A grounded theory study of younger and older construction workers' perceptions of each other in the work place

This study investigated the perceptions of older and younger construction workers of each other in the work place employing the grounded theory approach to building theory.; The study was conducted at union training facilities, offices and construction sites in the Baltimore-Washington Area and at construction sites in the State of Arkansas. Twenty eight in-depth interviews of construction workers (older workers over 40 years old and younger workers under 40 years old) were conducted in order to investigate their perceptions of each other in the workplace.; The research shows that younger workers recognize the fact that union training of apprentices does not go far enough, and that to progress in the trade, they need to know a lot more than they know. They recognize that older workers know what they need to know, and that if they behave in ways that make the older workers feel comfortable with them, the older workers will teach them what they need to know. The older workers know that the younger workers do not know enough for success in the trade and need mentoring. If the older workers feel sufficient "comfort" with the younger workers, they will mentor them. If not, they won't.; The implications for the construction industry are considerable: the unions evidently do not teach their apprentices much more than the basics of the trade, and the older workers are mentoring the younger ones with informal, unrecognized, on-the-job training to bridge the gap in knowledge and skills. As the older workers leave the trade through normal attrition (retirement, death, etc.) their knowledge will go with them unless positive steps are taken now to preserve that knowledge. There is no evidence that anyone is taking the initiative to do so. The consequences of the loss of the knowledge in the industry are reduction of productivity and increased cost of construction.