An average 50-hour week over five days has strong support and does not appear to adversely affect site productivity, according to interim results of pilot projects run under a new draft Culture Standard, aimed at improving the infrastructure construction industry.

The Construction Industry Culture Taskforce (CICT), led by the governments of NSW and Victoria, along with the Australian Constructors Association, has released an in-depth report into the construction industry’s culture, highlighting the problems of excessive work hours and the benefits of addressing them.

It studied the integrated strategies used by pilot projects to improve time for life and flexibility, diversity and inclusion and wellbeing to determine how they contribute to positive cultural shifts in the industry.

“Cultural change in the industry is one of the key ways to address the acute skills shortage that has led to escalating labour costs and stagnant productivity in an industry which has so many other reasons to be a place to have a great career,” CICT chair and interim chief commissioner of Infrastructure Australia Gabrielle Trainor AO says.

“The Culture Standard, designed to be part of the procurement process, means a level playing field for contractors and government clients buy-in, project by project, to creating better, safer and more equitable work environments and support construction to become an industry of choice.”

The Culture in Construction Pilot Projects: Interim Report, led by RMIT University, unveiled the findings from five pilot infrastructure projects. A key finding in the report was the strong support for a five-day workweek with 84% of salaried respondents and 61% of waged respondents preferring this schedule.

This preference contrasts with the current industry norm of longer working hours, where 64% of workers exceed 50 hours per week and Saturday work is routine.

“The lack of work and life balance faced by many construction workers can cause significant stress, relationship issues and reduced productivity. It is a leading reason people exit the industry,” Gabrielle says.

Australian Constructors Association chief executive Jon Davies says while recognising the need to limit the hours worked, the pilots are also considering how to maintain the flexibility of projects to work the hours needed to meet operational requirements.