BAM says the new flexible working policy will not only provide a better work-life balance for its people but could also open-up construction as a career to hundreds of thousands of people from more varied backgrounds
BAM was part of a trial undertaken by four major construction companies to improve access to flexible working for site-based teams in 2019, conducted with independent consultancy Timewise.
Although the trials were overtaken by the pandemic, which meant the construction industry adopting new measures to maintain safety, BAM says its new approach will have benefits for both its own people and the rest of the industry long after the pandemic subsides.
At a major university scheme in Leeds, three senior BAM managers, whose lives were traditionally based wholly on-site, evolved a weekly planning approach.
BAM is promoting:
- Remote working
- Rota working
- Staggered start and end times
- Flexible lunch or break times
- Job sharing
- Part-time work
- Phased retirements
- Remote learning and meetings
- Shared team calendars
- Defined times for teams being in the same place for collaboration
- A mix of formal and informal measures depending on whether these have implications for the terms and conditions of a job.
Finding an approach to flexible working
Executive and HR director for BAM Construct UK, Andrea Singh, said: “There has been a shift in mindset across our business. We believe that every role can have some flexibility, but not every role can have the same flexibility.
“Our default position now is that flexibility is possible and desirable, and to prioritise a devolved, team-based decision-making culture to empower it so that it continues to support our business objectives.
“We now ask, ‘how can we make flexibility work?’ not, ‘can we make it work?’ We’ve provided a framework for our teams without lots of rules and hurdles. Managers can find flexible working approaches that work for their team, their clients and their job.”
