Construction estimators have highlighted “the promise of a work-life balance” as the most crucial element in their decision to leave a preconstruction company to join another.

Their choice came to light after Niche SSP asked 1,379 construction estimators to state whether they would prefer the promise of a promotion or a better work-life balance for joining another company. 

The objective of the survey is to pinpoint the latest trends and the problems the construction industry faces — as it recovers from the staggering effects of the pandemic.   

Disruption of the supply chain network, seismic changes in the prices of materials, staff shortage, and the lack of use of technology are some of the most pressing issues facing the construction business today.

Construction estimators, who take into account all these variables while bidding for contracts or while performing design phase estimating and preconstruction services, face more challenges than most of the people associated with the industry.

Keeping track of the deadlines for estimates, bids of subcontractors, escalating material prices, and inflation has become a testing task. 

And when a company fails to secure a contract because the bid price was too high or too low, or when the preconstruction estimates are perceived to be too high by client's or even internal colleagues, who do you think the boss calls up? 

Yeah, you guessed it! Already under a lot of stress because of putting together twice the number of bids or estimates as compared to the past, it’s certainly the construction estimator who gets frowned upon.

The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health says stress "is the physical and emotional responses that occur in a person when the job requirements and demands exceed the capabilities, resources or needs of the worker which can lead to poor health and even injury"

It is in this context, that the Niche SSP poll asked the construction estimators to make their choices clear. “Work-life balance for sure,” the poll cites 78 percent of the construction estimators from across the US.

Only 28 percent of the surveyed estimators said they would prefer a better construction estimator salary over work-life balance when considering moving from one company to another.

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