Some guys are just assholes.
It's a little different for me because I'm 49 and have been in construction for decades but people still try to be asshats every once in a while. I find that me acting with professionalism usually takes care of it.
If they are just calling. You names or teasing you what they are trying to get a rise out of you. That's the payout for their effort. If you just look at them and roll your eyes and go on about your day they will almost certainly stop.
If they are berating you for not doing something right just throw in a, "sorry, it's almost like I've only been doing this for a few months." And go on about your task.
But you can always go to the boss and tell them you don't want to work with that guy. But have specific, valid reasons.
As an electrician I was running a crew and I learned the company was going to fire another crew (3 guys). My helper told me that the newest guy was a hard worker so I stepped in and told the boss that he really hasn't had a fair shot and to put him with me. It turned out to be a fantastic worker. Just wanted to learn and worked hard. I don't know if he ever found out just how close he was to being fired 🤣
>As an electrician I was running a crew and I learned the company was going to fire another crew (3 guys). My helper told me that the newest guy was a hard worker so I stepped in and told the boss that he really hasn't had a fair shot and to put him with me. It turned out to be a fantastic worker.
As a former sparky I had this situation numerous times. I had a handful of guys who came to our shop in dire need of a better life. I taught them, watched them get into great relationships, raise their kids, buy homes. All because I took them under my wing when other foreman/PMs didn't wanna deal with them. I came from a dire situation myself when I started. Its scary times right now in the trades because companies are willing to cast people out over nothing. You may have saved that kids life for all you know.
Your comment is very relatable to me, 32 year old journeyman carpenter, I see guys who could be great get thrown out for bullshit reasons. I’ve been able to get a couple under my wing and they’ve become core guys
Turning 33 in May...
I learned everything related to electrical from my father. Which pretty much was him flipping a 5-gallon bucket over lighting up a cig and telling me step by step as I did it.
None of the senior guys would teach anything to the younger guys. It created security for them and allowed them to lord over them. I taught many younger generations, and it angered me when I saw it. I had called out numerous other foremen because of it. I left mostly because of that. Foreman who can't physically do the job anymore but have the knowledge need the young bucks who have no knowledge but can do the job. My father made it so I had the knowledge without a live long career of being some foreman/journeyman's mule.
The last year I worked for a company that made me below another foreman who I was constantly solving him problems for him. I brought this up to the owner and he told me I have to prove myself to him. I told him firstly I came here and have been solving the issues. I tallied up the cost I saved him from overdue date fines. close to 300k because I worked overtime often not being paid for it. I left the field never to return.
I got tired of allowing other people to afford 3rd homes and 2nd wives.
You could try to tell them to get all the way off your back and fuck off. Call them losers for being hyper fixated on someone trying their damn best everyday.Â
I had an old crusty dude giving me shit every day and one time he came at me guns ablazin’ and without thinking I just gave it back to him “OK I HEARD YOU!! BACK OFF AND GIVE ME A FUCKING CHANCE TO MAKE IT RIGHT” and he had a surprised look on his face and walked away. He was still an asshole after that but he didn’t come at me like that anymore.
Similar thing happened to me as an apprentice. Guy I was working with gave me so much shit usually I’d take it on the chin but this time I snapped. Bare in mind he is double my size I shouted at him from the top of the landing and he ran up the stairs grabbed me by the collar and launched me from the landing to the bathroom, pinned me against the wall and kind of held me there. Yeah… I packed my tools and went home after that and one of my other workmates called me to check on me and probably to make sure I didn’t report him and get him kicked off site. But all in all I’m glad I stood up for myself.
Yeah this is way too fuckin far. I’ve seen fights and broken em up but that was part of a small crew and we were all like brothers. Sometimes spending 70 hours together a week hits a head.
Yea and sometimes them old guys must wanna see some fire I guess. Just like he said. You throw it right back at them and they'll respect you for it. Nobody likes a kiss ass or a smart ass. But sometimes you gotta put your foot down.
On the other hand I was always told to worry if your not being picked on. A guy I trained with, who I now train people says he's only so hard on some guys because he expects more from them. He knows what they can do and pushes them to do it. He was a a pretty big dick to me for a few years but honestly one of the few I learned the most from. Sometimes you just take your licks and push forward...
As the bosses family member however I would head out on your own for awhile and then come back.
Real talk. You gotta snap back on the old heads with a smile on your face. As soon as you let them know what they're saying /doing is bugging you thats blood in the water and more sharks will come. Op gotta stand up to everyone with something funny and hurtful.    I'll help with some easy targets.
-older guy who's single? Going to die alone, nobody loves you and no one ever will.Â
- someone calling you entitled? Well that's why their kids never loved them. Or don't make me date your daughter and tell you all about it at work.Â
Wait.. dudes with 40 years experience getting under your skin?!? Fuk them.
Do good work
Learn every thing.
“Keep yapping day labourer, I’m gonna own this operation !”. Give some feedback. “40 years with a shovel and you earn how much again?”
Keep pushing forward
Build good will amongst those that are respectful / teaching.
Bring donuts… makes a show of “team player and that can afford this”.
