TRADIES NAIL FLEXIBILITY

FLEXIBILITY and work/life balance are often associated with white collar work but they are attainable for tradespeople and technicians, too.

These workers can take advantage of early starts, which occur in most trade workplaces, to dedicate their afternoons to family commitments or hobbies.

They also can start small businesses and therefore choose the days and hours they want to work.

Others again may decide to work contract to contract with breaks in between, or work part time.

While part-time work is less common among trade workers than the general workforce, almost half of hairdressers (43.3 per cent), more than a quarter of gardeners (28 per cent), one in five butchers (19.2 per cent) and one in eight painters (12.9 per cent) work fewer than 35 hours a week, Federal Government data shows.

Hays senior regional director Simon Bristow says the level of flexibility in a trade depends on the type of projects involved.

“Large projects are fastmoving and require all hands on deck, as there is usually tight completion deadlines,” he says.

“On these, the average working day can be between 6am and 4pm … (and) staff are expected to be present for the full length of time, as more manpower means quicker turnaround times.

“Smaller fit-out projects, such as in a shopping mall, are often done overnight and urgency for completion is not as great. This means there is more opportunity for flexible working.”

Bristow says many tradespeople work from one project to the next, meaning they sometimes have big breaks between jobs.

SEEK research reveals work/life balance is the third strongest driver of attraction in the construction industry. More than one in 10 workers rates it as the most important factor when choosing a new role.