Holidays Approaching

Welcome to “Onsite,” a fresh perspective brought to you by contributing writer Matt Ohley, founder of Bluecollar Mindfulness. In this column, Ohley cuts through the noise and delves into the challenges encountered by those shaping our world through construction. Ohley offers a unique perspective, amplifying the voices of those who experience the daily pulse of life on the job site.

Onsite is our commitment to breaking down the barriers and misconceptions that shroud the construction profession. Ohley aims to initiate open and honest conversations, from job insecurity to the transient nature of projects, physical strain and often-overlooked mental health struggles.

By the time this piece is live, Thanksgiving will have come and gone, but other holidays are on the way.

The holidays are viewed as a time of festivity and family for most of us, and that’s certainly true for most in the construction industry as well.

We look forward to the time off with family, the time away from the stresses and strains of the daily grind, time away from that annoying coworker who, while we love him to some degree, also drives us nuts!

However, there’s  another perspective on this time of year that is often overlooked: the hourly employee.

Thursday, Friday, Saturday, Sunday — that’s the typical Thanksgiving break.

… And there’s still Christmas and New Years. An employee may have more than a week off for those holidays, depending on how the calendar falls. And maybe they don’t have any vacation days to get paid for.

These times off may be valuable for the family, but damn are they hard on the bills.

For many this holiday season, the stress of finances is overwhelming, and that may be an understatement. As grim as it may sound, we all know the suicide rates go up this time of year (I know, I know, bah humbug). But let’s not ignore it. 

Let’s not ignore the fact that, for many in our industry who are barely getting by on a weekly basis already, now they have to come up with hundreds, if not thousands of dollars for gifts, all while working less and still needing to pay the bills that are already a stretch on a normal work week.

It begins sometime in October or so when their spouse starts talking about how they need to start saving for Christmas and they ought to start taking any overtime they can get. (They know …  believe me, they already know.)

But it’s been a long year, and an especially long summer and fall with companies cramming all the work in that they can. Workers are tired.

But alas, that’s no excuse for the spouse and kids. It’s go time. Time to muscle up and push through the end of the year and end strong. The time to be tired and relax is not now, that will come at the end of the season.

So, while many of us are excited about the break and the holidays, let us not forget the stress that it puts many of our brothers and sisters in the field under, and let’s find the opportunity to ask them  how they are doing.  No, not the typical “how’s it going?” ... but ask them how they’re really doing.