Superintendents relying more
on mobile tech, survey finds

by DARYL LANG, Managing editor, FieldLens | Feb 27, 2015

FieldLens recently conducted a survey in which we asked construction professionals to name the hardest job in construction. The overwhelming most popular answer: Superintendent. We also learned, both through the survey and through a series of interviews, that superintendents find their work highly satisfying and are embracing mobile technology. (See below for highlights.)

Superintendents hold the industry’s most difficult job, but they are also among construction’s happiest workers, according to a survey conducted by FieldLens, published in a new free ebook titled Superviews: Stories, Stats, and Secrets of Construction Superintendents. We posed 12 questions on job satisfaction and technology habits to 163 superintendents to gather data on a group rarely featured in industry surveys. The ebook includes survey data as well as information about superintendent salaries and stories on how some superintendents ended up in their career.

When asked to name the hardest job in construction, the most common response was “super” or “superintendent.” Compared to other job titles in the survey, superintendents also were more likely to say their own job was the hardest. At the same time, 68% claimed to be “very happy” with their jobs, compared to 59% of construction professionals overall. Reasons for job satisfaction included the ability to lead project teams, building relationships with workers on the jobsite, completing the projects they oversee, and continuous opportunities to learn new things.

Respondents noted a growing reliance on technology, as expectations for better and faster work increase. Survey results showed that 95% of supers use mobile devices at work, and 76% of them use mobile devices at least once per hour. Apple is the brand of choice, with 76% of supers using an iPhone, and 51% using an iPad. Android products come in second with 29% of respondents using an Android smartphone, and 7% using an Android tablet. Some supers even reported using more than one mobile device.

Superintendents are an important and influential force in the construction industry. Understanding their habits and views on the state of the construction, as well as how they are perceived by their peers, is important in knowing how to attract and maintain the best people in this critical role.