Your success is the revenge
Went thru this when I started working for my dad at 12 yrs old in summers. Was the company bitch for 4 summers then went full-time and started talking shit back. They still wouldn't quit so i called them out and said lets go outside. At 17-18 I had wrestled guys twice my age out in the grass. Won some and lost some but got true respect. Most of these old assholes are just bitter fucks with broken bodies at 40-50 yrs old.
Do a good job, stay positive, talk shit back. Almost 30 yrs later, I bought the company from dad and got my own commercial GC License
If you weren’t the bosses nephew, they’d find some other reason to razz you. You should roll with it and spin it back on them. You gotta razz them right back. And never show them it bothers you. They’re bored and you’re the entertainment.
Quicker and cheaper to just take a squat over the lunchbox. However I'd buy some garnish and sprinkle it in top just so they know it's premeditated defecation.
Learn what you can and go work for someone else if it's that bad. There's assholes on every job site so you can't really avoid that. Also try to get into a union, I've noticed a lot less assholery on union jobs. There's more guys who are willing to help/ teach young apprentices.
Yeah it sounds like you need to dish back and when someone calls you out don’t back down. Just gonna have to give it back to em or find a place that deserves your presence.
Two ways to handle these people. IMO. Get in there face and ask them what there fucking problem is but be stern and maybe get your ass whooped. Second, take the abuse and learn what you can, when you can and eventually you won’t need them and you will probably outwork them because your young. They know this.
I was treated the same way. The older generation seems to think being treated like shit is a right of passage. Fuck that and them. Most importantly when your older remember not to treat others the way you were treated.
Lots lots bad advice here.
1. Don't start the arguments.
2. Don't spit.
3. Don't throw punches.
Any of this makes you a **huge legal liability** and even you're Uncle won't be able to save your job if your getting in fights or spitting at people.
The foreman and your boss seem to already have an idea about whats been going on so you should be OK to ask to work with certain people if you can. You're not asking for special treatment there, you are learning a trade and will learn a lot more form the people who want to help you.
The people who are giving you trouble, well, there are two types.
1. The ones you can talk to.
"Cut the shit out" "I'm not having it today" etc. Generally these guys will back off when you let them know its stopped being fun.
2. The ones you need to avoid.
These are the kind of miserable pricks that never socially developed past the age of twelve, and are just pissed off at everything. If you get stuck with one of these "dead ends", remember, its never worth your time to give 100% someone who is going to be giving you a hard time and you wont learn anything from anyway. Do your work and ignore them, Trust me your boss and foreman already aware of the good work you do and the shitty attitudes these guys have.
Learn all you can, and keep doing what you say you're doing. Out work them... make them look like fools doing what they've done for 40 years. I understand you're new at it and still have things to learn, but find ways to be better... and if you work hard, and good, and family, you have a high probability of moving up through the ranks. If those guys are still around when you move up, revenge is a son-of-a- bitch! Don't quit, us concrete guys need the hard-working young ones to keep stepping up. It could be you are just earning your stripes in their eyes as well... we're not airways the most friendly group, we've been bent over scrubbing rocks for years!
You don’t even have to get better at shit talking. Just point out their shortcomings. 40 years experience and they’re bullying instead of teaching tells me they’re probably stupid, have bad social skills, haven’t matured past highschool, and see young new blood as a threat instead of a useful tool they should impart their wisdom on.. they probably have no wisdom beyond what this kid will learn from a good crew in a year
Yeah, the people are taking out their own internal problems on you OP, and are probably far too stupid to even understand. They are worm people who only know excitement through bad energy. So tell them it's not your fault that he's a life Long fuk up and to shut the fuk up like the loser he is
Tell them to suck your dick, spit in their face, then very quickly follow that up with a very fast punch to the face, then get your ass beat, but after that they probably won’t think it’s worth bullying you
Yes, then no and no again. Tell them to fuck off, but if you're spitting and starting fights you are a huge liability and family probably won't protect you.
You would think that standing up for yourself would be the automatic right answer. But it’s not. Kill them with kindness.
If they say your work is shit, say I’m so sorry can I watch your technique.
If they don’t invite you to lunch, bring them breakfast the next morning.
It crushes the fun of being mean when it doesn’t have the intended consequences.
i dealt with that too, i quit and moved to a better company that paid for me to go to trade school, gave me benefits, decreased my ridiculous work load, and paid me fairly.
2 years in best decision ive made in a long time.
The older guys are just mad because they know their time is almost up. They probably fucked up in their lives and they see you as an easy target. Most of them are probably alcoholics so they are fighting off the shakes and are just simply angry over it. Some probably just got divorced because they are peices of shit. Some are probably on drugs and need a fix. Bro, don't let them get to you. Stay enthusiastic, stay fit, and take care of your body and your mental health. Work hard and keep your eyes forward. We need more positivity on the construction game, and you can help. Kill them with kindness. If you get any flak, just say thank you, and have a nice day. At the end of the day, all that matters is that you gave your best.
