Constructing a new reward strategy

Reviews reward management practice in the construction industry, based on a postal survey of larger construction firms. The research results provide little evidence of thorough‐going use of reward management to encourage and reinforce organizational change. Collective agreements survive for manual employees. Non‐manual employees are loosely grouped in broad‐banded grading structures with significant scope for managerial discretion in the treatment of individual salaries. However, there is little evidence of developed performance management systems. The absence of more formalized reward systems may provide a short‐term benefit in allowing considerable flexibility but may have negative implications for long‐term productivity, the control of wage costs and the availability of skills. Given the uneven gender balance, existing pay systems could also give rise to claims for equal pay.