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Site Manager Hours/Salary Dublin

  • 12-09-2019 8:13pm
    #1
    Registered Users Posts: 262 ✭✭


    Evening gentlemen

    I have a query regarding what is the typical site manager hours and salary for a main contractor in Dublin.

    I signed a contract as salaried 65000 per year as a 0800 to 1730 role. No mention that work starts on site at 0700 in the interview or contractor

    I find myself mainly doing days 0700 to 1800 or 1900 and just feel used.

    Bringing it to the project managers attention,the replies I get are “what did I expect its construction, it’s not a 0800 to 1730 role, “ etc

    To be honest, I wouldnt have joined if I knew hours would be 0700 to 1800 or more most days.

    I am very experienced after moving back from London, and there is no one else onsite that can do my role,

    Is a 65000 salary fair for these hours as a site manager in Dublin and is these hours typical in Dublin for a site manager?

    Many thanks for your advice


Comments

  • Moderators, Society & Culture Moderators Posts: 38,158 Mod ✭✭✭✭Gumbo


    Know a guy that left one of the big companies because of this. You were expected to be always on call.

    Site works can legally start until 7am subject to Planning.


  • Registered Users Posts: 262 ✭✭Ryu Hayabusa


    Thanks kceire

    Works start at 0700 in this site, there has been days 0700 to 2100 at night, and a few days of 0600 start due to concrete pump.

    Coming from Uk, so not sure if this is normal hours for a site manager here.

    I can see why your friend left a big company, if the hours were like mine, it is no life


    kceire wrote: »
    Know a guy that left one of the big companies because of this. You were expected to be always on call.

    Site works cannot legally start until 8am so they must expect you in the office for paperwork?


  • Registered Users Posts: 651 ✭✭✭madmac187


    kceire wrote: »
    Know a guy that left one of the big companies because of this. You were expected to be always on call.

    Site works cannot legally start until 8am so they must expect you in the office for paperwork?

    Site hours of 7am start are not illegal. It’s a norm fully compliant with DCC planning. It’s the norm.


  • Registered Users Posts: 651 ✭✭✭madmac187


    Thanks kceire

    Works start at 0700 in this site, there has been days 0700 to 2100 at night, and a few days of 0600 start due to concrete pump.

    Coming from Uk, so not sure if this is normal hours for a site manager here.

    I can see why your friend left a big company, if the hours were like mine, it is no life

    I do the same mate on a site probably not too far away from you lol. It’s not easy and I drive 2 hours either side. So my day starts at 5am and finishes at 8pm it’s the norm in Ireland unfortunately.


  • Registered Users Posts: 31,001 ✭✭✭✭Lumen


    Keep a journal of your hours. Working Time Directive of 48 hours per week applies unless you have agreed in writing to an opt out, but it's averaged over a 17 week period, and excludes rest breaks (e.g. lunch).

    Sources:
    https://www.legal-island.com/articles/uk/features/hr/2018/aug/the-pitfalls-of-the-working-time-directive/
    https://www.citizensinformation.ie/en/employment/employment_rights_and_conditions/hours_of_work/rest_periods_and_breaks.html

    Read your contract carefully. Does it clearly state the hours, and are there any overrides clauses of limitations like "normallly" and "but may be expected" etc?

    Figuring out whether your employer is in breach of your contract and/or the WTD, and having evidence of that breach in the form of a journal at least gives you some possible leverage in future discussions, and if as a result of those discussions you get fired (normal good practice is to wait until the first year is up so that you are protected by unfair dismissal) then you have choices about what to dp.

    There will always be "you'll never work in this city again" idiots, and Ireland is a small place, but on the other hand, if these hours are unbearable then what do you have to lose?

    This is not legal advice.


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  • Closed Accounts Posts: 71 ✭✭eoinob50


    Definitely the norm for construction site manager in Ireland. I wouldn't do it for 65k though


  • Moderators, Society & Culture Moderators Posts: 38,158 Mod ✭✭✭✭Gumbo


    madmac187 wrote: »
    Site hours of 7am start are not illegal. It’s a norm fully compliant with DCC planning. It’s the norm.

    Yeah sorry, just so used to quoting 8am I went and checked the 3 grants I got this week and sure as heel, they are all 7am.

    Thanks.


  • Registered Users Posts: 651 ✭✭✭madmac187


    kceire wrote: »
    Yeah sorry, just so used to quoting 8am I went and checked the 3 grants I got this week and sure as heel, they are all 7am.

    Thanks.

    Tbh I wish you were right lol 😂


  • Moderators, Society & Culture Moderators Posts: 38,158 Mod ✭✭✭✭Gumbo


    madmac187 wrote: »
    Tbh I wish you were right lol ��

    I'm 1/6th right, 8am on Saturdays :D


  • Moderators, Science, Health & Environment Moderators Posts: 23,202 Mod ✭✭✭✭godtabh


    If you want to work On site they are the types hours.

