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PROBLEM

You are a Project Manager on site for a work of 3 Km, long tunnel. Has been

underataken. The site is Remote and takes about two days travel to nearest

town. Supervisors, Technicians & Skilled workers are engaged in dangerous/

hazardous work. Absenteeism due to sickness, quarrels, drinking are adding to

less output of work and chances of accidents are increasing. Management has

urged to do something so that time target can be achieved.

Discuss how will you tackle the problem and increase the output of the work?

INTRODUCTION :

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The task here is really the measures one can adopt to increase the

output of work taking the problems into concerns hence several

practicing plans are emphasized. Project manager should know his duties

& responsibilities & full knowledge of pros & cons of his decisions &

activities.

Significance of personnel plan :

Each Company hiring workforce has a plans & set of goals formulated.

The purpose of these plan is to spell out various aspects & sequences of

personnel work & look at it with as an integrated program of action.

Each business corporation or company has a varied personnel plan which

is instrumental for the growth & motivation of the workers & the project.

A personnel plan always revolves around personnel objectives of the

company such as viability, success, growth & social responsibility.

Objectives such as absenteeism, labour turnover, grievances, strikes,

lockouts, etc can be highlighted in an quantitative manner rather than a

qualitative.

Nature of personnel policy plan i.e. personnel philosophy & objectives of

the enterprise. The central part of every personnel policy is the reward

system. The reward system has two parts: satisfiers & motivators.

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Basic needs of the person :

Basic human needs, such as adequate and nutritious food, clothing, housing,

clean water, and health services are very important aspects which are to

be provided to the workers, technicians residing at the site premises.

- A small dispensary or an aid of mobile dispensary periodically could be

made available to keep & monitor health issues of workers & there family.

If possible a 24 hr emergency ambulance should be always kept on site

in case of emergency or accident so as to rush at nearby hospital, if long

then provision for a small hospital wherein minor & accidental surgeries

could be done should be provided.

- Ration system provision with cheaper rates of food, kerosene should be

planned.

-Small education centre or education camps should be encouraged for the

families & children of workers which would also prevent child labor.

- Shelter which is also very important aspect for workers, technicians as

town is quiet far (2days) so arrangements on site for their habilitation

temporary structures which could be easily dismantled & reused should be

used at the same time as the site progresses its vicinity with respect to

work area could be minimized & erection time is also small. Construction

techniques for the erection process should be easier & materials should

be cost effective such as steel obtained from demolition or scraps if easily

usable. Erection & dismantling should be such that any worker , labor must

be able to do it.

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Role of satisfiers & motivators :

Satisfiers: Satisfiers are intended to balance out the inconvenience. A good

reward system would always prove boon to balance out unpleasant aspects

of work which includes fairness; in grievance handling, wage increases, &

promotion opportunity or work scheduling. One aspect of fairness is equity,

everyone of equal condition being treated in the same way. It would also

look up at the family healthcare for instance if any family member of the

worker or a technician are not doing well then reward system in terms

of medical claims would be important.

Motivators: Motivators are basically related to the in built talent of an

individual in shaping & moulding it, Motivators are in some ways ways

different or opposite of satisfiers. When adequate satisfiers exist it is

possible to build motivators into personnel policy. Motivators rest on

individuality.

If so ever there are any lacunas or reasons due to which technicians &

skilled workers engaged in hazardous working conditions so are prone to

abseenteeim, sickness, quarrels, drinking etc. then leaders has to see

whether the gulding principles of personnel management plan are

exercised? which includes :

a) Introduction to the job must be friendly, skillful & adequate.

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b) Appreciation of ones effort.

c) Care & skill should be excercised in the selection of employees.

d) Consideration should be given to the effect that each rule and instruction may

have on the feelings of employees.

e) Management should be absolutely fair in every policy and every practice.

f) each employee should have have a sense of pride in the

worthwhileness of his work & his company.

g) Employee should take part in planning those things which affect their

working conditions.

h) Conditions should be such that working proves to be a satisfying social

experience & a means of making livelihood.

Level of groups on site i.e. formal group or informal group.

Formal groups are those which are deliberately created by managers in

order to fulfill specific tasks. These can be of two types a) permanent

Formal groups (b) temporary formal groups.