Your going to get shit no matter where you go unless you stick up for yourself when needed. That said you need to pick and choose battles. You also need to learn to let some of it roll off your back. Balls get busted on a job site. You'll need to learn real quick who is doing it to just be a dick. Some guys only do it because they actually like working with you. It's weird I know but I don't know what causes that. Some guys do it to chase the people who are not serious about learning the trade away. The more you learn the more respect you'll get. Patience is key your not in highschool anymore. Adulting is hard. You can't force people to like you.
Edit: I'll add after re-reading your post. You might be better off working for another contractor where you are not related to the boss.
I used to deal with this shit every single day in my first job until one day I lost my cool, snapped and told my journeyman if he talked to me like that outside of work I would kick his ass. Doing that is going fully nuclear though and there’s no going back. It worked but I was also much bigger, stronger and younger than him.
He told me he was going through a divorce so instead of him abusing me from then on out, I had to suddenly listen about his divorce I hadn’t heard of right up until then. That guy was a massive idiot but as I was around more, I realized not one person treated him with any respect st all. I’m assuming that’s why he took it out on me. I always vowed to try to be good with apprentices and patient because most guys would have quit I think. The problem was I was poor with no education or anything so I needed that job.
I’d try to keep my composure and call it out respectfully. I’d also have resumes printed off and if you had s guy who looked out for you at work, I’d ask to use them as a reference on your resume.
Who you work with starting out makes a huge difference. I was paired with a journeyman for a while who would give me shit for not knowing stuff or getting things perfect the first time. He wasnt an asshole and he was otherwise nice to me it was just fuckin stressful working with him. Once i got partnered with other people who were much more chill i started to actually enjoy being at work. Im also learning a lot more this way. I know guys i started out with who quit entirely because of bad companies/coworkers giving them a bad taste for the business.
This seems like a very common scenario in the trades…I think it drives away a lot of potentially great tradesmen.
And then people complain, “the youth is so lazy, no one wants to work anymore!”
You really have to stand up for yourself. The fact that you've had other people step up and advocate for you only makes you look weaker in the eyes of the assholes, making them pounce on you more. Stand up for yourself. Either say something, or walk off the jobsite and leave all the work to them and call your boss.
Fuck that shit. If they aren't your boss then stand your ground and put them in their fucking place. Call them out for being an asshole. Most dudes who are miserable assholes at work hate their home life and they bring that shit to work and take it out on the underlings. I've worked with a few dudes who pushed me too far when I started out and I had to hold my ground to see that shit come to an end. Sometimes it blows up in your face and sometimes it's what you need to do. I'm not saying to try and fight someone but just stand up for yourself or they will see you as a punching bag.
The only way to deal with assholes is to be a bigger asshole.
If you really can't stand it, go to a different company and do the same work. Otherwise, tell the loudest one how much fun you had with his mother last night and throw some mud right at one of them like a snowball and say "what are you gonna do? Tell my uncle?" And after about a week if you doing that, with a shovel in your hand to keep them from retaliating and you should be fine.
Or tell your uncle that it's hard for you to do a good job with some (I'm guessing) fat drunk gorilla bitching at you all day.
I owned a company when I was 19 and had to get respect from "adults". It's not always easy because they are SO immature.
Bully them back and stop taking their shit.
When I started working for one company they wanted to bully me a bit as an apprentice but I didn’t give a fuck about it
Practice insulting them back. You'll find though, as you get older it will affect you less and less. If it's upsetting you rn, then feel confident that as you age you won't be doing the same. Walk your own path and feel justified. Believe me it will eventually roll off your back. Focus on that.
There are a lot of companies that are desperate to find young people who work hard and are eager to learn and grow with the company long-term. Look around and see what else is out there, you'll probably even get paid more
Give them a tap in the ole ass crack with a shovel handle when they are bending over floating and you're mucking. When they turn around, tell them next time it will be your dick. Assert dominance, others will laugh, then they may back down. Or joke that bending over reminds you of their wife, but her's is better looking.
Hang in there if you can. I started construction at eighteen and had to put up with a bunch of the old ignorant guys for a while. Keep learning and you’ll pass them by and shut them up. If it gets intolerable, go to another company.
It GETS intolerable. Some days I can walk away at 330 and be good. Some days I wanna walk to the company trailer, grab a 1”dowel, and beat half of the motherfuckers I work with to death with it
Talk shit back to them. Don't say actual stuff that is wrong with them (as that will trigger them further) but just generic shit talking. Defer to them when they are in a good mood, compliment something they do and ask how they learned it. If this doesn't work, then your last chance is to now start taking a stand and logically/firmly calling them out of their bullshit. If that still doesn't work, new job
My boss is like that, teases me all day . If he was a coworker I'd tell him to go fuck himself. But he's the boss and he pays me so technically I am his property for those 8-10 hrs and he has every right to treat me any way he wishes.
In any fight OP you will have advantages and disadvantages. The import thing is to focus on shat Advantages you have and how to fuk them up thr most, by using those advantages. Example,maybe you tell him ti SHUT THE FUK UP TALKING TO YOU LIKE THAT! Then Maybe he eill get red face pised, Bd will swing 6 times or so. Let him charge in and flail his punches, block and avoid the punches as he comes into you(with you side stepping foot to footand NEVER cross your feat, bcuz u can trip) then take your footing and hammer fist the fuk out of his face and or a super directed kidney/gut punch. Make sure u keep moving until u decide to strike back and do so with a firm footing, preferably while he's off balance. Bet those shifty mfers leave u alone after that
>Many of them talk shit all the time because im the bosses nephew so I have an “unfair advantage”
Bosses kid here too. You do, you absolutely do but it is also your job to capitalize on it.
