When staff are assigned to a job site, staffing is determined based on factors such as the contract amount and the scope of work. As a result, there are sometimes job sites where the roles are reversed—with the chief engineer in their 20s and the supervising engineer in their 40s.
That was exactly the case at an airport construction site I was in charge of as a subcontractor in the past.
I, the youngest member of the team, was appointed chief engineer (site representative)
It was decided at an internal meeting that I would serve as the chief engineer (site representative) because this is a subcontracted project and I have previous experience working on similar sites.
From there, we were supposed to decide how many people to assign and who to put on the team, but my opinion was completely ignored, and the discussion proceeded based solely on the company’s perspective—along the lines of, “These two people are available right now.”
As a result, I, the chief engineer (then 26 years old), and several veteran employees (two in their 30s, one in their 40s, and one in their 60s) were assigned to the project.
At that time, I still didn't know there was an employee with such a strong personality.
“A Sudden Parting Remark”: A Shocking First Meeting
I arrived at the site office before anyone else and set up the various facilities, including desks, chairs, a printer, and a fiber-optic internet connection. After completing all the necessary tasks, I waited for the veteran employees to arrive at the site office so we could meet and get to know each other.
The first person to arrive at the scene was a man in his 40s. Taking advantage of the fact that no one else was there, he suddenly started shouting things like this:
"Why do I, as the engineer in charge of subcontracted work, have to handle construction management—a job usually done by junior staff? At my previous site, I was a supervising engineer for the general contractor on a project worth several billion yen, and all I did was manage the finances."
He probably just wanted to complain to me. I felt a bit frustrated, but since I’m usually the timid type, I froze up and couldn’t say a word.
Shortly after that, two people in their 30s and one in their 60s arrived, so we began the introductory meeting. After a brief round of greetings, I gave a general overview of the process—including how to approach the general contractor before construction begins and the overall construction workflow—and that concluded our first meeting.
Start of Daytime and Nighttime Construction
As long as I am the chief engineer (site representative), I must consider staffing and cost management.
I decided to have a strong-willed person in their 40s and someone in their 60s handle the daytime shifts, while two people in their 30s would handle the night shifts, and I would oversee the entire operation as the general manager.
Daytime Work
Before night work could begin, we had to deliver and install the individual PPC sections, tension the PC steel bars, and pour the PC grout. Since the work up to tensioning the PC steel bars wasn’t particularly difficult, I hadn’t given it much thought, but the PC grouting work proved to be a problem.
Normally, before performing PC grouting work, we weigh the bagged cement to determine the water-to-cement ratio, but it just so happened that the person assigned to that task was a man in his 40s with a very strong personality.
When I went to check on the scene, I found him standing there in a daze, writing on the measuring device and the blackboard.
When I asked, “Is something wrong?” he replied, “I don’t know how to weigh the bagged cement,” so I went back to the office, printed out the manual and the bagged cement weighing log, and brought them back to measure the cement together with the man in his 40s.
Although the work itself went smoothly without any mistakes, the man in his 40s suddenly became very upset. Apparently, he really didn't like being taught by someone younger than himself.
It even got to the point where they said, “Are you making fun of me?” That’s when I realized I’d probably never be able to get along with this eccentric person.
Problems During Nighttime Operations
During nighttime operations, we will use a large all-terrain vehicle to lift the existing NC panels and lay the PPC panels, which have been joined together into three sections.
While laying the panels, I noticed that there were several PPC panels equipped with lighting fixtures (emergency exit lights), and I realized that one of them had been installed in the wrong location.
It all started when a partner company pointed something out to us. They said, “No matter how many times we try, the dowel bar (slip bar) connecting the two PPC units won’t move.”
The night shift staff, including myself, immediately checked the situation. After confirming that the dowel bar had not moved and reviewing the drawings with the night shift staff, we noticed that the PPC plate had been installed in the wrong position.
We’ll stop work immediately. We’ll restore the site to a condition where the aircraft can operate and quickly investigate the cause.
Investigation into the Cause
We immediately checked all the installed PPC panels to see if there were any other misalignments and discovered that two panels were misaligned.
We apologized to the general contractor for this and submitted measures to prevent a recurrence. That night, we rearranged the PCC units and managed to avoid any further issues.
The cause of the malfunction
I figured out right away why the problem had occurred.
The day shift workers had taken the precaution of printing the array numbers for the PPC panels they were installing directly onto the panels so they could be identified even in the dark, but the problem was that the printing was reversed on just two of them.
And the person who got that queue number wrong was a person in their 40s with a strong personality.
The night I found out that the night shift had been canceled because of a mistake I made, I guess I drank to drown my sorrows, because the next morning I showed up for work with a puffy face and still feeling the effects of the alcohol.
As the person in charge on site, I wanted to say, “Please don’t come to work smelling of alcohol!” but in the end, I couldn’t bring myself to say it.
An Apology from a Veteran Employee with a Strong Personality
With the project nearing completion, we decided to hold a farewell party for a person in their 40s who had secured a new position as a supervising engineer at another site.
Since it was the last time, that person seemed to have some lingering regrets and said the following in front of everyone.
"This time, my pride got in the way, and I ended up causing trouble for those around me. Going through something I’d never experienced before reminded me of my days as a new hire. Back then, I eagerly absorbed everything, but as I gained experience and grew older, I had forgotten that beginner’s mindset. This time, working under a chief engineer (site representative) in his 20s, I found myself thinking, ‘Why do I have to work under such a young upstart?’ But this mistake made me realize that I had forgotten that beginner’s mindset. From now on, I want to make sure I don’t lose sight of it.”
After saying that, he started guzzling alcohol until he was completely wasted, and by the end, he was completely out of control—just like in *After the Match* from *Ashita no Joe* (lol).
――Construction sites are home to people of various ages and in various roles.
I think anyone would feel awkward when, like me this time, they find themselves in a position where they have to give work instructions to or supervise someone older than them. To be honest, it’s difficult to handle.
I’m sure many of you have been in this situation before, but when you find yourself in a position of authority over a senior colleague or someone older than you, how do you handle it in the workplace? If you have any tips on how to keep things running smoothly and harmoniously, I’d love to hear them.
