- Less than a fifth believe leadership have the best ideas for improvement
- One in three believe management do not encourage operational improvements
- AECOM, which was responsible for delivering one of the UK’s largest ever ground investigations to support the Lower Thames Crossing scheme, shares its insight
New research has revealed that ‘deskless’ workers – including those working in the UK’s construction industry – face regular operational issues, compounding doubts about business performance.
Two-thirds (65%) of frontline workers say they observe operational issues monthly or more frequently, yet less than half (45%) see actions taken to address them within this timeframe.
The ‘Feedback from the Field’ report from global technology company SafetyCulture paints a picture of construction businesses being held back by ongoing operational challenges. Its findings, informed by a YouGov UK-wide survey of frontline workers, show that around 9 in 10 (87%) believe that the business they are working in is failing to operate at its full potential or they are unsure about its performance.
According to the new report, many believe the answers to operational issues come directly from those working at the coal face. More than half (55%) of frontline workers say that the best ideas for improvement are derived from within their ranks rather than from leadership (19%). Almost a third of workers (31%) stated that their bosses do not encourage improvements.
In addition to ineffective management which is cited by 42% of frontline workers as a key reason for their business failing to maximise their full potential, respondents also flagged inadequate communication (39%) and training for staff (31%) as barriers. Three in 10 say the last time they had valuable training from their organisation that helped improve their work was a year or more ago. Concerningly, 13% of UK frontline workers feel they have never had any valuable training from their organisation.
The consequences of a lack of training are laid bare in the report. More than half (54%) of those surveyed believe that at least a few of their workplace’s injuries could have been prevented had those involved received better training and work instructions.
Best known for creating the world’s most-used checklist app (iAuditor), SafetyCulture is responding to the challenges identified in the research with the expansion of its all-in-one mobile-first workplace operations platform for frontline workers, leaders and teams.
Beyond its inspections capability, SafetyCulture’s platform now hosts an array of new features for tasks like training and asset management. It includes innovative tools that digitise paper-based forms from a photo and converts work instructions and equipment manuals to enable training on the go. The platform also harnesses the power of AI to create custom-training and inspection templates in minutes.
A major construction industry player that has enhanced its approach to frontline operations is AECOM. Patrick Cox, Business Unit Director for Environmental Solutions, said: “Our team on the frontline regularly face recurring operational issues and it’s something we want to solve by integrating technology solutions.
“We found in our experience as delivery partner on the largest investigations and surveys on complex infrastructure projects such as the Lower Thames Crossing Ground Investigation programme, that it is essential to empower the frontline workforce by giving them access to the latest digital tools that enable them to quickly identify risks and prevent project delays in a consistent way across our whole team.
“We were able to meet challenges head on through our development with SafetyCulture of a single integrated safety management platform that could be accessed by all our project team from a mobile phone or tablet, ensuring critical information was available to everyone no matter which company they worked for. This not only allowed us to identify operational issues and act on them in real time, but it also allowed senior leaders to work more closely with the frontline team via a single source of truth.”
Commenting on the research findings, Feico Mol, SafetyCulture’s General Manager EMEA said: “Deskless workers are the lifeblood of the UK economy, powering some of our most essential industries including construction. We must listen to them. Our report shows how operational issues are regularly observed by workers on the frontline, but not always addressed. Too often, frontline workers’ views are overlooked and areas that could improve operations such as investment in technology have been focused on office-based workers.”
He added: “The good news is that it’s not all doom and gloom with three in five workers we asked saying that they’re optimistic about the future of their organisation. We share their optimism and with the right tools and communications, businesses can harness the latent potential within their frontline teams.”
About the research
* All figures, unless otherwise stated, are from YouGov Plc. Total sample size was 2057 adults (757 US, 531 Australia, 769 UK). Fieldwork was undertaken between 9th-13th June, 2023. The survey was carried out online. The figures have been weighted by age, gender and location and are representative of US, UK and AU frontline workers (aged 18+). Frontline workers are defined as individuals who must physically show up to their role.
About SafetyCulture
SafetyCulture is a global technology company that helps frontline teams find a better way of working. Its mobile-first workplace operations platform gives teams the knowledge, tools and confidence they need to meet higher standards, work safely and improve every day.
The SafetyCulture platform powers over a billion checks each year, it delivers approximately 75,000 lessons per day and informs millions of corrective actions. SafetyCulture gives leaders visibility and workers a voice in driving safety, quality, and efficiency improvements.
A recent analysis by Forrester found that SafetyCulture’s flagship products provide a 214% return on investment for customers and $3.6M in cost savings from operational improvements. Customers of SafetyCulture’s award-winning products in the UK include the likes of the NHS, National Grid, TfL, Network Rail, British Airways, DHL, BP Pulse, CBRE, American Golf, and Brentford FC.