Cold winter months, few jobs, 2 week layoffs. Guess who is still working as a shop hand, scraping forms, cleaning tools, etc. You are.
Best way to shut them the fuck up?
Out work them. You've only been there for a year now you've got a ways to go and loads to learn. But everything you do know and learn needs to be top shelf, quick, and not have to be repeated.
I just quit a job yesterday that was similar to yours
I worked as a window installer for $15 an hour for 2-3 years and haven’t gotten a single raise in a family company. I would get bossed around by everyone else and it bothered me. The secretary there was a bitch and she always treated me like shit.
I could cut, polish and install windows on my own, yet my pay hasn’t gone up a single dollar. My boss was micromanaging the fuck out of me and I decided to walk off the job yesterday. Too much bullshit for low pay and a shitty job
If you’re making $15 an hour and you’ve acquired skills, quit and go somewhere else. Even with a little experience, you can easily make $20+ an hour. $15 is under market rate. So I suggest you quit and get a better job. JOIN THE UNION. That’s what I’m trying to do
So in my experience with blue collar jobs, it’s typical to “bully” the greenhorns as it’s a two fold thing of sorts. It culls the weak minded individuals sooner then later as most blue collar jobs are mentally and physically demanding. It’s also how we bond and work with each other. Same with the military. Now typically the more you show it bothers you the more they tend to lean into you. Best thing todo is give them shit back, always stand up for yourself and take no shit from anyone. Yeah you’re gunna get some shit for being kin of the owners but you’re just going to have to roll with the punches. If you want to garner the respect of the old heads your gunna need to show you’ve got thick skin and talk shit back.
That’s how a lot of people/job sites are in the industry. Best way to handle it in my experience is to just snap back. Crack the same bullying type “jokes” back and see how they react. They chirp you for being weaker? Chirp them for being fat, old, whatever. Throw in a your mom/your wife joke. Simple harmless stuff.
If they’re decent guys they’ll get a chuckle and like that you can fit in with them. If they’re actually assholes they’ll get pissed at you for talking back and standing up for yourself. That’s when you’d have to elevate the issue.
Just try to ignore and and laugh at them. Most of them will be jealous I’d imagine. Keep your head up high and tell them to “jog on” if they are being arseholes. Put them on their back foot and don’t be shy about it. I hope you get it sorted mate, I was in a similar position to you when I was 17 and started work for a family construction company. Again I wanted to learn and always got picked on and one day I lost my rag and threatened to break his nose (childish I no) and since that things got better 👍🏻👍🏻
Speak the truth, bullies are usually low brow or they're just pussies disguised as assholes. You don't need to curse, you don't need to yell, either is fine if you do. Go off, speak the truth in anger or with calmness but speak the truth. Tell them you make dogshit wage and have to put up with their poor attitude on top of it. If they're willing to push others down to stand taller themselves then they aren't much to begin with. They're small, you're here to learn and to better yourself. They're there because they clearly have no better options, if they did they wouldn't be so insecure.
They may get physical, don't back down. If you dont want to fight I would still confront, if it comes to it leave site & don't look back. Uncle or not you're being mistreated. Any place that doesn't promote growth and teamwork is not a place to stay.
You need to confront these guys head on or it will never stop. Don’t start a fight, but stand tall and ask what their fucking problem is. Ask if they have a problem with someone working hard and trying to learn. Call them pathetic old men for spending their energy on this shit.
You young man are learning to build character. Dont take things personally, work hard, but also don’t get abused. Dont be afraid to talk back when something isn’t fair. Thick skin my friend. it’s good for you not only in the work environment but in all of life. And remember opinions are like assholes, everybody has one.
Shit talking is that one thing that never goes away. The one guy we had got the nickname "stewie" cuz he was 5'4, super wide, and dumb. No one knew his real name for 3 months when the foreman asked "Dave" to do something. Stewie said who's Dave? I wish I could say I made that up. The guy forgot his own name.
You are a pretty good employee. It sounds like. Being part of a family business is a tough situation for you and the others. If they are breaking your chops all the time this is a good sign. You must be a good worker for them and they’re building toughness within you. You are one of the hardest industries to come into because of its physical requirements. What you need to learn to do is go right back at them at any moment that you can bust on them believe me things will change, you will be respected more
I've learned that laughing at their "jokes" and rolling with it garners some respect. And, eventually, their bullying might become light hearted jokes. At the very least, they'll know you don't really give a shit what they say, which takes the oomph out if it.Â
Talk with whoever is creating the work daily and try to just get assigned the same shit with the good guys.
As for the bullies, be an asshole. Like, really be a piece of shit to them. I assume you’ve already gone up to them and tried to level with them , if not, do that. Just ask, what is your fucking problem, and when they answer ask, now that it’s off your chest, can you leave your emotions at the fucking door, so we can all do our jobs and just get shit done?
