International Journal of Civil Engineering and Technology (IJCIET)

Volume 8, Issue 1, January 2017, pp. 123131, Article ID: IJCIET_08_01_013

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ISSN Print: 0976-6308 and ISSN Online: 0976-6316
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IDENTIFICATION AND MITIGATION OF FACTORS

AFFECTING HUMAN RESOURCE PRODUCTIVITY IN
CONSTRUCTION
Sumpa Dey
Graduate Student, M. Tech CEM,
SRM University, Kattankulathur Campus, India

S. Manikanda Prabhu
Assistant Professor (OG), Department of Civil Engineering,
SRM University, Kattankulathur Campus, India

G. Siva Subramani
Graduate Student, M. Tech CEM,
SRM University, Kattankulathur Campus, India

ABSTRACT
Productivity plays a key role in construction industry in which only productive resource is
labour power and industry is mainly dependent upon the effort and performance of human
resource. As construction is a human intensive industry, this study focuses on productivity of
labour in construction site. Construction industry is facing lot of problems of low productivity.
Therefore any improvement of labour productivity provides high productivity and improvement in
the whole performance such as cost, quality and time in construction industry. From this study the
critical factors that affecting labour productivity in construction industry can be identified and
from those again identify the factors which affecting a greater extent and assess its impact in
productivity. The advantages of maximization of labour productivity in construction includes
increase rate of output, reduction of overall cost, maintaining the planned rate of production,
maintain high quality standard etc. This study is conducted; therefore to identify the factors
affecting labour productivity which is confined to construction projects undertaken by Chennai
based construction companies and the rank the relative importance of factors that affect labour
productivity in construction site. A various interviews response by direct interview and journal
study were done to identify the common factors affecting labour productivity at construction site
and these were used to prepare the questionnaire. In questionnaire, factors are classified in six
main categories. The data are collected from residential and commercial constructions projects in
Chennai only. The collected data are analyzed using statistical analysis of SPSS (Statistical
Package for Social Science). Based on finding and also on suggestions given by experts, this paper
recommends that supervisors should be experienced, labours should be trained, financial
incentives (bonus, award etc) should be given, communication should be improved, wastage should
be minimized, clarity of technical information should be given to the workers and weekly progress
report should be maintained.

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 Sumpa Dey, S. Manikanda Prabhu and G. Siva Subramani

Key words: Productivity, labour power, maximization, output, performance.

Cite this Article: Sumpa Dey, S. Manikanda Prabhu and G. Siva Subramani. Identification and
Mitigation of Factors Affecting Human Resource Productivity in Construction. International
Journal of Civil Engineering and Technology, 8(1), 2017, pp. 123131.
http://www.iaeme.com/IJCIET/issues.asp?JType=IJCIET&VType=8&IType=1

1. INTRODUCTION
1.1. General
The presence of human resource with high productivity at each stage of a project work plays a significant
role in the success of the project. Human resource has a strategic role for increasing productivity of
construction industry. The productivity is one of the most important aspects for the construction industry
which help for revival or growth. Among man, material and machinery, manpower is the most precious
resource and if manpower consider as input in productivity then the productivity is known as labour
productivity.
In a construction project there are three main elements such as time, quality and cost should be
determined and continuously in planning efforts throughout the project proposal preparing to delivery [14].
Human resources play a role to utilization of resources effectively in the execution. Thus human resource
is the determinant of the efficiency of construction resource where productivity is the most important
factor that affecting the overall performance of the project work of any organization which small or large.

1.2. Labour Productivity

In todays competitive market, enhancement of productivity plays a significant role in reducing operational
cost and time thereby improving profitability of the organization. The principle component of an
organization is its people at work or human resource. Productivity is the measure of factors of production.
This focuses on labour to improve productivity which is measured by output per person employed and
output per person hour. labour productivity can be defines as the quantity of goods and services produced
per unit of labour input [13]. Therefore a high productivity indicates good use of resource and high return.
The aim of this study therefore to decrease the cost of construction and to frame new methodology of work
schedule to reduce duration of project and by increasing the labour productivity.
The advantages of maximization of labour productivity in construction includes increase rate of output,
reduction of overall cost, maintaining the planned rate of production, maintain high quality standard etc.
Thus proper choice and use of human resource contributes to quality, safety, speed and timely completion
of project. However delay in completion of project may occur due to improper skill, unavailability of
labour, waiting time, poor technology and wrong methodology. Inefficient management of construction
resources can result in low productivity and therefore it is important to the construction manager and
contractors to be familiar with the methods leading to evaluate the productivity of different resources such
as equipment and labour.

1.3. Objectives
To identify the factors affecting the labor productivity in construction
To statistically analyze the factors affecting labour productivity
To recommend way of improving labour productivity in construction projects

1.4. Need and Scope of Present Work

The need and scope of present work is to identify the factors affecting labour productivity within Chennai
region in order to find out the major factors that affect productivity of labour in construction. This study

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 Identification and Mitigation of Factors Affecting Human Resource Productivity in Construction

will help to identify future research work to be carried out to improve productivity in construction. The
main scopes of the study are:
The identification of factors that affecting the labor productivity is confined to construction projects
undertaken by Chennai based construction companies
The data will be collected from residential and commercial constructions projects.

