Neither is freely available on the average site. But Josephine Smit finds that operative welfare is a high priority for some contractors and clients. When operatives on one Oxford building site want a cuppa, they don't get out their vacuum flask, or their wallet. They go to the site canteen, where they can enjoy a free cup of tea or coffee courtesy of contractor Willmott Dixon Housing. For the site's 400 workers, it represents a saving of about 25p per hot drink, but, for the contractor, the gesture is costing up to £500 a week on a 29-month programme. So, why do it? The motive for Andy Hill, Willmott Dixon Housing's chairman, is not pure philanthropy, but improved performance. He views the drinks his company is giving away as a cost-effective means of injecting a feelgood factor into the site and smoothing the progress of a high-pressure £27m contract.
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