There are plenty of chances for our crews to clash while on the job. We face tough, frustrating situations daily. When we are either preparing for or placing concrete under tight deadlines, is often when tempers flare.
There are usually three reasons why we face conflict on the jobsite.
- When more than one person is involved, we have different ideas on how to accomplish a task. Our multiple opinions won’t always mesh.
- Problems arise when someone feels their reputation is being threatened by others.
- We don’t always communicate everything from the get-go.
How can we address jobsite conflict without it becoming destructive? Here’s how I recently dealt with a heated situation in a healthy way, which resulted in a better working relationship.
Our crew was finishing a slab in a maintenance garage for farming equipment. We had a few troweling machines running down the slab when suddenly one of the other finishers started yelling at me. We were on different loads at the time, and I couldn’t hear him over all the noise. Still, his tone and body language were clear.
I’m not a dog
Among my many unhealthy thoughts was, “I’m not a dog! Don’t talk to me that way. In fact, don’t ever talk to me that way again.” I thought how I would confront him in front of the rest of the crew, maybe even humiliate him a little bit. But then I came to my senses and realized that belittling or antagonizing him wouldn’t help either of us.
When we both had a break, I politely asked to speak with him privately. Calmly, I said I couldn’t hear him earlier and I asked him why he was waving his arms and screaming at me. He said he was trying to keep me off of the cold-joint because my troweling machine was heavier than his and mine would throw off his pattern.
I then explained how much I respected his finishing skills, especially on a troweling machine. In fact, I thought he was better on a machine than I was, so I told him so. I said if he had any suggestions that could help me improve, I would be happy to hear them. But, I told him, ranting at me wouldn’t help.
This other finisher and I wanted to produce a quality slab we could all be proud of. Since that day, he has helped me become even better at my job, and we get along great.
So, address problems sooner, not later, and tackle the issue, don’t attack a coworker’s character. Embarrassing people or putting them on the defensive will not help, so always start with respect. If you are aggressive or disrespectful, you’ll only add fuel to the fire. When you find yourself at odds with others, don’t try to tear people down. Find a common goal and build on that.
