as fast as 20 manual labourers put together. In fact, newer, more powerful models can work even faster. A recent project in Bedford showed that one excavator was able to complete an entire project in around two and a half hours; three manual labourers took two days to complete only a fifth of the work.

With so many risks and hazards on building sites, risk assessments and safety precautions are vital to keeping construction workers out of harm’s way. Construction companies should position health and safety at the heart of their training and operations, and all contractors should have completed health and safety assessments before starting work on building sites.

Although the industry is growing, there is currently a shortage of construction workers. The construction industry has recovered and grown since the 2008 housing crisis, but there is still such a shortage of workers that the construction industry can’t fill the demand. There are plenty of reasons why this is happening, but many companies are tackling the issue by offering competitive benefits and battling misconceptions.

What do a pickup truck, a nail gun, a portable circular saw, a cement mixer truck, and a modern hydraulic excavator all have in common? The obvious answer is that they are all tools and equipment commonly found on construction sites today. Another correct answer would be that they are all pieces of construction technology that didn’t exist 100 years ago. The point is, advancements in new construction technology have always driven construction forward, so it’s odd that so many companies are slow to adopt new construction technologies.

Painting work procedure is the finishing item in any construction. Painting affects the total appearance of a building from inside and outside. Therefore, it should be carried out with the great skill of workmanship. Employers often prefer people with some relevant experience, so you could start by looking for work as a painter and decorator's labourer or 'mate'. Another option is to take a college course, which would give you some of the skills needed to start in this job.

Raise the bar on employee performance. Even the best employees can become lackadaisical if not challenged. Nobody likes the same old routine. But if you continually raise the bar on performance, you can inspire your employees to realize their potential