Making Room for Millennials at the Jobsite

Construction has often been considered one of the last industries to embrace technology. That is starting to change, however, as construction companies look for new ways to change the mindset of those working at the jobsite.

Enter the younger generation, otherwise known as millennials. They have grown up with apps and solutions to solve just about any system problem that arises.

As the industry evolves, it will have to embrace more innovation in order to entice and appeal to millennials—and those even younger.

Some of the emerging technology that millennials appear to be comfortable with that they might leverage on the jobsite include:

• Drones
• Artificial intelligence
• Augmented reality/virtual reality
• Smartphone apps
• Tablets
• Wearables

Fresh thinking at the jobsite

“Millennials have grown up attached to technology. Jobsites today are so far removed from what millennials have come to expect in their daily lives. They expect new solutions to do their job better to get rid of manual processes,” says Chad Hollingsworth, co-founder and president, Triax Technologies.

They aren’t afraid of innovations, and they are willing to try things out and, if it doesn’t work, they find a newer, better solution that will.

One of the challenges is closing the gap between the more seasoned construction professional that might be more hesitant to leverage new systems, and the younger, more tech-savvy generation that might not have as much experience with traditional construction methods.

“Older generations look to millennials for how to incorporate the tech into the jobsite,” says Paul Gomori, application engineering manager, JCA Electronics.

Moving construction into the future

There are advantages to having more software and devices on the jobsite besides attracting a younger workforce.

It boils down to improvements in efficiency and productivity compared to older manual processes, says Barry Peyton, product manager, Intelliwave Technologies. These types of enhancements can be measured and traced back to bottom-line improvements across the construction site.

“The right construction technology can centralize information and communication, improve safety and reduce the amount of time spent on non-value-added tasks,” says Hollingsworth. “It is something that (workers) can use to develop their skills, streamline daily tasks and ultimately become better at their jobs.”

The attitude and outlook that millennials have toward their life and job can help entice them to work in the construction field. Hollingsworth says, “Millennials want to add value, make an impact and find meaning in what they’re doing. This carries over to their professional lives.”

What can be more rewarding than turning piles of dirt into buildings, roads, bridges and other construction?

For more industry trends, check out AEM’s CONEXPO-CON/AGG 365 initiative at http://www.conexpoconagg.com/subscribe/.