When you’ve been on site long enough, you learn certain things: it’s tough, mistakes have consequences, and sometimes you’ve got to learn quickly. But what you also learn, often silently, is that being shouted at, called out, even humiliated are part of the trade.
It’s woven into the day-to-day. And plenty reckon that this kind of verbal heat is what makes you tough, what pushes you to not screw up again. But does it really motivate more than just being treated with respect, getting encouragement, being shown you matter?
From first-year apprentices up to seasoned workers, there’s this feeling that “you’ve just got to put up with it.” If you mess something up, you expect a bollocking. If you don’t know something, you can expect to be bawled at for it, publicly sometimes.
Some of that is called “banter” or “tough love.” Older workers say, “I was treated like that, so I’ll treat others like that. It builds character.” Plenty of them believe that being able to take it means you’re cut out for this line of work.
But then you hear the other side too. Apprentices saying they dread going to sites because of who they’ll work with. Saying they feel worthless because of being yelled at in front of everyone. Saying they avoid asking questions because they don’t want to look stupid or be insulted. Some believe harsh talk is part of being in this job; others feel it’s grinding them down.
Now let’s look at what studies have pulled out when they ask people off-site, or adults in apprenticeships, “What is this doing to you, really?”
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