The construction industry is one of the largest in the world—but also one of the highest-risk sectors for modern slavery.
In industries reliant on temporary, low-paid, or migrant labour, exploitation often goes unnoticed, allowing bad actors to thrive. Complex supply chains, subcontracted labour, and intense cost pressures create conditions where workers are underpaid, misled, or even forced to work under illegal conditions with no way to report abuse.
And the problem is getting worse. Reports to our UK-wide Modern Slavery & Exploitation Helpline on suspected construction cases surged by 269% in just one year—rising from 32 cases in 2022 to 118 in 2023.
So, what is the key to tackling this issue? Worker engagement.
This article explores how strategies—like site visits, worker wellbeing interviews, and independent audits—can help your business uncover hidden risks and drive lasting change in the sector.
What is worker engagement and why does it matter?
Worker engagement isn’t just a tick box exercise—it’s a game changer.
It means actively involving workers in decision-making, safety protocols, and workplace culture. When workers feel heard, valued, and empowered, they’re more likely to report abuse, demand better conditions, and hold employers accountable. This strengthens compliance with modern slavery laws and upholds ethical standards.
Engaged workers also act as frontline monitors, providing real-time insights into labour conditions—flagging unethical recruitment, wage theft, and unsafe working conditions before they escalate.
When businesses prioritise worker engagement, they create a culture of trust —leading to safer, fairer, and more accountable supply chains.
The biggest challenges to worker engagement in construction
Despite its importance, engaging workers in construction comes with challenges:
- High turnover rates: a constantly shifting workforce can make it tough to maintain engagement.
- Language barriers: workers who don’t speak the primary language onsite may struggle to understand their rights or participate in engagement initiatives.
- Cultural differences: attitudes toward workplace engagement vary across backgrounds meaning that certain groups may be harder to mobilise.
- Lack of awareness: many workers simply don’t know their rights or how to report exploitation.
So, how do we overcome these obstacles? By creating a culture that prioritises worker voices.
Regular feedback sessions, team-building activities, and recognition programmes boost engagement. Open conversations about modern slavery risks and labour rights, backed by training and informative resources, empower workers to speak up. Proactive outreach helps workers report exploitation confidentially and safely.
A practical approach to tackling forced labour – worker wellbeing site visits
One proven strategy? Worker wellbeing site visits —on-the-ground assessments that provide direct insight from workers themselves.
While internal audits and policies set expectations, they often fail to capture the reality on-site. That’s where direct worker engagement makes a vital difference. By speaking with workers—whether employed directly, by subcontractors, or through labour providers—businesses gain an unfiltered view of how well protections actually work in practice.
Unlike traditional audits, worker wellbeing site visits focus on confidential, one-on-one conversations with workers. Conducted by trained experts, these visits take a person-centred approach to uncover risks that might otherwise remain hidden— especially in cases where language barriers, subcontracted labour chains, or fear of retaliation prevent workers from speaking up.
Through these conversations, businesses can:
- Assess how well their policies translate into real-world protections.
- Spot gaps that could leave workers vulnerable.
- Ensure supplier codes of conduct are enforced.
- Strengthen reporting channels and build worker trust.
Without proactive worker engagement, risks like wage theft, unethical recruitment and unsafe conditions often go unnoticed—allowing exploitation to thrive.
What Unseen’s worker wellbeing site visits revealed
In 2024, Unseen’s business engagement managers conducted 18 worker wellbeing site visits across various industries, uncovering key trends:
- 59 cases of missing or inadequate right-to-work checks.
- 117 cases where workers had no knowledge of whistleblowing procedures.
- 15 language barrier concerns.
- 38 instances where workers had no written contract.
- 47 cases of informal recruitment through friends or family.
Want to see more common findings and what you can do about it? Check it out below.
How to conduct worker wellbeing interviews effectively
Preparing and conducting worker wellbeing visits successfully can feel overwhelming. Here’s what you need to know:
- Prepare properly: define clear objectives and train interviewers in handling sensitive topics. Safeguarding training for vulnerable adults is essential.
- Ensure confidentiality: workers must feel safe to speak openly without fear of retaliation. This is crucial for building trust and encouraging honest feedback.
- Ask the right questions: if a worker is in a situation of exploitation, this can be a very sensitive topic to discuss. Use a trauma-informed approach—one that prioritises empathy, safety, and empowerment—when inquiring about working conditions, recruitment, wages, hours, and treatment by supervisors.
- Follow-up: analyse the data collected for red flags and create an action plan.
- Commit to continuous improvement: regular wellbeing interviews help monitor progress and proactively reduce modern slavery risks.
Case study: How ISG strengthened worker wellbeing to address modern slavery risks
Global construction company, ISG, partnered with Unseen to strengthen its anti-modern slavery efforts, starting with a comprehensive gap analysis. This helped benchmark their practices, identify weak spots, and develop a stronger on-site worker engagement strategy.
Unseen’s worker wellbeing assessments improved ISG supply chain oversight and shaped updates to their audit framework.
“Our collaboration [with Unseen] further refined our approach to workforce engagement across our sites, with expert guidance on ethical employment practices across our business and supply chain,”
Although ISG entered administration in September 2024, their commitment to fighting modern slavery remains a powerful legacy, inspiring the wider industry to take action.
You can download the free case study below.
Why bring in expert advisers like Unseen?
Having independent experts conduct worker wellbeing interviews can transform engagement efforts. Here’s why:
- Objective insights: third-party organisations provide unbiased, credible assessments.
- Specialised expertise: organisations like Unseen have specialised knowledge, question frameworks and experience in identifying modern slavery risks. In other words, we know exactly what we’re looking for.
- Worker trust: employers often feel safer opening up to an external organisation, meaning you’ll capture more accurate and comprehensive insights.
- Accountability: external oversight helps ensure businesses follow through on commitments to improve conditions.
- Industry best practices: specialised third parties like our business engagement managers bring real-world knowledge from working across multiple sectors.
Contact us to see how we can help you
Want to improve worker engagement and create a safer, more ethical workplace? Unseen can help.
Contact us today to learn how we can support your business—email us at business@unseenuk.org or call us on 0303 040 2888.
