Employee Perceptions of the COVID-19 Pandemic Management in Construction Sector: A Survey-Based Study of Bangladesh

Abstract

Purpose This article aims to signify the influences of the COVID-19 outbreak on the construction sector which resulted in project setbacks, labor shortages, work cuts, time and expense overruns, and financial uncertainty that significantly disrupted major infrastructure development programs worldwide. Approach In order to assess the current perception of the construction sector fighting with COVID-19, an online-based semi-structured and self-reported questionnaire survey was conducted from November 23 to November 30, 2020, involving the Project Manager, Managing Director, Project Engineer, Architect/designer, and Site Engineer. Therefore, raw data were documented (edited, sorted, and coded) by using Microsoft Excel 2019 which was later imported to IBM SPSS version 25.0 to analyze frequencies, percentages, means, standard deviations, ANOVA, and chi-square tests. Findings The majority of the respondents claimed that they have experienced financial and mental difficulties in the forms of losing their job, temporary suspension, deduction in salary, no festival bonus, delayed payment, etc. Participants demanded strict monitoring systems, sufficient medical facilities, and exact pandemic mitigation policies in both the workplace and nationwide. Furthermore, it is vital that the policy-makers should review the strategies and make the necessary adjustments to address any potential problems that arise once in a while like COVID-19. Originality This research will contribute to refined personnel management by analyzing the insight impacts of this pandemic prior to precarious shutoff. Policymakers will surely find it helpful enough for reviewing the current and longer-term impacts of this crisis to organize the plans and implementations regarding effective pandemic management.