Employee stakeholder management at ABC Constructions: an introduction

Recollecting the words of the founder and former chairman of ABC Constructions, the former
Dy. MD said:
In any business you can have land, money, and equipment, and make buildings; but all this is
nothing compared to your people. Unless your people are happy you cannot do anything. In other
words, employee satisfaction is primary. Only when they are motivated and willing to work, the
Company can run. Otherwise it doesn’t run even if you have all the money in the world[9].

Discussions with the senior management of the company resulted in the

needs-constraints-alterables, strengths and areas of improvement with respect to the
employee stakeholders. Since the construction industry has employees at different levels,
i.e. managerial staff, technical and engineering staff, and the labour (both permanent and
temporary/contractual) working on the sites. The case attempts to study people issues at all
these levels.

Needs of the employees

Elaborating on the basic needs of employees, the former Dy. MD said:
Employees can be satisfied if they have a proper salary, they are able to lead a good life, they
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continuously learn and they equip themselves in such a way that they are beneficial to the growth
of the Company and serve the needs of the nation. Employees are happy to do what they are
good at. Job satisfaction is more important than salary and money. Family life is also very
important, as in our construction business, the employees need to travel a lot[10].

Among the major needs of the employees is the need for rewards and recognition. These
mainly include immediate and short-term rewards and recognition which act as means for
continuous motivation and for them to give their best to their team, department and the
organisation at large. The employees also expect that they get sufficient exposure within the
diverse functional areas and verticals within the organisation so that they can have a
well-rounded perspective of business and the organisation’s functioning in a period of three
to five years.
Monetary aspects are also important for employees. At the entry level, the pay package
plays an important role in job selection. These are important needs not only in the short-term,
but also in the long-term in terms of asset building and wealth creation. The employees also
expect that the organisation would facilitate the process of their long-term career growth.
80 per cent of ABC staff reside at the project sites. They work in distant locations. Only
20 per cent are in technical, support, design and administration. Thus, the grassroot level
employees (permanent and temporary/contractual labour) also expect facilities in terms of
physical and family comfort, family-type atmosphere in the project sites, accommodation,
transportation, schooling and other social requirements for themselves and their family
members. As 80 per cent of the employees are working on site, the employees expect that
the organisation takes sufficient safety precautions for their health and safety while working
for the organisation projects. Hence, this becomes another critical expectation of employees
from the organisation.
For the remaining 20 per cent of the employees who work in technical, support, design and
administration jobs, the immediate boss is the representative of the company. Hence,
employees would expect that their superiors would facilitate in the satisfaction of their needs
(professional and personal). There is a need for the superiors to coach their juniors.
Whatever knowledge and experience that can be imparted to them, should be done.
Every employee works for his benefit and for his family. Hence, every organisation has to
ensure that they have growth in personal life for themselves and their family. The VP (BMH)
said:
A person works primarily for himself, then for his business unit, then for the organisation and then
for the country. The more you work, the knowledge and experience you gain, it also helps you
perform better and get recognised. If you put in your efforts, the benefits are bound to come.

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PAGE 4 EMERALD EMERGING MARKETS CASE STUDIES VOL. 3 NO. 6 2013