The Attitude of Construction Employees towards Authority and Employers

Employee attitudes constitute an important part of the employee-employer relationship in every organization and have a significant effect on the success of the relationship and of the organization as a whole. Developing a non-confrontational attitude amongst employees has been recognized as an essential part in the development of employee commitment and provides the basis for effective workplace relations that enable firms to compete and survive in competitive business environments. In the construction industry, employee commitment has also been recognized as a necessary and important part in the achievement of the modernization demanded by its customers and formally initiated by Latham (1994) and Egan (1998) and the like. The initial findings from a study of employee attitudes of site-based tradesmen employed by a medium-size construction contractor, show that employees accept the authority of the employer and the authority structure in place on site. The findings also show that employees retain an independent attitude, essential for problem-solving and continuous improvement, which did not threaten the authority of the employer, but did contribute to the effective management of the work.