    I’ve yet to here of a site manager doing a 9-5


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  • Registered Users Posts: 835 ✭✭✭Ronney


    Is that €65 all in or is there allowances/car/bonus on top of that?

    Worked myself for a Big Main contractor a few years back and 7.00-19.00 was expected too. As was nearly every other Saturday.

    The pushing point was after working the first 2 weekends in December I was asked at 18.30 on the last Friday before Christmas to come in on the Sunday!

    I politely said now and was accused of not being a team player (despite averaging 60+ hours per week) and asked why and what was I doing that I couldn't work.



    If your looking for Manageable hours I'd look to try work in residential for a developer


  • Registered Users Posts: 262 ✭✭Ryu Hayabusa


    It’s 60000 salary, and 5000 travel so 65000 total. No car

    The hours are very excessive, worked a 0600 to 2300 last week, and 0700 to 2030 another day, and a Saturday also. Other days are 0700 to 1730

    My contract is 0800 to 1730, and I feel exhausted due to these hours and being the only operations site manager there

    It’s fair exhausting, one reply I got from a project manager about it when I said it to them “that it’s not like I’m doing heavy lifting” and this manager does a 0800 to 1730 role nearly daily, which winds me up.

    The 2 project managers assist in no way in site, only commercial and design.

    Even now I’m coordinating the design because they ain’t got a clue, and I want the job to be correct

    Feels like I’m banging my head against a wall, with them and I will leave for someone else

    The company are new into RC frame work and they don’t have the experienced personnel from that background just myself due to my background from Subcontractor work on high rise concrete frames.

    I might have a look into residential work

    Ronney wrote: »
    Is that €65 all in or is there allowances/car/bonus on top of that?

    Worked myself for a Big Main contractor a few years back and 7.00-19.00 was expected too. As was nearly every other Saturday.

    The pushing point was after working the first 2 weekends in December I was asked at 18.30 on the last Friday before Christmas to come in on the Sunday!

    I politely said now and was accused of not being a team player (despite averaging 60+ hours per week) and asked why and what was I doing that I couldn't work.



    If your looking for Manageable hours I'd look to try work in residential for a developer


  • Registered Users Posts: 262 ✭✭Ryu Hayabusa


    I’d like to thank everyone who has replied to my thread, Thanks for taking the time to comment and offering insight in the ROI site management role


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 2,005 ✭✭✭BDI


    You need to learn to delegate. You shouldn’t be doing other peoples work for them if they can’t do it. Get somebody who can do it.
    Half the time you can leave a laborer there with keys and go home there is no need for you there. I’m not even sure fully what a site manager does but I do know that when I’m working late I ok it with him and he leaves a laborer there to lock up when I’m finished.
    Sub contractors should run themselves, a lot of the time all you need is to ask them their plan and if it’s good, grand let them at it. If not change it slightly. Of course there will be the odd late night or early morning when the job is near complete or whatever but a lot of the time work is what you make of it,
    Most site managers on any jobs I’d be on , usually medium to big office blocks or hotels lately work office hours most of the week. The banksmen, crane drivers and some laborers are first in and last to leave usually.

    I could be talking out of my hat and could be missing a whole side of the job so don’t see but for weeks on end it just looks like they walk around ask you a safety related question or where you plan on putting a boiler or fan coil unit or whatever and head off again.

    We usually do a couple of nights lifting condensers onto the roofs with cranes and it’s be rare the site manager is there. He might turn up at 7pm head off and arrive in again the next morning.


  • Registered Users Posts: 835 ✭✭✭Ronney


    I'd think 60K+5K is a bit on the low side. I'd say you could definitely squeeze another grand a month out of them. I think at times jobs are priced on a 40hr week then 60 is expected so they are getting an extra week every 2!

    Have you been there long? Is a bonus at Christmas likely?

    Have a chat with some recruitment agencies (found Brightpath good in the past).

    See what they have out there and with who.

    If your working with a main contractor where all hours are a likely it might be better to be employed via an agency on an hourly rate.

    As I mentioned before Residential is a good side to be in. I am running a site and planning has us limited 8-6pm. There are a number of residents in close proximity so this has to be adhered too. Most subbies finish 4.30/5 so a 40-45 hour week is the norm


  • Registered Users Posts: 2,876 ✭✭✭Borzoi


    Wages would seem appropriate for a small to medium site, say 20-30 people on site

    Hours are what you make it, most MCs will let their salaried staff work all hours, and blame it on staff. As SM, your core hours are when most staff are on site, probably 7.30 to 3.30 in Dublin on commercial sites. The other site engineer has to be able to assist, and as others have said, a labourer can open up and lock up. What with supervision of occasional other works I would expect a 45-50 hour to be typical, but you're a manager, and the first person that you have to manage is you and your time


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