Construction workers lose 100 mins per day to multitasking

With ever increasing demands upon the construction industry and the growing skills shortage, research undertaken by Randstad CPE has revealed multitasking has become essential for construction workers.

Workers in the construction industry have seen a 66% rise in the amount of daily distractions since 2013 according to research from recruiting company, Randsted CPE, which surveyed 2025 workers in the UK.

The multitasking trend in construction was faster than the rest of the UK workforce, which saw an increase of 57%.

The figures show that 90% of construction jobs now demand some type of multitasking, with just 10% of construction workers reporting that their job doesn’t require any multitasking. On average, workers in the construction industry say they are distracted from their primary task five times per day.

According to a University of California-Irvine study, these interruptions can mean regaining lost momentum can take on average more than 20 minutes.

Randsted CPE suggests there are two solutions to this issue. Project Managers who encounter digital distractions but wish keep their productivity levels uninterrupted could alter their environment by switching phones off or to silent and shutting down email applications. This will allow to give undivided attention to their key task. Another option would be to group similar activities together, such as paperwork, administrative tasks, meeting etc. so the transition time between changing tasks is kept to a minimum.

Owen Goodhead, Managing Director of Randstad Construction, Property & Engineering, commented: “Going off-grid can be especially hard when you’re on-site. Construction jobs are all about packing people and tasks into a small amount of space and time. Improving that multitasking effort is always an incremental struggle – and construction workers need to nurture that skill.

“But even off-site, it can be hard to tackle urgent surprises and prioritise the longer-term and important tasks. In our experience, project managers are most at risk of losing their working days to distractions. Flexibility is key when keeping a construction project on track. However employers want project managers that can see through the daily commotion to a bigger picture, and doing that well requires a disciplined approach to multitasking.”

According to the research, only 48% said they employed these type of methods to cut down on distractions.

Mr Goodhead said: “The best way to convince an interviewer you are a great multitasker is to demonstrate that you are alive to the consequences and that you have developed sensible strategies to deal with the difficulties of living in a multitasking world. Construction is a modern industry and while plenty of jobs don’t always involve sitting behind a desk, there are still plenty of distractions.

“The true dangers of getting distracted make construction unique. Electricians, labourers, or carpenters all understand the risks of their jobs – and how to minimise them. But multitasking is a creeping part of the way people live, and should be on their radar. Meanwhile, project managers and all those in any managerial capacity could learn from such an organised approach to safety and distraction in the trades.  Managing a budget might not involve the same physical risks as driving a crane but if multitasking skills aren’t up to scratch, a missed deadline or incorrect budget can have real consequences for the success of an operation – and for people’s jobs.”

The results of the survey mean that the majority of employees are losing 100 minutes per day to multitasking.

The number of people currently working full time in the UK construction sector is 1.57 million people and work approximately 253 days a year. This would mean that UK’s permanent work force is losing over 82 million working days’ worth of productivity every year as a result of multitasking.

Owen Goodhead added: “Multitasking is becoming an increasingly important part of people’s working lives – 83% of employers tell us they regard it as important.  That’s a problem because we all pay a mental price when we multitask – we deplete our energy every time we jump from one activity to another – and that price is soaring as multitasking becomes more prevalent.

“ The consequences are surprisingly serious when you take into account the amount of time it takes us to regain our flow following every single interruption.”

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