How a Construction Company Created a Culture Shift with Industry-Specific Training

The Company

A Queensland Construction Leader Specializing in Infrastructure Projects

Mackay Construction Co is a respected civil engineering and construction company based in Mackay, Queensland, with operations extending throughout Central Queensland. Founded in 1998, the company specializes in infrastructure projects, commercial construction, and mining services contracts. With 85 employees—including 68 field workers and 17 office staff—Mackay Construction has built a strong reputation for quality workmanship and reliability in delivering critical infrastructure projects.

As is typical in the construction industry, Mackay Construction operates in a traditionally male-dominated environment, with men comprising over 90% of their workforce. The company maintains multiple active job sites across Central Queensland, with teams that frequently rotate between projects. While the company has always maintained standard workplace policies, the construction industry culture has historically presented challenges for implementing effective harassment prevention measures.

The Challenge

Overcoming Industry Cultural Barriers to Effective Prevention

When Queensland's new sexual harassment prevention regulations were announced, Mackay Construction's leadership recognized they faced unique challenges. "Our industry has traditionally had a certain culture—tough, direct, sometimes rough around the edges," explains Robert Mackenzie, Operations Director. "While we've always had anti-harassment policies, we knew that simply having a written plan wouldn't be enough to create meaningful change, especially with the new regulations requiring demonstrated implementation."

The company initially attempted to adapt their existing workplace policies to meet the new requirements, but quickly realized they lacked the specialized expertise needed. "We had HR develop some basic training slides, but we could tell during the first session that it wasn't resonating with our teams," says Angela Wilson, HR Manager. "The content felt too generic and corporate for our workforce, and we weren't seeing the level of engagement we needed to ensure actual behavioral changes."

Another challenge was coordinating training across multiple job sites with varying schedules and a workforce that wasn't always comfortable with traditional classroom-style learning. "We needed something that would work for our industry context and the realities of construction sites—something accessible, relevant, and that would actually stick with our teams rather than going in one ear and out the other," explains Wilson.

The Solution

Industry-Specific Training Modules That Resonated with Workers

After researching various solutions, Mackay Construction selected QLD Compliance Plan's Professional Plan with the specialized Training Add-on module. "What immediately caught our attention was that they offered construction industry-specific content," says Wilson. "The scenarios, language, and examples were all tailored to construction environments, which made them much more relatable for our team."

The platform's mobile-friendly training modules being used on a construction site

The platform's mobile-friendly design allowed workers to complete training modules on their phones or tablets, making it accessible across all job sites without requiring dedicated computer stations or classroom time. "The microlearning approach—with short, engaging 5-10 minute modules—was perfect for our team's schedule," explains Wilson. "Workers could complete a module during a break or at the start of a shift briefing."

Importantly, the company utilized the platform's customization features to include real-world situations specific to their work environment. "We incorporated examples that reflected the actual language used on our sites and the types of interactions our teams encounter daily," says Mackenzie. "This authenticity helped overcome the initial resistance, as workers could see that this wasn't just generic corporate training but something directly applicable to their workday."

The Results

A Measurable Cultural Shift with High Engagement

Mackay Construction achieved a 93% training completion rate across their entire workforce within two months of implementation—a significantly higher engagement rate than any previous company-wide training initiative. "The combination of accessibility, industry-relevant content, and the gamification elements like completion badges really worked for our team," says Wilson. "Even some of our most skeptical veteran workers engaged with the content."

More importantly, the company saw a 72% reduction in reported incidents related to inappropriate workplace behavior over the six months following implementation. Site supervisors reported noticeable changes in language use and interactions on job sites, and the anonymous feedback feature built into the platform showed that 88% of employees felt the workplace culture had improved as a result of the training.

"This has become a permanent part of our onboarding process and ongoing training rotation," says Mackenzie. "The platform's reporting features have also been valuable for demonstrating our compliance to clients and regulatory authorities, which has strengthened our position when bidding on government contracts that increasingly require evidence of comprehensive harassment prevention measures. We're now planning to expand our use of the platform's training capabilities to cover other safety and compliance areas specific to the construction industry."