Reflective narrative

Ethical Practices in the Construction Industry

Introduction

Ethics are standard principles and practices that define the business environment. They act as an effective guide for the top leadership level that is mandated to make key decisions. Ethics revolves around standards of integrity and honesty that all stakeholders in the construction domain should observe. For example, construction managers should act responsibly and ethically so that followers can emulate them. Workers always mimic the behaviors and actions portrayed by their leaders. Thus, there is a dire need to ensure that appropriate ethical values characterize the construction industry. Key thematic areas focusing on this sector include gender equality, resilience, adherence to construction acts, affordable housing, and building efficiency. Construction stakeholders are expected to observe these elements to achieve excellent outcomes. The paper will focus on respective stakeholder groups and the associated values they are expected to cultivate and portray. A connection between these values, relationships, and complexities will be examined in this paper. Another area of interest is the role that ethics plays across the local and national construction sectors. Also, the paper will assess the impact of codes of conduct, regulation, and legislation inform professional practice. An explanation of skills and knowledge associated with each key thematic area will be provided, followed by a personal position. Overall, acting ethically and responsibly is the foundation of successful construction projects locally and globally.

Key Stakeholder Groups, Associated Values, Relationships, and Complexities

Key Stakeholder Groups

Construction projects encompass a wide range of stakeholders. They include the project management team, shareholders, workers, subcontractors, suppliers, financial institutions, media, and community members who benefit from the project outcomes. However, the key stakeholders are the customers, subcontractors, suppliers, the project team, and the government. These groups are expected to act ethically and responsibly to ensure the project’s success. This helps to create honor, reputation, and the value of this essential profession.

Values, Relationships, and Complexities Surrounding Ethics in the Construction Industry and the Link with Different Thematic Areas

Moral and ethical principles act as the foundation of construction projects. All stakeholders are expected to observe trust, honesty, trust, commitment, and respect. Everyone should recognize and apply these values in the Victorian construction industry (Ayers et al., 2013, p.545). Adherence to these ethical values ensures that all the stakeholders can interact appropriately to deliver quality project outcomes. Undoubtedly, the Victorian Construction Industry is defined by distinct ethical values that portray the relationship between all stakeholders. One of the major themes in this domain is gender equality. Construction projects should integrate diverse populations. Each of these populations can generate ideas that enhance project performance. As Wu et al. (2019, p.409) note, diversity leads to task conflicts that may improve performance. When teams generate ideas, they stand an opportunity of having a quality solution at their disposal. Thus, construction projects should accommodate gender diversity. Even though team members might disagree, they provide numerous viable project insights capable of delivering advanced results. Everyone must treat each other with respect across all construction projects. The other key theme is resilience and adaptability. Project stakeholders build on resilience and adaptability when they trust, observe commitment, and remain honest to each other. Also, industry unions should engage in honest and fair practices. Another significant theme that calls for the highlighted ethical values is the design element.

Contractors and other project stakeholders should relay information about the design to other respective parties. This is a major action that seeks to build trust, honesty, commitment, and respect. It enables all the project stakeholders to work in unison because they have a common goal and objective at hand. Notably, building efficiency entails the appropriate use of project resources. When all the project team members focus on building trust, honesty, and trust, they become committed to delivering the expected results. Another significant theme is the health and safety of the professionals working on the ground. The management should collaborate with parties like the Government and the shareholders to lay appropriate strategies that meet the health and safety of the team handling the project on the ground.  Housing affordability is another common theme in this domain. Building and construction projects should focus on meeting the needs and welfare of the renters and occupiers. This calls for honesty to ensure that the project outcomes are delivered to meet this objective. Lastly, ethical practice within the construction industry ABCC integrates aspects like commitment, honesty, and trust. The team handles promotion, understanding, and enforcing Australia’s workplace laws in the building and construction industry (Australian Government, 2019, p.3). The team provides information, resources and advises everyone about their obligations. Ethical values like honesty, respect, and trust are essential for this team to pass crucial information to respective project stakeholders. Even though project stakeholders might encounter instances that challenge their ability to trust and be honest, these are vital values to build. There is always a potential way of handling disputes to enable them to observe commitment, respect, trust, and honesty.

Overall, the Victorian construction industry presents significant ethical values that all project stakeholders are expected to observe. These include trust, commitment, honesty, and respect. In line with the identified themes, respective parties are expected to follow and adhere to these ethical values and practices. These are imperative ethical values that stand to enable project stakeholders to handle their duties effectively. For example, in catering to the health and safety of the project team members, the employer should consult with the workers to develop effective policies. The interaction is based on trust, honesty, respect, and commitment to boost worker’s health and safety.

The Role of Ethical Practices in the Construction Industry across the Local, National, and International Environment

Ethical practices set the tone of the relationship between the contracting parties. Conflicts of interest can raise inadequate relationships between different parties in the construction field. Unethical behavior results in poor project quality (Adnan et al., 2012, p.720). This calls for effective relationships that guarantee project success. Thus, contracting teams should engage in ethical behaviors and actions to set an excellent tone for their relationships. It subsequently exposes a project to greater success as parties can work hand in hand and accomplish tasks and responsibilities. The building and construction domain is defined by various ethical practices that all parties are expected to observe and fulfill. For example, stakeholders engaging in construction activities should rely on quality documentation practices, prompt and timely payments, fair treatment of contractors, among others. Observing these elements creates a viable environment between transacting parities as it sets the tone of the relationship. This is a key step towards achieving the expected deliverables. For instance, when a project manager lays suitable mechanisms to guarantee the health and safety of the team members, there is a higher chance that sets the link between the two. The project team leader attains the set milestones due to the excellent working relationship one cultivates with the group members through improved health and safety protocols. These protocols apply across local, national, and international environments. Also, ethics eliminate adverse contagious behaviors.

