EllisDon engaged workers and improved labor productivity by 8% with Crewscope.
EllisDon is a prominent employee-owned Canadian construction company with a diverse portfolio of major civil, commercial, and residential projects. It is renowned for building the world’s first retractable rooftop stadium, SkyDome (Rogers Center), and Dubai Waterfront, the most extensive waterfront development in the world.
Labor productivity in Construction has been declining for a generation. The labor crisis has exaggerated this challenge. There is far more work than workers, and construction contractors need new ways of motivating crews. In a recent interview, the retiring CEO of EllisDon said that his number one priority was getting contracts. In the future, his successor’s most important job would be finding workers.
Engagement Parameters
EllisDon Industrial won the site service contract for the Capital Line LRT in Edmonton. They relocated underground water pipes to give the rail tracks the right of way. Crewscope piloted the program with this crew in March 2023, with work completed in December 2023.
EllisDon Engaged Workers and Improved Productivity
✅ Crews demonstrated 100% forecast accuracy for every target.
✅ Improved labor productivity by ~8% and saved 846 hours. At a $100 fully burdened labor rate, this represents $84,600 in cost savings
✅ The Crew earned $8,530 of rewards and redeemed them in Crewscope for gift cards
✅ Leadership reported improved retention and morale
✅ Total Program ROI: 10x
Site Leaders on Engaging Workers and Improving Productivity
“It works well, there is strong buy-in from the field, the crew likes seeing the target and it improves focus. Now with Crewscope, the crew is thinking about production, whereas before, the attitude was, ‘Whatever happens is fine.’”
Expansion
Given the pilot program’s success, EllisDon invited Crewscope to work with crews at the Alberta Legislature Plaza and First Nations Housing Projects.
The Productivity Unlock
→ Workers are thinking about production hours rather than just punching the clock.
→ The crew took the initiative to follow up on supply delivery to avoid delays.
→ Social pressure to perform and not sit idle. For example, the Bobcat operator was observed getting out of the cab to find jobs around the site. Before Crewscope, the operator would sit and wait in the cab.
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Frequently Asked Questions
- How did engaging frontline workers improve productivity?
In this case, Labor productivity increased by 8% because of the use of real-time data, direct feedback tools, and giving workers immediate feedback, which encouraged them to take initiative and boost both overall productivity and performance. - What were the results of the Crewscope pilot program?
The pilot program achieved 100% forecast accuracy, saved 846 hours of labor, generated $84,600 in savings, and earned $8,530 in rewards for workers. - What happens when workers are motivated?
Motivated workers are safer, have better attendance, are more productive, attentive, engaged, and take more initiative. - What is the evidence for improved labor productivity?
When a positive shift in mindset was encouraged and seen with workers focusing more on productivity rather than just clocking hours.