Informal groups: are of two types horizontal cliques & vertical cliques the

former is the informal association of the workers, managers, or

organizational members who are more or less in the same rank, & the

work is somewhat similar as well. The later vertical clique is a group

composed of members from different levels within a given department.

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Role of a project manager :

The project manager has to be a good decision maker. He has to take a right

decision at right time

The project manager has to play a role of a leader in this particular project. He

has to take the team along with him, give a feeling of belonging and the same

time meet the date of completion.

The project manager must be understand the behaviour of various formal and

informal groups in the organisation.

A manager performs three types of roles :

1) The interpersonal roles arise directly from authority and refer to the

relationship between the manager and others. In this manager has a figurhead

role as a symbol of organisation.

2) The second interpersonal role is called the leader role. In this role the manager

uses his or her influence to motivate and encourage subordinates to

accomplish organisational objectives.

3) In the third type of interpersonal role the manager undertakes a laiison role.

This role recognizes the managers often spend more time interacting with

others outside their unit than they do working with their own superiors and

subordinates.

As a project manager strong communicative & interpersonal skills, must

become familiar with each line of organization & should have the general

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knowledge of the technology say for example modern methods of tunneling

techniques which includes

Knowledge of Modern tunneling techniques :

Tunneling machines, sometimes

called moles, make an initial cut

into rock with a cutterhead.

Individual disk-shaped cutters are

set into the face of a powerful,

rotating head, which may be more

than 5.5 m (18 feet) in diameter. As the machine bores through rock,

conveyor belts transport rock particles, muck, and any other refuse away

from the head. Concrete segments are erected to line and protect the

tunnel as each area is hollowed out. The building of a tunnel is known as

driving a tunnel and involves advancing the passageway by blasting or boring

and excavating. Tunnels through mountains or underwater are usually worked

from the two opposite ends, or faces, of the passage. In the construction of

a very long tunnel, vertical shafts may be dug at convenient intervals to excavate

from more than two points. Improved boring and drilling machinery now allow a

tunnel to be driven four or five times faster than was possible with older

techniques.

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A project managers performs three types of roles. 1) the interpersonal roles

arise directly from authority & refer to the relationship between the

manager & others,

2) Second type of managers influences to motivate the subordinates.

Site Safety :

Site safety is the most important thing a project manager has to take care

about and make others aware of the hazards of unsafe sites. Based on the

declared safety policy and supported by safety tool box the Project manager is

required to conduct meetings periodically and all men under their control are

made aware of all aspects of safety. Simultaneously all individual workers

should be given pocket books highlighting the hazards of unsafe sites. Location

of equipment must be marked prominently. Reporting procedures for accidents

and updating statistical records should be adhered too. Body protection like a

hard helmet and safety belts should be mandatory . Specific protection during

work

During excavation of tunnel:

Warning signals should be provide

Prevent water from accumulating in trench

- Inspection of shoring everyday

- Keep ladder or other means of emergency exit within 10m

During blasting of tunnel:

- Explosives and detonators should be transported separately & safely

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- Installation of red flags around the area of blasting

During electrical installations in the tunnel:

- carried out by person having a valid license

- labourer should wear rubber gloves, boots, mats safety belts etc

- all wires and cables should be properly laid

FIRST AID:

First aid on site is required timely and if not given on time could be life

threatening. First aid is required on site for the following reasons

1. Severe bleeding

2. Drowning

3. Electric shock

4. Asphyxiation.

5. Sunstroke.

6. Bruises and sprains.

7. Particles in eye

8. Broken bones

9. Heat exhaustion

10. Severe blow on head

Hygiene Factors :

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Light weight common lavatories should be planned at strategic locations on

site & near shelters for ladies/gents & proper bathing units should also be

considered which could be moved easily.

Site cleanliness which includes dumping of debris outside the residing

places & regular checks on site. Toxic materials should be disposed soon

from site.

Motivating techniques :

As a technician, worker labor (Labor, effort necessary to satisfy human

needs. It is one of the three leading elements in production) one would always

expect appraisal from the supervisors or the senior management in the

form of verbal or may be wages or perks which would boost the spirit

for work & may help in pacing up the production or tunnel work. Each

time material gains for workers would not be the motivating factor

rather praise for individuality & person`s pride more important. There are

several ways of motivating project personnel

a) Assigning work as a challenge & as competition between workers.

b) Clearly defining performance expectation.

c) Giving proper criticism as well as credit.

