For temporary construction management engineers, technical skills and knowledge are essential.
It goes without saying that for construction management engineers working as temporary employees at construction sites both in Japan and abroad to earn a living, their success depends on their basic technical skills, such as construction management and drafting.
Aside from that, there are also workplace relationships and the unique rules of the general contractor where you’re assigned, but without basic technical skills, you won’t be able to succeed as a professional temporary worker. Otherwise, you’ll just be treated as a mere number, exploited for cheap labor.
We also need to adapt to the unique characteristics of each general contractor. There are significant differences in common sense and technical knowledge among the people working on-site at the general contractor where we’re assigned, so we have to adjust accordingly.
What’s more, full-time employees at major general contractors believe that their own way of doing things is “absolutely correct” and “unparalleled”—but only within their own company. You have to work alongside a whole swarm of people who have become “frogs in a well” or “arrogant know-it-alls.”
Consequently, it’s quite common for contract engineers like me—who have worked for various general contractors and seen construction sites both in Japan and abroad—to encounter situations where, upon joining such an organization, we find ourselves scratching our heads, thinking, “This is clearly off” or “The quality is poor.”
In situations like that, how should you respond?
Should I tell the general contractor where I'm assigned, "Black is black"?
Needless to say, on construction sites—whether in Japan or abroad—the most logical approach isn’t always adopted. Even when discussing technical matters alone, the underlying assumptions aren’t always the same.
Even though I know intellectually that “the world isn’t all about logic,” I believe that, as an engineer, it’s a matter of principle that “I can’t call something white when it’s clearly black.”
So, instead of dithering over what to do, I make it my top priority to figure out for myself what’s really right—no matter what the people at the general contractor where I’m assigned say. It’s important not to just follow the lead of the full-time employees or get swept up in the atmosphere, but to solidify my own knowledge where it’s still vague.
I want you to keep digging until you're absolutely certain of what the right answer really is.
However, you should be flexible in how you make that argument. If you press too hard on “inconvenient truths” for the general contractor you’re assigned to, your contract will be terminated immediately.
I, too, once had a bitter experience at a construction site overseas. The site management by that general contractor was quite sloppy, and they showed no intention of stopping the substandard work just because we weren’t in Japan. I warned them repeatedly, but every “outsider who spoke up” was systematically fired. I believe the general contractor responsible for this project will eventually face serious social and international repercussions (I intend to share the full details of this incident in the future and bring it to the public’s attention).
A Sloppy Construction Site Run by a General Contractor That Uses Temporary Workers
At that general contractor’s construction site, even the most basic standards—such as bending, splicing, and anchoring rebar—were not being followed.
I pointed this out to them repeatedly, but the people from the general contractor insisted, “That’s fine!” and wouldn’t budge.
Since the person from the general contractor said so, I initially turned a blind eye, thinking, “Oh well, whatever!” But when I realized there were no rebar layout drawings and it was my turn to draw them, I suddenly found myself at a loss. I figured that since I was the one drawing them, I couldn’t just slap together a sloppy set of drawings.
In the end, even though I was just a temporary employee, my pride as an engineer wouldn’t let me, so I drew proper drawings—different from the ones I’d made up until then.
That didn't sit well with the people from the general contractor. "It's because of the temp workers that the site is in chaos!" they yelled at me.
In the end, I lost my temper and was sent back home.
However, even in situations like these, I made sure to prove my worth as an engineer.
I was finally able to gain a firm grasp of the “detailed knowledge and information about rebar” that had previously been vague to me—even more so than the engineers from the general contractor who were actually on site.
For us construction engineers, mastering precise techniques is our top priority. “Even if we fall, we won’t get back up empty-handed!” We must always maintain that mindset.
What Site Managers Need Next After Construction Skills
Managing a worksite requires a solid and extensive knowledge base, but that alone isn't enough.
You must be able to communicate necessary information in a way that workers can understand, taking into account the on-site conditions, as well as the workers’ skill levels and numbers. This is the most difficult aspect at overseas construction sites.
So, it’s only natural that engineers who are considered top-notch in Japan are completely useless overseas.
How can someone who is used to giving instructions to top-level craftsmen in accordance with Japanese laws and regulations possibly provide any kind of guidance to a bunch of people who, until just yesterday, were doing farm work with hoes?
Just how far back do I have to go to explain the correct installation method?
While testing the waters, start by bringing it up to at least an average level. That’s the first step, but don’t rush it. Nothing is going to change overnight.
It takes two to three months to assess the workers’ capabilities and earn their trust. It’s not uncommon to encounter situations where knowledge gained in Japan is completely useless. Unless you can persevere, construction management overseas will be difficult.
At construction sites overseas, you’re also required to adapt to differences in language, customs, food, religion, and so on. English is a must. Occasionally, you’ll see employees from major Japanese general contractors who can’t speak English, but most of them are useless—you can’t even have a proper conversation with them.
Ultimately, no matter where in the world you work, the people you’re giving instructions to are human beings, not machines. It’s a universal truth that construction engineers must be mindful of the emotions of the people on-site.
Reprinted from "The God of Construction"