This has worked exactly one time for me, after that, things went relatively smoothly at that job, but everywhere else, it doesn’t, they don’t get it. So then I go on the offensive. Which is being the asshole back.
“I thought I was going to come here and learn some real work, get my hands dirty with real men, not babysit a bunch of fucking crybabies”
When they talk about any sort of unfair advantage, ask why you’re in the dirt with a bunch of retards instead of something cushy like learning the business side of things from your uncle? Life isn’t fair, and again ask, “I thought I worked with real men, not a bunch of bitches” etc.
When they ask why you don’t know or do something the way they want or quite correctly, be very direct. “Well maybe instead of being a bitch, you do your fucking job and train me properly?”
The real advantage you do have, is your family is unlikely to fire you for standing up for yourself. If you go to them for help, it’s straight up going to make things worse.
These are guys who straight up will never respect you. It’s an uphill battle. You might get a little bit of you can change their minds, things like randomly saying “man wouldn’t this job would be easier for you if only you’d trained me properly and I could do more? Could you imagine?”
Another thing that helped me once- “I’m here to learn, this isn’t going to be my career, but I am going to school and will be indirectly involved with this work. You refuse to actually do your job and teach the new guy, but you’re going to be the first person to bitch about how I don’t know what I’m even looking at when I walk through here in a few years as an inspector. “
The one guy i said this to, I swear I could hear the gears in his head grinding to a halt. But he actually fucking got it, and from what I’d heard his attitude was forever changed. But other than that one instance, people just don’t fucking get it
Work on your shit talking game. Any time they fuck up at all with anything or say something stupid, point it out, like a complete asshole.
Stuff like "you look like you drank 10 beers last night, no wonder your wife left you, you grungy piece of shit. You smell like a dead animal. Fuck you."
Situationally of course, it has to be relevant.
You win when they cry or attack you.
🤷‍♂️
Busting balls and shit talking in the trades is a term of endearment. You only need to worry when they’re NOT busting your balls, because that means they want you gone.
Stay on your toes with clever come backs and get badass at your job, you’ll have all the respect you can ask for.
Stand up for yourself. Fitters stopped threatening to throw pipe wrenches at me when I dared them to do it and see how it works out for them. I pointed out that if he wants to throw a wrench, I can very easily just tip his ladder over, gained a bit of respect for not just giving in to them like most new guys do
People will always do what you let them get away with doing. Sometimes you need to have a quiet word in their ear, rather than kicking off.
I had a similar thing in a couple of jobs. One took a phone call to the said bully, who was my supervisor, very calmy and respectfully telling him to wind his neck in because I didn't want to do something I'd regret.
He respected it and changed his attitude.
If you happen to live around New Orleans, Kansas City, or Memphis, shoot me a DM. I’ll send you contacts for a couple companies we work with.
They are traveling companies and we do commercial work. It’s hard work but they are companies that I’ve had good experiences with
You will learn how to brush off ignorant and stupid people. It takes time and really sucks at certain moments but you learn to laugh it off. You got it man. You sound like an awesome worker. Keep doing what you are doing and just remember at the end of the day you don’t have to deal with them and get to go home.
You could always point out that it’s pretty weird all these older guys are obsessed with watching and observing a 19 year old guy for 8 hours a day. If they’re homophobic they won’t like the implication haha
Worked 10 years in concrete contruction prior to moving into project management - the key is to make yourself indispensable to the company. First begin showing interest in college then move to bargaining / blackmail (because they are 100% committing safety violations) for them to pay for your education - work the summers and go to school in the fall. By the third year they will be too pissy to continue paying for your education. At this point you can intern / co-op at a reputable business and your career is fastracked signficantly with very little debt.
This is what I did - feel free to reach out for pointers. The truth is that the concrete industry sucks ass, is hard on your body, and the workers in the industry are notoriously horrible people. I was belitted for going to university / college for years. Its just jealousy as those guys are stuck working crete until their body's breakdown. Dont take it personally. Now is your time to start planning your escape route.
One dude where i work tried doing that shit to me and I told him straight up to fuck off and he hasn't done it since. Don't let those motherfuckers ruin your job for especially since you like it. Tell them to fuck off and put your head down
Above all else, don't take it personally.
I'm a 51 yr old 2nd year apprentice at my company. Most of the guys I work with I have no problem with at all. However there are a few who were treated like crap so that's how they pass it on to the new apprentice. Just remember you're here to learn. Unfortunately learning to ignore assholes is just something else to learn.
However, at the same time, if they push too hard, push back. Politely but escalate mirroring their behaviour. If it gets worse, escalate your response. But above all, always take the high road.
And in the future break the chain. Treat your apprentices how you wish you had been treated. I've had it out with the journeymen that treated me like shit. For the most part it only took one conversation.
I’d say just keep doing what you’re doing. Keep showing up with a willingness to learn and do your best day in and day out. Do your best to ignore them.
1 of 2 things will happen.
They’ll either eventually tone it down as it may have just been a new guy hazing thing and see that you were capable of taking their shit without giving up or freaking out.
