Onsite With Matt Ohley
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 appears in the publication, 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