For ex: Habitual drinker may build a habit of producing insatisfactory

results which would might be the reason of not coming on time

next day & would support seniors to criticize in form of demotion

or suspension. Similarly if a malfunction if so ever occurred in the

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construction or technical equipment & the technician or a skilled

labor has solved it at non working hours so as the tunnel work is

not hampered then a appraisal in public & private by the

supervisior or the manager would really prove a booster for him as

well as other worker & a guarantee of efficient work could be

expected from them.

d) Providing a good working atmosphere.

e) Developing a team attitude.

f) Providing a proper direction.

Job Enrichment :

a) Giving workers more freedom in planning work methods.

b) Encouraging participation of subordinates & interaction between

workers.

c) Giving feedback on their job performance.

d) Workers, skilled workers, technicians always wish their seniors

project managers, supervisors are truly concerned with there

welfare.

e) It is important to analyze that how important money is for the

technicians, workers etc.

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Organization of manpower :

Manpower of the firm, company is a very important asset which plays a

vital role in productivity or the work output, so it is essential to have a

precise workforce with a right attitude.

The manpower planning process involves the following steps:

1) Understanding the projects in all its details - contracts

condition, technical specification, estimates of quantities,

construction methods & techniques, time frames.

2) Classifying & categorizing labour requirement & various jobs

by level of skill, responsibility, nature of work.

3) Tentative plans for completion i.e - tendering of job ,

- updating information technical or administrative during

execution stage.

- Providing for grace period or lead time

4) Putting a price for each job - wage/ wage pay by considering

following factors:

- Level of skill required

- Job knowledge required

- Degree of responsibility

- Nature of hazards/ unpleasantness in the job

- Minimum wages law

- Critical skills

- Relative wage structure in the company.

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- Special attention areas

- Career opportunities

- Over/ under manning

- Gang labour.

Job description :

Before hiring any individual may be a technicians, workers it should be

crystal clear about the nature of job, risks involved, job commitments, &

wages which might not become a reason for absenteeism, job frustration,

invalid growth opportunities, hence standard formats for job description

should be used for clarity, economy & efficiency of producing the job

description.

Writing a job description involves the following steps:

- State a title, designation & reporting relationship

- Prepare a list of all duties to be performed ( regularly,

daily, weekly.

- Describe each duty in detail (avoid vague terms)

- What is most responsible duty?]

- Amount or Percentage of time spent on each duty or closely

related groups of duties.

Job evaluation :

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Job evaluation is the process of determining the worth or pricing of a given job.

For a typical job evaluation situation a employee, technician, worker

provides information about the job they are doing , there experience, skills

which is supposed to be mentioned which are essential for a recruiter to

decide an suitable incentive plan for that employee.

For a recruiter determining the worth of the job or evaluation is based

on three points.

- Classification plan

- Point rating plan

- Factor comparison plan.

Classification plan :

i)Write description of all categories of employees.

ii) group them as per the nature of the work ( technician, worker skill

labor).

iii) Sub- classify them by the level of difficulty & degree of responsibility

in handling the job. Further sub classification.

With these information scale of wages are decided .

Point Rating Plan :

i) Identify & select the common characteristics/elements/factors to all jobs

in the project.

ii) A schedule of values in points is attached to each factor.

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iii) Each job is then analysed to determine the degree of each

element.

iv) Select the following factors in each job:

Mental ability

Skill requirement

Physical requirement

Responsibility handled

Working conditions.

Prepare job description & performance standard.

The productivity of the existing labor can be increased for wage

incentives, improved technology, changed organization structure & work

methods.

Role of Leaders :

Leadership involves process of influencing activities of an individual or a

group in efforts of goal achievement in a given situation.

Technique of the leader: a) Authoritarian leadership

b) Democratic leadership

This will play a vital role in deciding the output of the work or productivity ,

The former authoritarian style of leader behaviour is often based on the

assumptions that the power of leader is derived from the position they

occupy & that they are innately lazy & unreliable. The later democratic

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style assumes that the power of leaders is granted by the group they

are to lead & to be creative at work if properly motivated.