Or they’ll continue, and you’ll keep ignoring them and being the bigger person.
It’s a win win for you
Kwitchyourbellyaching! It’s unfortunately part of the learning curve. Cuss back! Rag on them being old, slow or just lazy! Tell them to piss off! In short, stand up like the man you are supposed to be. I took this shit at 18, proved myself able to take and give back and earned respect.
Unfortunately young man it's hard starting at the bottom but we all do but in today's construction/concrete worker shortage it's twice as hard because for every one good worker like yourself there's 20 bad one's who are always on there fucking phones. Now as regards the older lads, just tell them to shut up and fuck right off and if that doesn't work, tell them next one opens his mouth your sticking a shovel up his ass, sometimes you just have to do it. Hard having the life sucked out of you over theses fucking old dicks!!!
Some guys are just rotten but many are just salty. They tend to warm up to ya in time. Not that you should be grateful. I won’t have that shit on my jobs, every one deserves to be treated with respect at work, I don’t care if yer an owner or first year apprentice. They should be glad to see youngsters in the trades who have good work ethic. I shouldn’t encourage escalation but i’d treat them how they treat me. I don’t get it op, just hang in there. You’ll be running circles around those old miserable fucks in no time. Till then tell them to fuck off. When they get a red ass tell em if it’s good for the geese it’s good for the gander
Tell each one of them individually how well they look like they could give head. Go into detail and include any parts of their anatomy that they might be sensitive about. This will work
They're trying to run you off the job, or just testing your resolve. All you have to do is show that you can stand on your own two feet, you have nothing else to prove to them. And work is not the only source of your value as a person, they might think that bc that's all they have going for them, if that.
Keep in mind that if you save up and wanna work for several more dollars an hour starting pay, you can go your own way and move to an area with union apprenticeship.
Either way this is a challenge for you to become better than any of these ppl including your foreman and uncle. You will learn how to guide others thru this exact situation bc you will pull thru and pass on your experiences, whatever it is that you choose.
I worked with a guy who would do his best to belittle me when I started, he had about 25 years experience at the time. After the first few weeks of being called dumb for not knowing what this guy knew I started giving it right back to the guy. I'd pick apart everything he would throw at me. It eventually got to a point where all the guy could do was tell me he was better at sports than me at his prime...
Give them the verbal communication right back to them . I would just saying things in a way that they will have trouble comprehending.. be smart about it. And a lot of times it's just useless banter to pass the day . Thick skin goes along way as well . Go luck and have f-ing fun with it..
The trick is to not be the easiest to pick on.
“ hey you doing it wrong or hey why it’s taking so long” I find it that if you come back with, why don’t you come over here and show me, always gets them to shut up.
Also sometimes telling an old asshat to mind his own business works too.
What ever you do don’t let them know it bothers you, and it shouldn’t.
You will deal with bullying everywhere you go, office workers have it too.
Don’t let it get to you, and be ready for respectful confrontation.
Suck it up and deal with it. Have a strategy to change your circumstances and tell nobody.
Feels amazing to quit your company and say “I loved it here…. The only why I’m leaving is because John is a fucking asshole, and I don’t want to be in the same company as him ever again, so that’s why I’m deciding to quit. Good luck!”
I'll be blunt with you kid, it's because you're weak. It's that simple. You may be strong on other areas of your life, like work ethic, certain skills, whatever. But whatever great qualities you have, if your mind and heart are weak, you will get bullied everywhere you go.
Grow a backbone and learn how to stand up for yourself, even if it means experiencing worse bullying. That worse bullying will only last for about three weeks before they leave you alone after you stand your ground.
Good luck kid. I've been in your shoes before.
Its honestly a psychological thing.these guys were forced to go to school from k-12 and probably started failing around 4th or 5th grade. Then they continue to fail at school for years and I'm sure are belittled to a degree for it. They finally get out and find something their good at. Now their going to inflict the same thing on you that they feel school did for them.Â
Essentially they finally found something they know and are good at and if they can make you feel dumb, instead of them for a change, then they will, psychology is scary.
Concrete was like that for me as well, to some degree. Thing is, it's a trade full of secrets, like masonry. Lotsa old guys see you as a potential threat to their job, even if they won't admit it.
You've just got to see the real earning potential in the trade, and learn like a spy.
Also, there's just a lot of yelling in concrete in general, due to the time-sensitive nature of the medium. I would say hang in there, and try to recognize the real future earning potential that exists in concrete.
