To improve construction ratings, we have introduced a two-day weekend work schedule
The other day, “What if a small-to-medium-sized construction company were to enforce a “full two-day weekend system”…An article titled “...” was published, but actually, even at the local construction company where I work, a two-day-off-per-week work schedule was suddenly introduced recently.
The reason is that it qualifies for an increase in the construction evaluation score. It appears the company decided to implement it after creating a schedule and determining that it would not affect the construction timeline.
Since adjustments will also be made to cover the necessary expenses associated with the implementation of a two-day weekend, it seems there’s no reason not to adopt it. Personally, having two days off every week has been a huge help for my mental well-being.
However, after we somewhat forcibly introduced a two-day-off-per-week work schedule, this is what happened at my company.
There is also a lot of opposition to a two-day weekend at the worksite.
The thing that struck me most after introducing the two-day-off-per-week construction schedule was that roughly half of the workers want two days off per week, while the other half do not.
When I first announced on-site that we would be “introducing a two-day-off-per-week construction schedule,” several of the craftsmen were the first to object. Of course, I had already explained that the necessary budget adjustments would be made and that this would eventually become the standard practice, but quite a few of the craftsmen believe that higher expenses mean they can earn more money by working on their days off.
Even when we explained that “we’re only being reimbursed for the additional expenses incurred by implementing a two-day-off work schedule,” the message didn’t really get through, and some people thought, “If we mark it as a day off on the time sheet but actually get some work done, wouldn’t we make a profit?”
If we had taken the time to explain the situation repeatedly and gained the site crew’s understanding before implementing the change, the outcome might have been different; however, because we suddenly introduced a two-day-off workweek, there were many instances where the site crew simply did not understand.
If you don't plan your construction schedule weekly for a two-day weekend, you're in for a world of trouble.
I’ve learned something from implementing a two-day-off-per-week construction schedule. It’s that if you don’t plan out your schedule in detail every week, you’ll pay the price.
In civil engineering projects, the schedule is heavily influenced by the weather. It is necessary to develop a plan each week—as part of preparing the weekly construction report—and carefully assess whether the project can proceed as scheduled while maintaining a two-day weekend work schedule.
Because I neglected this task, the project ended up running right down to the wire. We had to suspend our two-day-a-week construction schedule to rush the work, which not only wasted money but also resulted in us not even being reimbursed for our expenses—a major blunder on my part...
――This time, my company made a series of mistakes resulting from the half-hearted implementation of a two-day-off-per-week work schedule, which led to a waste of both money and effort.
Once construction shifts to a two-day weekend schedule, we’ll have to ask the craftsmen to make even greater efforts than before to shorten the construction schedule, which will place a significant burden on them.
If you’re going to implement a two-day-off construction schedule, it goes without saying that it’s important to plan thoroughly from the start—including identifying where the changes will have an impact and determining who needs to be tasked with what—and to explain the plan to all relevant parties to ensure their understanding.
Before you make a mistake like the one my company made.
Once construction with a two-day weekend begins, we’ll have to ask the craftsmen to put even more thought into finding ways to shorten the construction schedule than they have in the past, and
Are they crazy? We’ve already been doing our absolute best to meet that deadline, so asking for more is just making a mockery of us.
By raising the unit price slightly and significantly reducing the construction period, the number of man-days per day increases, so the effective unit price actually decreases.
The biggest problem is that many workers are paid on a daily or monthly basis❗
If you take more days off, your pay will go down❗ Do you get it?
That's right. The workers always ask, "Can't we work on this site on holidays? Can we work on Sundays?" When the schedule is tight, we naturally have to work on holidays, but while the workers get paid a daily rate, most salaried site supervisors work for free.
Isn't this more than just a matter of having two or three days off a week?
If you count it in terms of "business days"—like banks do—there's no problem.
For people who work for a daily wage, this is a matter of life and death.
Do you understand how to track man-hours? We couldn’t work for a whole day because of the rain. We’ve set aside five days as a buffer, so we have four buffer days left. I want to keep three days in reserve just in case, so let’s work an extra hour and a half each day this week to catch up.
Is it really that difficult? Before anything else, isn't it standard practice to check on progress every day? Why don't you try learning a bit about production management?
To begin with, since most on-site workers are paid by the day or month, working on their days off isn’t just a matter of ”maybe” making more money—they’ll actually earn a full day’s pay. If they were on a monthly salary, there’s no way the workers would object; they’re only opposing it because there’s no guarantee of a daily wage.
A two-day weekend is possible as long as the site in question is shut down for the weekend; if the company considers Saturday a business day, it can assign workers from a shut-down site to work at another site. Technically, this isn’t allowed, but since the client can’t verify exactly who is doing what, the system operates on the assumption that everyone acts in good faith.
This way, government agencies and business leaders can show the public that they’re genuinely implementing work-style reforms, creating a win-win situation. Don’t you think they’re taking workers for fools by using tax money to cover these extra expenses?
If you had more time off, you could just take on a side job. But craftsmen are too dumb to think that far ahead, lol.
If it were that easy to make money on the side, I wouldn't be struggling, you idiot.
Labor costs have remained unchanged for 30 years
Take-home pay is declining
Daily and Monthly Wages in the Day-Labor Industry
Are you kidding me?
All they do is mistreat the workers on the front lines
Can't you guys do it, trash industry?
If we have two days off a week, we’ll have to extend the project schedule accordingly—otherwise, we’ll end up in a tight spot.
Even without that, there are cases where multiple contractors end up competing for the same job or work comes to a halt due to bad weather—it’s because they schedule the work without considering that time is limited. When craftsmen ask if they can take a day off, it’s not about the money; it’s because they want to make sure the project stays on schedule, right?
Because this system was introduced, my income has gone down, and I have to work part-time all night just to cover my parents’ nursing home fees. I wonder if my body can hold up...
What is a system that intentionally increases the number of deaths from overwork?
I'd like to be able to work at a leisurely pace like I used to.
I guess it must be even harder for business owners (tears)
For workers paid by the day, more days off means less pay.
If I get one extra day off a week, my pay will go down by 60,000 yen, right?
It's only natural that life is getting tougher.