As a result, in the authoritarian style, all policies are determined by the

leader & in democratic style policies are open for group discussion &

decision.

Leadership is what a person does to help a group decide upon a common

goals & achieve them. Common goals of a work group in an organization

are predetermined. Skill lies in making people decide on their own what

organization wants them to decide. Nature of leadership would prove

decisive for the growth perspective of productivity & output. So flexibility

in leaders plan would always be important which should be practiced by

a leader. Analysis of several issues such as absenteeism, sickness,

quarrels, drinking, should be taken into considerations by a leader while

laying proposing new plans for the company & respective plan should

be laid. The leader should be very precise & to the point in

communication with the subordinates & workers.

Keys for leadership :

a) Communication

Keeping lines of communication open & unchoked.

Making people understand what you want them to understand.

Making people tell you what should be told & not what you want to

hear.

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b) Disbursing punishment

Disburse promptly & in private.

With teaching what would have constituted good.

After punishment assume a normal attitude towards employee.

c) Giving appreciation.

For specific job well done

With a sense of pride & use of emotion

Given publicly.

d) Demonstrating effect

Subordinates should know you can do better & faster than what they

can do.

e) Knowledge of Organization

Structure, rules & regulations & technical process.

f) Practice general rather than close supervision, delegate when & whom

to delegate.

g) Set example of punctuality, result centredness, accountability.

Habitual latecomers should be pressurized so that it they are punctual

from the next time.

h) Concentrate on

Getting work done/not doing it yourself.

i) Work of consensus

Getting work done/ not doing it yourself

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Laying it yourself on the line is not the test of efficiency. How easily

can you make subordinates do it.

Modern tunneling techniques :

New tunneling techniques have not eliminated all the hazards of tunnel

digging. Water, sometimes as much as 72,000 liters (about 19,000 gallons)

a minute, can pour into tunnels not yet lined with concrete or plastic

sealers. The water, which must be pumped out continuously, inconveniences

workers, causes tunnel roofs and walls to collapse, damages equipment,

and causes delays in digging. In recent tunnel projects, attempts have

been made to freeze the tunnel area before blasting or digging to prevent

flooding before the walls can be sealed and lined. With the exception of

some water and sewer tunnels, in which water seepage is not a problem,

most tunnels are lined permanently with wood, concrete, or steel, or a

combination of the three.

Dust from blasting is another serious hazard, causing illness among workers

and delay in digging. A machine that sprays a fine curtain of water to

settle the dust following a blast has recently been used.

Despite extensive safety precautions, accidents in tunneling are common. In

1960, in Japan, 22 workers were killed in a blasting accident. In 1965 a

concrete roof collapsed in a railroad tunnel in Montral, killing 7 persons,

and in 1966 heat and humidity killed 4 workers in a Chicago tunnel.

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Working conditions :

In addition to wages and fringe benefits, unions also bargain over hours of work

and other working conditions. The eight-hour day can form an important demand

of the early union movement when many workers routinely put in 12-hour

or longer days, six days a week. Now a days, unions and management

routinely bargain over tuition remission (partial reimbursement of tuition

fees), cost-of-living adjustments (increases in wages because of inflation),

safety and health protections on the job, maternity and paternity leaves

(paid or unpaid leave following the birth of a child), and various types of

detailed work rules, indicating the tasks that a unionized worker can and

cannot do.

In the absence of unions, workers do not have an established mechanism

for informing employers of grievances about working conditions, wages, or

other aspects of the employment relationship. If a single worker were to

complain, the employer might respond by demoting or firing the worker.

Nonunion workers typically register their dissatisfaction by voting with their

feetthat is, by leaving the firm or company. Because unions give workers

a recognized channel for airing grievances, labor turnover is lower in

unionized firms. Collective bargaining thus leads to a more stable

workforce. Thus a situation shall be analyzed further from the companies in

house policy & at the same time its effect on the output of work.

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BIBLIOGRAPHY

Papers on Management in Construction Industry by Prof. K.N.Vaid

Project Construction Management by P.K.JOY.

Building Construction By R. Chudley.