Intrinsic Workforce Diversity and Construction Worker Productivity in Pakistan: Impact of Employee Age and Industry Experience

Abstract

Worker productivity is critical within construction projects as it is the measure of the rate at which work is performed and, more importantly, helps to know how to motivate them to perform at high levels. This research aimed to examine the impact of employee age and industry experience on the intrinsic workforce diversity factors influencing construction worker productivity. Sieving through the previous research and models and theories of analysis, the intrinsic workforce diversity was modeled into the following set of factors, i.e., income, motivation, psychosocial factors, and technical skills. The data were collected by means of a questionnaire survey and examined for the employees having different ages and experiences using the Mann–Whitney U test through SPSS. The results show that employees of varied ages do not concur over motivation-, psychosocial, and technical skills-related workforce diversity factors, whereas employees of varied industrial experiences are in disagreement over some income and motivation related workforce diversity factors. In order to overcome intrinsic workforce diversity, firm support is direly needed for old and mature employees in terms of financial incentives leading to motivation, less supervised scheduling, opportunities for firm advancement, and reporting back every time work is completed. Furthermore, support is required for young employees who are more susceptible due to psychosocial stresses like unevenly distributed work, communication gaps, and technical skills like knowledge of technological equipment and advancement in construction technology which has reduced the skills of workers.

Psychosocial Factors Issues in Construction Workers: A Systematic Review and Future Research Directions

“…Numerous researchers contend that the theoretical of framework of the job demand-resources (JD-R) model [4,26,34] or the job demand-control (JD-C) model [9,29,36,37] underscores the significance of psychosocial elements within the domain of construction workers. JD encompass elements within the work that involve continuous physical and/or psychological (cognitive and emotional) exertion or abilities and are thus associated with distinct physiological and psychological expenses [48].…”

“…Maqsoom et al [26] The intrinsic workforce diversity model is part of psychosocial factors. Workers' skills continue to decline due to uneven employment, communication gaps in construction sector workers, and technical skills in construction sector workers, such as knowledge of technological equipment construction sector workers, and advances in construction technology construction sector workers, which are the most common psychosocial stressors.…”

Diversification Strategy and Performance of Processing Firms: A Case Study of Diamond Foods in California, USA

“…It highlights the importance of strategic alignment, resource allocation, and risk management in successful diversification. The study also emphasizes the need for maintaining a strong brand identity, ensuring operational efficiency, and fostering a culture of innovation (Maqsoom, Mubbasit, Alqurashi, Shaheen, Alaloul, Musarat & Hussein, 2021). These lessons and implications can guide other processing firms in making informed decisions about their diversification strategies and optimizing their overall performance.…”