What Is It Really Like to Be a Construction Site Supervisor?
Often,"Being a site supervisor is a demanding job."That's what people say.
In this post, I’d like to touch briefly on what makes the job of a site supervisor so challenging in practice.
It's a big responsibility
This is something people often say, but I definitely feel it’s true. As the head of an on-site organization, I feel that the ripple effect is quite far-reaching whenever I make a mistake.
Also, while an apology might suffice if you were simply making a mistake in your own work, since your job is not to do the work yourself but to give instructions, the scope of the impact always extends to include the number of craftsmen involved.
I think it’s especially tough for new employees to have that responsibility thrust upon them right after joining the company. It makes me feel sorry for them that they have to push through it anyway. In any case, it’s a situation that feels challenging.
Long working hours
I hear this a lot, too. I have to start preparing well before the morning meeting begins, and I have to conduct inspections and wrap things up after the craftsmen have gone home. While this is part of the inevitable nature of the job as a foreman, I do feel that my working hours are long.
We absolutely must prioritize the safety of our workers, while also ensuring our own protection. Of course, in the unlikely event of an accident, we can’t have a situation where there’s no one there.
Since the very nature of the job involves “taking responsibility,” that’s why working hours inevitably end up being long. There’s work to do to prepare for the craftsmen, and more work to do after they leave, so I don’t think many people are able to leave exactly on time.
Heavy workload
While this depends largely on the company's approach, as mentioned earlier, the wide range of industries means that the scope of work naturally becomes quite broad.
For example, suppose you hire a home helper to clean your house. To give that person instructions and get them to do things the way you want, you’d draw a diagram or explain it, right? You might be able to manage that if it were just one person, but at a single job site, there are hundreds or even thousands of workers coming in.
In that case, there are instructions for each of those people. And preparations are in place to ensure that many people can move smoothly. It’s easy to imagine that it’s not that simple, isn’t it?
In that sense, it’s a job with a heavy workload and a lot of stress. On top of that, you have to deal with clients, designers, your boss, and senior colleagues, and there are internal documents and company policies to navigate—so I think the tough part is that there’s just so much to do.
There's just too much to remember.
For example, if you take a part-time job like working the register at a convenience store, you’d probably think you could get the hang of the basic workflow in a day or two, right? After all, it’s just the same thing over and over again.
The construction industry has an enormous variety of job roles, and there are even more skilled workers. And the people we’re dealing with are all professionals. When dealing with such professionals, we can’t very well say, “I don’t know anything about that,” can we? That’s exactly why there’s a mountain of things we need to learn.
Otherwise, they won't listen to a word I say. That's why I have to keep learning every day. Plus, new technologies and products are constantly coming out. In other words, no matter how much I learn, there's always more to learn.
What’s more, if you don’t understand it correctly, it could easily lead to a serious accident. In that sense, too, I can’t help but think it’s really tough.
I still want to support young people who are doing their best
Of course, times are changing, and I believe things are moving in a positive direction with every passing moment. However, it’s also true that there are many companies where that isn’t the case.
In this unique situation where we’re dealing with amounts in the tens of billions or hundreds of billions, there are times when I feel like I’m about to be crushed by it all. There are even times when I just want to run away.
I’ll continue to support the young people who are hanging in there and doing their best to face these challenges head-on. I wrote this post with that sincere hope in mind. I really want you to know this.