Ethical behaviors practiced in the construction project lead to positive behaviors and actions that other stakeholders can emulate. Unethical behavior is mainly contagious and could pose a significant threat to achieving the targeted goals and objectives. For example, if the project team leader is unaccountable, team members are likely to emulate this adverse behavior. The project risks attaining poor outcomes due to the leader’s lack of accountability and responsibility and the team members. For example, corruption and bribery exist as common negative practices in the construction sector. As Vee and Skitmore (2003, p.3) reveal, these are common unethical practices reported across various projects. They portray fraud, breach of confidence, and negligence. Observing ethical practices is an important way of avoiding contagious unethical behaviors. For example, if a project team declines a bribe, one passes similar values to the team members. A project handled by such a team has a higher chance of being successful and delivering the intended deliverables to the targeted beneficiaries. Ethical behaviors apply across local, national, and international settings where team leaders are mandated to create a viable environment for the group members.

Codes of Conduct, Regulation, and Legislation that Inform and Impact my Professional Practice

Integrity and honesty, acting honorably and ethically, respect for the rights of others, zero-tolerance to harassment are essential codes of conduct that define my professional practice. In any position, I always believe in meeting these expectations. I always act with integrity and honesty because I believe that these are values that unite team members. Also, acting honorably and ethically enables a professional to earn trust and respect from fellow members. Notably, I always believe in respecting the rights of others while eliminating any form of harassment. As a team leader, I would ensure that I develop a fair and just working environment to provide equal opportunities for all. These are ethical codes of conduct that always define my professional practice.

Health and safety, lifting operations and equipment, and construction regulations are notable approaches that I always align with within this key sector. I always ensure that I develop a safe and secure working environment. I understand the accident and incident threats that might emerge in this industry and am always positioned to deal with them by creating health and safety strategies. Also, I ensure that workers handling lifting operations are secured from potential accidents. Additionally, I always ensure that the construction activities are as per the regulations. Besides following set regulations, adherence to construction legislation is another important area for producing the desired outcome. I always base my behaviors and actions in line with the Victorian Building Act of 1993. I always remain committed to the safety and health of those using construction buildings, environmentally efficient buildings, and amenity of these structures, as highlighted in the Victorian Building Act of 1993 (Victorian Legislation, 2021). These are some of the practices that I incorporated in my profession while following current legislative pieces. Overall, I base my professional construction practice on suitable codes of conduct, regulation, and available legislation defining the building and construction domain.

Valuable Skills and Knowledge in the Construction Sector

The construction sector is dependent on the main skills and knowledge that align with each of the identified themes. Some of these skills strong reading and math skills, effective communication, experience with technology, and willingness to learn. These skills translate to advanced project outcomes because project professionals possess top-notch skills and abilities to transform project ideas into visible outputs. For example, the gender equality theme attracts skills like self-belief, teamwork, and effective communication strategies. This will enable me to invest in building a diverse project population. The resilience and adaptability theme calls for skills like willingness to learn, experience with technology, and viable communication practices. Thematic areas like the role of design, housing affordability, building efficiency, and infrastructure development in the State of Victoria call for adequate exposure to technological skills, excellent vision, and mechanical knowledge. Ethical practices within the industry call for notable self-management, teamwork, critical thinking, and problem-solving skills.

I believe that all these thematic areas are integral elements that characterize all construction projects. For example, there is a dire need to ensure that construction projects accommodate both men and women as potential workforce in a highly diverse environment. This is one of the areas that project managers should pay increased attention to. Also, resilience and adaptability, ethical practices among industry unions, ABCC teams, efficiency, design, and observance of health and safety exist as other common practices that all projects should integrate. However, I believe that housing affordability is not always possible. For example, some projects established in urban regions might attract increased costs and might not be sustainable for the poor income households.

Conclusion

Ethical practices are guiding aspects for project stakeholders in the building and construction areas. All stakeholders must cultivate, practice, and observe key ethical practices and values that encompass capacity for delivering the expected milestones and objectives. These values include honesty, integrity, trust, respect, responsibility, and accountability. Alongside these values lies the need to observe regulations and legislation. For example, health and safety regulation is one of the perspectives that project managers should consider to ensure that they create a viable working environment. Also, observing themes like gender equality, resilience and adaptability, building efficiency, design role, and observance of ethical practices are aspects that project stakeholders should consider. They stand a massive opportunity of allowing them to achieve the desired milestones and deliverables. Overall, projects are likely to achieve the expected goals and objectives when stakeholders observe codes of conduct, regulations, and legislation.

References

Adnan, H., Hashim, N., Mohd, N. and Ahmad, N., 2012. Ethical issues in the construction industry: Contractor’s perspective. Procedia-social and behavioral sciences, 35, pp.719-727.

Australian Government. 2019. Australian Building and Construction Commission.

Ayers, G.F., Culvenor, J.F., Sillitoe, J. and Else, D., 2013. Meaningful and effective consultation and the construction industry of Victoria, Australia. Construction Management and Economics, 31(6), pp.542-567.

Vee, C. and Skitmore, C., 2003. Professional ethics in the construction industry. Engineering, Construction and Architectural Management.

Victorian Legislation. 2021. Building Act 1993. Retrieved 24 May 2021, from https://www.legislation.vic.gov.au/in-force/acts/building-act-1993

Wu, G., Zhao, X., Zuo, J. and Zillante, G., 2019. Effects of team diversity on project performance in construction projects. Engineering, Construction and Architectural Management.