Four for one

Yes, really- there are four grown men working on one single project. Have you noticed there are always more people watching the “work” than people working? This is not the first time I have seen men watching men work.

I watched them from the comfort of my home. The first one working held a water container with a spray nozzle. He wore the white hat and sprayed the ground where the second man came along and used a machine to saw into the asphalt. The third man pointed and told each of them what to do. One of them backed the truck up and the fourth man pulled the excavator up to the spot to start removing the asphalt.

From my experience, we had one with professional expertise- the bucket operator, one supervisor, two regular employees learning how to dig up a street to get to a line for the city.

What is the project? I don’t really know. They just showed up and parked in front of the house before they started working. I figure it’s water, sewer, gas, electricity or some public good. I wasn’t nearly as captivated by the project as the work assignments. Do you think two men could have done this job? Sure, if both men were willing to work hard. The two doing the hard work- Mr. Water Sprayer and Mr. Asphalt Cutter climbed into the hole up to their thighs and started digging out more dirt. The bucket driver climbed down to observe the hole. The supervisor stood slightly to the side and observed it all.

I know a private contractor who operates his own business, runs an excavator and is quick to use a shovel to do bigger projects than this. He does it all and makes a decent living.

Is it me, or do others feel this “team philosophy” has gone too far? 🙂 Yes, it’s hot and they can take turns. Yes, I am sure it’s easier to parse out the “jobs” and have someone really good at watching, digging, excavating, etc.

However, I recall when I was a child that anyone standing around watching was chastised to “get to work”. I can hear my father now- “Doesn’t that shovel fit your hand”? We scooped drains out for crops and dug potatoes or other vegetables as a family. I wasn’t standing ready for a specific job. We didn’t have the depth or numbers for that.

Instead, we were “cross trained”! I recall a supervisor commending me on how “everyone in your department is so well trained – cross trained to the point things keep running smoothly no matter who is out”. Well, that’s right. In this case, I would have had four men who knew how to do all of this project and only two would be assigned the job.

Oh, now I just looked and 3 are watching while the bucket operator digs a little more, stops and looks and goes back to his seat. Perhaps, it’s necessary to do group work to have moral support. College students do group projects now to evidence the skill of teamwork. In many cases, there are team players who don’t pull their weight, but the larger group pulls them along so they succeed based on group process. Maybe, that’s what we have here. A group project to build the team and make a stronger unit. Sounds nice- but seems very expensive!

Wow, all four men certainly do look pleased and proud! Amazing!!