The other day, a superintendent asked a 25-year-old crew member if he had seen the printed project schedule. The crew member looked up, pulled out his phone, and said, “Yeah, I already uploaded yesterday’s changes to the cloud and pinged the PM in the app.” The super laughed and said, “We used to tape that thing to the trailer wall and hope it didn’t blow away.”
Welcome to the modern job site, where paper plans feel like fossils and your youngest team member might troubleshoot your tech faster than IT.
This isn’t new, but it’s becoming more obvious. Gen Z isn’t just comfortable with tech. They’ve grown up inside it. Smartphones, instant access, FaceTime for help, YouTube for how-tos…it’s all second nature. So, when they show up to work, they have certain expectations. Why would they not use the best tool for the job?
That mindset shows up quickly. They want to clock in on their phones. They expect to find specs, updates, and messages in apps. They are not here for paper-heavy systems or, “this is how we’ve always done it.” If it feels clunky, they’ll either avoid it or find a better way.
There’s a deeper reality beneath this. Gen Z values efficiency because their time outside of work matters as much as their time at work. This generation doesn’t live to work. They work to live. They are not romanticizing 40-hour weeks, 20 hours of overtime, and bearing the “hard work badge of honor.” They want to get the job done, do it well, and then log off and live their lives: spend time with friends, go to the gym, take a trip, or just chill with family. The less time wasted on outdated systems, the faster they can get back to the things they love.
So, what does that mean for construction companies? It means looking at how your team works and asking, “Is this the fastest, simplest way to do this?” And if it’s not, it’s time to change it.
- Swap paper timesheets for a mobile time tracking app like Raken or busybusy. Let them log hours from their phones before they leave the site instead of waiting to write it down later or bring it back to the trailer.
- Trade static PDFs and binders for real-time drawing access using tools like Procore or PlanGrid. Let them zoom in, mark up, and flag changes as they happen. No more hunting for the latest version or walking across the site to double-check the prints.
- Replace long onboarding meetings with short videos and in-app microlearning. Tools like BuildWitt Training or TalentLMS help break down skills in a way users will engage with and remember.
- Let go of the email chains. Use platforms like Slack, Zoom, or Microsoft Teams for quick communication and real-time updates for quick meetings available to those in the field and the office. Team members in the field aren’t constantly checking their e-mail, so it’s important they don’t feel disconnected or left out of important updates.
- If you still require people to fax signed documents or manually fill out forms, that’s an easy win. Electronic signatures and digital forms save time and administrative burden, and honestly just feel normal to Gen Z.
These small changes add up. They say, “We see how you work best, and we’re making it easier to do just that.”
What surprises some people is how much they want feedback. Growing up with likes, streaks, and stats, they are used to knowing how they are doing in real time (IRL). Regular check-ins, progress dashboards, and small shoutouts carry weight. They want to grow, and they want to know where they stand.
At the end of the day, this shift is not just about being trendy. It is about making work better for real people. If we want to attract and keep this next wave of builders, we have to rethink how technology fits into the culture, not just the process.
Yes, construction is still filled with hard work, grit, and follow-through, but efficiency is the real strength finder these days. Gen Z wants WiFi, real time updates, and a jobsite that runs like the apps on their phone – smooth and efficient.