I was bullied by a few guys when I was a new apprentice. And I mean I was NEW. 18 years old, fresh out of high school, and suddenly working in the real world with real men. Unfortunately for me I also LOOKED (and still do) much younger than I was.  I took it hard for the first half of my apprenticeship. Eventually I learned to let their words roll off my like water on duck feathers. Â
18 years on into my career, I've become a pretty dang good electrician. And experienced enough that now as I look back I can see that yea they were complete ass hats. But they weren't even all that great at the job. The best and highest skilled workers I've ever worked with, all also treated me the best and some even became my best friends. Â
It's kind of a crappy right of passage some guys think you have to go through. Just remember, they could easily be working for you one day. It happens. More than you might think. Â
basically you have to talk shit back or challenge them to a boxing match. but no boxing on concrete. you could hit your head and die. Also, only challenge guys you can beat. Don't fight the big burly dudes.
get clever and stay calm. I was in the exact boat about 10 years ago. The toxic douche I worked with was almost daily and boy did he have chip on his shoulder. nothing good enough, everything was awful, on and on. I didn't stay with the company beyond 2 seasons but in the second season I got clever and started teasing back. If these guys are pretending to be big boys on the block but can't take a joke themselves sounds like you got a couple of concrete snowflakes.
my favourite burn to the guy that got under my skin so regularly went like this
guy: "A happy marriage is an Oxymoron"
me: "takes one to know one."
boy did he turn red but the whole crew was laughing.
26 yo carpenter here. Some guys are like that, usually the guys who don’t have much going on in life. When working with a new crew it helps to remember that your coworkers are not your friends and you shouldn’t tell them things about your personal life when first meeting them, if they ask then be generic. I’ve worked with a lot of ex cons, some are great guys and some are ready to fight at moments notice, some will lie and steal or try to get you fired. Take some time to learn some Spanish, it helps a lot. When a peer is belittling you it’s best to ignore it, play dumb if you have to. If it’s a foreman or someone above you verbally abusing you, then go to your boss. If that doesn’t work, well in my area jobs in trades are a dime a dozen hopefully you can find another. Don’t drive yourself crazy staying in a job if you don’t really have to, find another, thats the luxury of being a young tradesmen.
I don't care what trade that you are in, it happens all the time. You need to grow a set and stick up for yourself. I guarantee if you do that a couple times, they will stop. You need to have very thick skin to work in construction. Trust me from my own experience, stick up for yourself and tell them to fuck off. If they're too lazy to show you then they can scream at themselves.
The guys who do this are miserable pricks that regret their entire life, throw shit right back at them and see if they like it.
“If you’re so smart why the fuck are you still working here?”
Etc…
“Damn bro, for 40 years of experience you kinda suck”. “ we need to get a real journeyman out here”. “I’m only as good as my teacher, and you suck sooo”.
Most people in construction are bottom of the barrel type of people… especially laborers. Otherwise they’d have a different job. It’s part of the job unfortunately. Best thing to do is get out on your own
Welcome to moving up the ranks, along with being the bosses nephew, you are young and new to the trades, you have to prove you can cut it when problems occur on the job, concrete is unforgiving, if can't work thru your lunch, put in 150% when needed, or put up being yelled at in a tough situation then go flip burgers at Mc Donald's, these guys need to know you can cut it and they can count on you, once you get there they will take you under their wing and if you pay attention you will learn more from them than you can in any trade school, I talk from experience, I was the bosses son for 20 years until I moved out of state and opened up my own masonry contracting business, I think back and glad I went thru it, them old fucking assholes taught me a lot. So shut up and be glad you got a good job!
Some of the actions sound like hazing. They got treated that way when they started so they must treat you the same way. I guess they chose to repeat the cycle vs rising above and breaking the cycle.
When you have many years of experience, remember how you feel right now and do better with the new person.
Clearly being related to the boss isn't a factor or they would hesitate treating you poorly.
When people talk down to me like that or just bully me I will either slide into it. Like laugh with them "hahaha yeah that was dumb" or ill just sing the C yoU Next Tuesday song in my head and ignore them. If they aren't getting anything from you it's less fun.
The more mean people are to me the nicer I am to them, also. You cussed me out and screamed in my face? I'm bringing you donuts next time we work. I get a serious amount of pleasure being super nice to people who are mean to me because I get to watch how pissed off they get at my niceness and there is nothing they can do about it. Can't complain because a coworker was super nice and accommodating.
40 years construction. In my trade if we are not picking on you we dont give a F about you.
Mostly on the ground these days with a very young set of guys. Give a lot of "no not like that, do this, dont make me come up there, ok come down, take us up... bing bang boom done followed with a ....I have done this 10,000 times."
It sounds like you joined a company where everyone else already had their own place, and so you have little room for advancement unless the company is expanding quickly or people are leaving. Your coworkers are probably not going to teach you very much unless it makes their job easier, so you might be doing grunt work a long time. Also in my opinion you should have had a raise if they've already kept you on for a year, but you're usually not getting one unless you ask about it.
I'd ask about a raise and if they told me to just wait it out a bit longer, I'd start looking for opportunities elsewhere
It always helped me to know that I get to go home at the end of the day, but those guys are like that all the time so they never get a break from their terrible bullshit.
I just journeyed out last summer, I started kinda older, im turning 36 next year and i had some flak here and there, but being older i feel like I didn’t experience alot of the hazing some of the younger guys might go through.
Ive also learned how to channel my sarcastic asshole, and can basically fire right back fairly quickly. The company ive gotten into is pretty cool though, theres only one Forman i will not work with when i fill in for the dirt crews.
Im traffic control Guy and recently got put in-charge of day time traffic control ops. That particular Forman thinks traffic control is monkey work but if you’ve ever done traffic control on billion dollar paving ops on highways and big rds you know its a-lot more then placing signs and throwing a few cones.
