Every morning my alarm would go off and I’d lie there in the dark staring at the ceiling trying to muster the strength to get up and face the cluster f*** of a day I was about to embark on. 

 

As a Construction Worker 'that lonely feeling', in the dark, at circa 5am, is something you can only truely understand if you've done it day-after-day, week-after-week, month-after-month... it never gets easier, it's always a battle to face the day that's coming.

 

Construction is something that can only be understood from the inside.

As such "most people" who have "normal jobs" just have no idea, nor concept, of how bloody hard-a-life Construction Work is and can be.

 

Yeh you get paid big money (relatively speaking) for what you’re doing – that is ABSOLUTELY beyond dispute - but geez you earn it. 

 

Often it’s hard enough just getting through the standard 8 hours let alone the inevitable Overtime that follows.  

 

It's not just physically hard – it's mentally and emotionally taxing to a point that the fatigue never really leaves you. It becomes a part of you.

 

That's because the hours are massive, the rest is scarce, it's 6+ days per week and the SACRIFICES are huge. 

 

Further to that most Construction jobs are repetitive, boring, monotonous and you’re often treated like sh*t. 

 

Construction is not like other industries or careers where you have things like HR Departments and where your company trains you, invests in you, values you and supports you.  

 

In Construction it’s the opposite.  

 

As a Construction Worker you’re on your own, sink-or-swim, from the start. You’re given little-to-no support, almost by design, and as a result you NEVER feel completely certain or comfortable.  

 

In fact, it’s the most uncertain work environment you could hope to be in. There’s no guarantees and zero job security. 

 

Your company keeps you and everyone else you work with in the dark.  

 

Management don’t tend to worry about communicating to the workforce so you never really know what’s happening on the job or (more importantly for you as a worker) any feedback around where you stand and how long you’ll be “needed”. 

 

Those conversations with management just don’t happen like they would in other industries.

 

The only information you have access to is from the constant rumour’s, conspiracy theories and secondhand hearsay that circulate through the site like a bushfire... 

 

 

“Something doesn’t feel right bro… I’m telling ya, I’ve been around a while yeh…” 

 

 

This is an industry that used to sack you before Xmas and then rehire you in Jan – and that was considered “normal”. 

 

But that’s the way it’s always been and that’s the way ‘they’ like it. It keeps you on edge, nervous and compliant. 

 

It creates this constant state of uncertainty about where you stand with the company and whether they “rate you” enough to keep you around.  

 

You find yourself constantly wondering how long you’ll be there and/or where the next job will be after this one finishes. 

 

 

“They reckon this job will go for 3 years…” 

 

 

Yeh right!? How many times have you heard someone say that… ha ha. The job might go for 3 years but that doesn’t mean you’ll be there till the end. 

 

Everyone craves the certainty that never comes. 

 

Construction Workers are basically mercenaries so that’s how you have to behave.  

 

Don’t trust anyone too much, always look after number #1 and follow wherever the work and the coin is - without hesitation. 

 

 

There’s not much loyalty, things can change overnight and mostly it’s a dog-eat-dog game. 

 

 

Most companies and job sites operate the same way, treat you the same way (often like sh*t) and after a while it all starts to look and smell the same… the only difference being the company names on the shirts. 

 

At the end of the day it doesn’t matter which company you work for or whether you’re in Commercial, Civil, Mining, FIFO, Rail... if you wear a Hard Hat to work it's all the same sh*t isn’t it. 

 

Yet… here we are ha ha  

 

Here we are signing up to “another day in paradise” - “livin the f****n dream”. 

 

It’s sh*t work but you do get paid well and I’ve never met a Construction Worker that wasn’t working for the right reasons. 

 

Sure, you might drink too much to ease the pain at times, some even get into the harder stuff etc but for the most part everyone is doing their best to help themselves have a better life. 

 

There is honour in that and you should be proud you can provide for yourself and for those you care about. 

 

So whilst your boss, your company, even your family and mates might not see the sacrifice and effort you put in – I definitely do! 

 

It might not feel worth it at times but the hard work pays off in the end.  

 

All I can say is - I know it’s tough out there, it’s a “sh*tshow” at times and you probably hate it but you are doing what you’re doing for the right reasons. 

 

Just remember that. 

 

Thanks for reading – my name’s Stuart and I own and run GRAFT Construction Wear. 

 

GRAFT is a brand exclusively for YOU if you wear a Hard Hat to work everyday – We See You, We Stand with You and We Get it... 

 

Thanks so much again for reading! 

 

Cheers 

 

Stu 

PS: If you'd like to read more articles from me related to Construction Life click here

PPS: I'm not Johnny Sins

PPPS: If you haven't heard of GRAFT before...

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