We're all going on a summer holiday

We spoke to five construction managers to get their holiday-hell stories.

For Sarah (not her real name) the most galling thing about her ruined holiday was the pointlessness of it all.

It was mid-summer two years ago and her project team was in the depths of snagging. She'd booked a four-day break away, having not had a holiday all year. It had never occurred to her that her boss might refuse to let her go when the time came, but that is precisely what happened when he looked around and noticed how many other people were off that week.

"I went anyway," she said. "But luckily the place was in England, so I could drive the two-and-a-half hours to work each day, and get back to my family each evening.

"The thing was I didn't actually achieve much that week anyway, so it was all a bit of a waste of time in the end."

Not surprisingly, Sarah really believes contractors should programme differently to accommodate the summer months.

"I think we should be able to take impromptu afternoons off to take advantage of the few sunny days we have," she said. "No one likes working when it is glorious outside. We could make the time up on rainy weekends!"

Another construction manager based in Dublin agrees that bosses are too mean. Marcus (not his real name) took a week off when his child was born. That meant that when the Easter shutdown period came around not long after, all eyes were on him to provide holiday cover.

"My contracts manager suggested as he had let me take time off for my kid – even though I gave nine months notice – it was expected of me that I should work this Easter holiday break."

Crisis? What crisis?
Guess what? It was about as pointless as Sarah's "break" because none of the sub-contractors turned up.

Which led Marcus to his second gripe. It's bad enough when subbies bunk off, but why do they have to rub your nose in it?

"Even when you phone the foreman's mobile, he is in the sun by the pool saying, What can I do?" Marcus said. "Why do they all bring their phones on holidays, and then answer them?"

If it's any consolation, construction companies abroad are just as mean with their holiday time. Nigel works in the Middle East, and it's no different there.

"I've had to cut short several vacations due to some emergency or another which mostly turns out to be unnecessary. The worst case was being rushed back from Australia to start a project that ended up not getting underway for another year! Last year I went to Borneo to make sure I could not be found."

Nigel believes that firms could be a lot more grown-up when it comes to managing holidays.

"In reality, nothing really changes when you are on vacation and most things can wait two to three weeks," he said. "But it depends on how you manage your team. If you're difficult with others' vacations you can expect the same in return.

"My own policy is to recognise my people's time and encourage them to take leave when it's due and come back on time. If you delay it becomes more of a problem later on."

So that's if you manage to get a break. If you're stuck on site, it can get even worse. The Mystery of the Vanishing Workforce is another reason that summer is a drag for the construction manager, according to Steve, a project contracts manager in the north west of England. It's a curious phenomenon, and one that no scientist hads been able to explain. Starting in July, skilled, self-employed tradesmen have a tendency to disappear. If you're lucky, you may get a few days notice, but more often than not the first you get to hear of it is when the foreman shows up on a Friday afternoon looking sheepish and saying, "Er, about next week…"

No time to plan
There was a time when you could plan for these things. Regular trade shutdowns and wakes fortnights all meant you could build the programme around regular slow-downs.

But the fluid, self-employed workforce of today have minds – and travel plans – very much of their own. Instant communications fuel their options as well: Whether it's good surfing in Cornwall or a cheap 10 days on the Costa del Sol, people today can act fast to exploit favourable conditions.

And worst of all, there is nothing you can do about it.

"The word Prima Donna certainly springs to mind," says Steve (not his real name). "Because they are so scarce, there is not much inclination to discipline your star gang of plasterers or joiners. We can fire off a few warning letters but there is little long term point in falling out completely with good subcontractors over this."

What boggles the mind for Steve is that site management seems surprised by this every single year. Planners take the wet and windy winter months into account, and yet gun for more productivity in the summer, failing always to predict the absence of fun and sun-seeking workers.

So, it really comes as no surprise that some in the industry treat the idea of holidays with such fear and loathing. One we talked to said outright: don't go.

"If you work for a big company and it is politically driven - don't go," says James (not his real name). "Someone will stab you in the back while you are away. If people don't like you they will find something to go wrong. They'll make sure it gets out of all proportion so that your name is mud by the time you return."

Clearly, construction needs to chill out.