2. METHODOLOGY
The project follows a methodology that is in sequential order which consisting of the literature study,
direct interview, design of questionnaire is based on direct interview and literature review, data collection,
analysis of data, result and conclusion. The methodology followed in the study includes the identification
of factors considering construction productivity from the relevant literature review and direct interview
done to experts. The reliability study of collected data is assessed by statistical analysis and major factors
constraining labour productivity are ranked.

2.1. Questionnaire Design

The process of data collection used in this study was done by questionnaire survey. This is preferred as the
best effective tool for data collection as it gives each individual as well as opinion of company regarding
each factor that affects the labour productivity. On the basis of related studies on labour productivity and
from direct interview to experts, a set of factors affecting productivity were identified and those used for
questionnaire preparation. Questionnaire were kept effective and simple for the respondents and was
prepared that consists of six main sections namely environmental factor, manpower factors, management
factor, site factor, design factor and financial factors.
In questionnaire questions in the respondent profile were created to collect information such as name of
respondent, organization name, designation, experience of work. The respondent were asked to rate the
question as very low, low, average, high and very high. Data that obtained from questionnaire
survey will be used to analyze with an appropriate method which may result to the success of the study.

3. DATA ANALYSIS AND RESULT

3.1. Reliability Test
Reliability test is the most common test used to see if questionnaire with multiple Likert scale questions
are reliable. Cronbachs Alpha is a measure used to assess the reliability or internal consistency of test
items. The normal range of Cronbachs Alpha value is between 0 and 1 in which higher value reflects
higher degree of consistency. Table I shows value for Cronbachs Alpha for the entire questionnaire. In our
study, Cronbachs Alpha is 0.877 for entire questionnaire and it indicates a very good reliability. Thereby
the questionnaire was valid and reliable. This is done by SPSS (Statistical Package for Social Science).

Table I Cronbachs Alpha for the questionnaire

Cronbachs Alpha No of items
0.877 32

3.2. Relative Importance Index (RII)

Relative Importance Index (RII) method helps to find the relative importance of various factors affecting
productivity of labour and is used to rank different factors. The RII value has a range between 0 and 1.
Each individual factors RII obtained by all respondents should be used to assess the general and overall
ranking in order to give an overall picture of labour productivity in this study. RII calculated for various
factors as per below equation.

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 Sumpa Dey, S. Manikanda Prabhu and G. Siva Subramani

RII = (3.1)
Where
RII = Relative importance index
W = Weighting given to each factor by respondent (1 to 5 here)
A = Highest weight (5 in this case)
N = Total no. of respondent

3.2.1. Environmental Factors

In environmental factors, weather condition is taken necessary for the proper completion of any
construction project. Psychologically workers tend to become restless and irritable in very hot weather.
Below Table II shows the factors affecting labour productivity in this group and the results obtained from
excel.

Table II Environmental factors affecting labour productivity

Sl
Factors affection labour productivity RII Average RII Rank
No
1 Climatic change (work stoppage due to weather condition) 0.777 1
0.75
2 Unsatisfactory working conditions (ventilation, light) 0.722 2

3.2.2. Site Factors

There are different site factors such as delay in delivery resource, site access, and congested work area
which affects in labour productivity. This is one of the major factor and after analysis result obtained in
Table III.

Table III Site factors affecting labour productivity

Sl No Factors affection labour productivity RII Average RII Rank

1 Site access 0.719 2
2 Congested work area 0.696 0.72 3
3 Delay in delivery of resources 0.746 1

3.2.3. Design Factors

The changes in planning and design occur in project also affect productivity of labour. This changes delays
in construction project work. Table IV shows factors affecting productivity in design group and results are
obtained from excel.

Table IV Design factors affecting labour productivity

Sl No Factors affection labour productivity RII Average RII Rank

1 Change in design 0.770 1
0.722
2 Supervision according to design 0.674 2

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 Identification and Mitigation of Factors Affecting Human Resource Productivity in Construction

3.2.4. Manpower Factors

There are 12 factors that affect labour productivity in manpower group and identifying of major factors to
ensure the betterment of productivity of labour. Table V shows result obtained from the analysis in excel.

Table V Manpower factors affecting labour productivity

Sl No Factors affection labour productivity RII Average RII Rank
1 Absenteeism of labour 0.720 7
2 Skill of labour 0.833 1
3 Rest time(break time) 0.69 8
4 Physically fitness of labour 0.761 4
5 Availability of labour 0.771 3
6 Changing worker from one place to other 0.735 5
0.714
7 Changing supervisor 0.659 10
8 Absenteeism of supervisor 0.621 11
9 Accidents 0.662 9
10 Protection of worker( Lack of helmet, life line, rope etc) 0.573 12
11 Experience of supervisor 0.731 6
12 Unclear instruction to labourer 0.815 2

3.2.5. Management Factors

The optimum utilisation of human and technical resources can be obtained by proper management. It helps
to improve the performance of labours and thereby attaining high productivity. There are 11 factors that
affect labour productivity in management group and its results obtained are given in Table VI.

