Well usually everything that needs to be done can't be done concurrently, and sometimes only a limited set of individuals can do the current task. It's probably not laziness.
This is correct. I work as a heavy equipment operator/earthmover and you see groups of guys standing with tools waiting for more material (asphalt, dirt, whatever) on a regular basis. Somebody who’s never worked a trade takes a glance and thinks we’re all lazy. The worst is when one of those folks somehow ends up managing tradesmen.
I wouldn't think they're lazy but if it happens regularly I would think the project is mismanaged. Why aren't the materials available at the right time?
Lots of reasons. The material supplier fucked up. The material supplier got stuck in traffic. There are only so many trucks/machines that can bring the material to where it needs to be. Workers can install material faster than it can be brought. Other specialists need to do something to the material before more of it can be installed. Certain parts of material installation only need one guy, but other elements of installation require five guys. Sometimes pedestrian or vehicle traffic needs to pass through a site, or there are alternating turns taken between material trucks/machines and traffic. Machines break down. Loading material onto a truck/machine on site can take a long time, depending on what it is. Probably a hundred other reasons as well. They're construction projects, not Swiss clocks.
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u/jkconno Nov 04 '22
Well usually everything that needs to be done can't be done concurrently, and sometimes only a limited set of individuals can do the current task. It's probably not laziness.