As the number of temporary housing requests grows, an already tight inventory decreases, meaning foreman and upper-level management struggle to find adequate housing within their budgets and timelines. With workers packed into hotels, without kitchens or personal space, job sites can suffer. Teams who treat housing as unimportant may find it harder to retain talent once they experience living conditions for extended projects. There are ways, however, to better house crews, and ensure accommodations meet the measure of their crucial work.
A State of Disruption
Over the last two years, the industry has seen its fair share of challenges. From operating during the initial stages of the pandemic and subsequent variants to facing shortages of both materials and qualified talent. Despite current concerns over the level of demand for construction and economic slowdown, work will still need to be done. Infusions from the infrastructure bill and other recent actions by the Biden administration will continue to incentivize projects moving forward. With the expectation that the industry continues to operate, it is imperative to ease the housing burden on professionals so they’re able to navigate their jobs. Additionally, materials shortages can push off project targets or make them unclear. Without expert housing knowledge, management may not be able to strategize to source adequate housing.
Determining Housing Scope
Despite the challenges the construction industry faces, coordinating housing in alignment with a project’s number of teams, various schedules and the overall budget is possible. Considering the following factors can help keep accommodations organized. Planning ahead and asking the necessary questions prior to project execution may come as a no-brainer. However, these tasks can get lost in the litany of other logistics that come with managing large-scale construction projects. In preparation for project execution, consider where a project site is, the length of time teams will need to be local to the project, and the state of the housing market in the area. If necessary, outsourcing is an option to navigate more complex markets in specific metropolitan and rural areas.
The Options
From hotel stays to traditional corporate housing, to vacation rentals, the options for construction crews are many. However, quality is not consistent throughout, and necessary customization may not always be possible. Hotel stays can be impersonal and may not serve the long-term needs of a crew. They’re more than capable of handling the kind of rotation seen during stays of a few days, but not necessarily able to do the same for weeks or months at a time. A lack of kitchen and living spaces, as well as a higher price point, can make these an impractical choice in some cases, especially if rooms are not occupied by multiple workers.
Vacation rentals may have more amenities than other options, more commonly featuring kitchens or extra space. However, teams may end up feeling a lack of personalization as they ultimately realize they’re surrounded by someone else’s possessions, in a home that is not their own. Additionally, vacation rentals are typically designed to be occupied for days, at most weeks, at a time, charging higher daily rates with room for some discount on monthly stays that may not be worth it for the kind of stay a nomadic constructor worker would need.
Corporate housing is able to meet the variable needs of construction specialists as far as timing. What they may not always be able to cover, however, are the service areas where infrastructure projects take place. They are also usually designed for executive business travelers. Crews work in towns, cities and villages across the country and may not always be in reach of corporate accommodations that include multi-bedroom options to house teams as a single unit.
Construction and infrastructure professionals are integral to the functioning and improvement of our society. They put in hours, weeks and months of labor to ensure projects are completed. However, what is often overlooked is where and how these professionals live when they travel for work. The nature of their work and disparities originating from the workforce housing gap create variable needs that are not adequately addressed by current housing options. Whether using on-demand solutions or better project planning, stakeholders in workforce housing have options for tackling everyday obstacles like project delays alongside larger challenges faced by the industry.