Table VI Management actors affecting labour productivity

Sl No Factors affection labour productivity RII Average RII Rank
1 Waiting for material 0.824 1
2 Unloading and shifting materials 0.686 8
3 Motivation 0.762 4
4 Inspection delays 0.749 4
5 Lack of tools and equipments 0.749 5
6 Quality of equipment and material 0.66 0.738 9
7 Stop work due to political and other issues 0.632 10
8 Poor scheduling of work 0.738 6
9 Lack of communication(no updation) 0.778 3
10 Proper selection of labour for particular work 0.8 2
11 Maintenance of weekly report 0.735 7

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 Sumpa Dey, S. Manikanda Prabhu and G. Siva Subramani

3.2.6. Financial Factors

Some factors of financial group are tabulated and these are one of the major factors in construction
industry. Table VII shows the factors affecting labour productivity.

Table VII Financial factors affecting labour productivity

Sl No Factors affection labour productivity RII Average RII Rank
1 Financial difficulty of owner 0.850 1
0.819
2 Rework 0.788 2

3.2.7. Overall factors

The group factors are ranked according to RII and presented graphically in Table VIII and Fig. 1 are
shown respectively. The group factors are ranked as follows: financial factors, environmental factors,
management factors, design factors, site factors
factors and manpower factors. Out of 32 factors, top 10 factors are
found out which affects labour productivity in Chennai. The top 10 factors are as follows: financial
difficulty of owner, skill of labour,
labour waiting for material, unclear instruction to labourer,
laboure proper selection of
labour for particular work, rework,
rework climatic change, lack of communication,
communication change in design and
availability of labour. From the analysis it is found that financial difficulty of owner is the most affecting
factor in Chennai that affects
fects productivity of labour. Top 10 major factors are ranked and graphically
presentation of RII is shown in Table IX and Fig. 2 respectively.

Table VIII Rank of group factors

Group of factors RII Average Rank
Financial factors 0.819 1
Environmental factors 0.75 2
Management factors 0.738 3
Design factors 0.722 4
Site factors 0.72 5
Manpower factors 0.714 6

Bar Chart of Factor Group

Manpower factors 0.714

Site factors 0.72

Design factors 0.722

Management factors 0.738 RII Average

Environmental factors 0.75

Financial factors 0.819

0.65 0.7 0.75 0.8 0.85

Figure
ure 4.1 Bar chart with the RII of group factors

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 Identification and Mitigation of Factors Affecting Human Resource Productivity in Construction

Table IX Top ten factors affecting labour productivity

Factors affecting labour productivity RII Rank Group

Financial difficulties of owner 0.850 1 Financial factor

Skill of labour 0.833 2 Manpower factor
Waiting for material 0.824 3 Management factor
Unclear instruction to labourer 0.815 4 Manpower factor
Proper selection of labour for particular work 0.800 5 Management factor
Rework 0.788 6 Financial factor
Climatic change(work stoppage due to weather
0.777 7 Environmental factor
condition)
Lack of communication(no updation) 0.774 8 Management factor
Availability of labour 0.771 9 Manpower factor
Change in design 0.770 10 Design factor

Bar Chart for Top Ten Factors

Change in design 0.77

Availability of labour 0.771
Lack of communication(no updation) 0.774
Climatic change(work stoppage due to 0.777
Rework 0.788
Proper selection of labour for particular work 0.8 RII

Unclear instruction to labourer 0.815

Waiting for material 0.824
Skill of labour 0.833
Financial difficulties of owner 0.85

0.7 0.75 0.8 0.85 0.9

Figure
ure 4.2 Bar chart with the RII of top ten factors

4. CONCLUSION
From the study, a total of 32 factors which affects labour productivity were identified. Contractors should
focus on these factors to improve labour productivity, which ultimately leads to higher profits from the
construction projects.
The top ten fact ors affecting labour productivity among 32 factors are financial
financ difficulty of owner,
skill of labour, waiting for material,
material unclear instruction to labourer, proper selection of labour for particular
work, rework, climatic change, lack of communication,
communication change in design and availability of labour. Further
study will be carried out on the major influencing factors to improve labour productivity and suggestions
will be given for the mitigation of labour productivity issues.

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 Sumpa Dey, S. Manikanda Prabhu and G. Siva Subramani

5. RECOMMENDATION
Based on finding and also on suggestions given by experts, this paper suggests some recommendations.
Mentioned are the recommendations made based on study that were found to be important factors of
consideration for improving productivity of labour in construction industry. This paper recommends that
supervisors should be experienced, labours should be trained, financial incentives (bonus, award etc)
should be given, communication should be improved, wastage should be minimized, clarity of technical
information should be given to the workers and weekly progress report should be maintained.

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