An evaluation of the effects of labour management relationships on construction site productivity in Ghana

Abstract

An evaluation of the impact of labour-management relationships on construction site productivity in Ghana was essential to be looked into from the concept of productivity. The theory of construction productivity commenced in the early twentieth (20th) century with a series of time and motion studies to improve bricklaying activities. Productivity is directly linked to labour management relationships, and in turn dependent on productivity. Bad labour-management relationships of construction employees have contributed significantly to the declining productivity that cannot be quantified in the construction industry. The aim of the study is to explore labour relations and its effects on construction site productivity. The study adopted a cross sectional survey design. A survey was carried out on 22 construction companies obtained from a Snowball sampling. This was as a result of the difficulties encountered in accessing the population sample. The findings of the study revealed that, among the highest considered factors, “Opportunity to undertake challenging tasks, bargaining power, Recognition with company achievements, belongingness and affection, existence of labour union amongst others) had great impact on productivity. Major recommendations provided include that double targets should always be set on projects of which the higher target made known to workers and monitor progress with the threshold target. In addition, it is recommended that employees should be allowed to take breaks by supervisors whenever efforts are made to attain the set goals. Further, management and immediate supervisors should ensure that good teamwork is established through collaborations, both on and off site by assigning task to groups of workforces with qualified and competent supervisors.