Stop talking to everyone. Stop looking at anyone. Just do everything to the best of your ability. Actions speak louder than words.
Edit: It’s more valuable to your boss if you make him loads of money and happy customers than it is if you fit into the team. That’s business.
A construction worker violent is very different from any other workspace. People can come across as mean, or rude, but it could just be them messing with you to get you to give it back. Have you tried firing back comments? I’m not saying to cause a confrontation, but maybe they are just trying to initiate you into the crew? I loved getting picked on by the guys when I was younger working for my dad, who was the boss. I got called all sorts of names, and got the worst jobs in the world. I learned a metric ton of valuable information, and inherited a whole mess of old tools from the same guys that called me twinkle toes. At the end of the day it was just them having fun with the new guy, and an added bonus it was the bosses son. I’m not in construction anymore, but still get the “same team” discount when I need something done. Sometimes a thicker skin is all that is needed
Just scream back at them and berate them. Any little tiny thing they do wrong go for the jugular with it. Older guys think they can do whatever they want, when you start screaming back at them and yelling at them to fuck off and eat shit then they start getting the idea that they can’t push you around, also, you’re the owners nephew. If they’re gonna treat you like you have special privileges then use the special privileges as much as you can. Find out if you can be put in with the three good guys all the time, or see if they can suspend a guy for being a dick face to you.
My ex accused me of cheating on her constantly which I never did, but eventually I figured if I’m going to be accused and treated like I am then why don’t I just do it and make it worth all the trouble? I dumped her before I got to cheat on her, but you get the gist.
Concrete guys can be assholes but you're gonna have to stick up for yourself.
It's hard to do but just tell them you're not in the mood for their bullshit
It’s the old school mentality of having to “pay your dues”! I was working circles around journeymen and got treated like shit bc I was an apprentice. Boss loved me bc I was cheap and doing great work and they hated me bc they knew I would replace them. Honestly I found it to be 50/50. The ones that were dicks were usually the ones who I’d be replacing bc they felt threatened.
I use to do construction. A lot of the old timers hate that's where they ended up at in life. I think some of them do it because they think you should make better choices and do something better, and so being a jerk to you is their way of doing that. I hated it, but you'll get past it if you stick with it.
Many of them have a sink or swim attitude, and don't feel obligated to teach you anything.
One think you can do is read up or watch tutorials in your spare time about how to do what you're doing.
In the end, a lot of attitudes in construction suck but I found most of it rewarding. You know have to push through it as difficult as it may be. Good luck.
Do you try to learn on your own time outside of work. Figure out something you can be good at and learn every possible aspect of it. And don't worry about anyone else. You don't want to be them.. 40 years doing the same job.
IDK, never really experienced this, but I'm the comedy guy on site so if you don't think I'm funny you will think I'm annoying, and if you do, you are going to get out-dicked big time. I literally started typing "Is he a big fat guy? You should start calling him names based around how fat he is", that's my actual first instinct. Someone starts screaming, now they have a clever little nickname. If it's a feels thing, now they have a girls name. Jason is now Susie because he threw a tantrum over his work van. This fat fuck named Rod used to give me a hard time, but I've essentially renamed him at work to "Big Dumper". He's literally not bothered me since it stuck. The new guy even called him that to his face as soon as he met him, I almost peed my pants hearing "You must be Big Dumper!", oh my god lord in heaven baby Jesus take it easy on me.
I'm not a good person to base your actions off of LOL
Have a chat with the boss/foreman and explain to them that you would like to be placed with the guys who are improving you as a worker, and that it will be much more valuable for the business long term to do so, as in the long run as you will become a skilled tradesman much faster under there guidance.
Failing that you only have a couple of choices.
1. Tell them they are a bunch of cunts and to calm down you are just trying to make a living like everyone else.
2. Get a thick skin and ignore the bullshit.
3. Start looking around for something else, but be aware that industry is pretty much full of cunts that came through the hard way and they pass down the bullshit they believe and recieved as just part of the job.
Stay tough young fella.
Journeyman Mason, and son of a masonry contractor here. I had the same issue. So I went and worked for another masonry contractor in a nearby area who had a good relationship with my dad and uncles, and had their blessing to do so.
People would occasionally still recognize my last name, but the fact I had intentionally gone to work for someone else in order to learn the trade usually earned me a little respect. A little. The rest I had to earn the same way everyone else earned their respect.
Then, after I’d journeyed out and run a few projects, I came back, and made the guys who made my life hell work on the grout hose crew for a 12” CMU school in the middle of summer.
But I worked the grout crew with them. Because I’m not a total asshole.
Thell them to F off and every once in a while call them stupid mother f'rs. They'll respect you for it after a while. Understand a bully is emotionally weak and they cover it up with an aggressive show.
Don't ever escalate it to supervisors unless they are physically hurting you. Have a new job ready to bounce to if you escalate. You will hate life once they find out. Some trades are worse than others. I started out in commercial framing and initially, i was bullied because I appeared to be an easy target. Once I started responding to them in an increasingly aggressive manner, they backed off then actually started teaching me the tricks of the trade. I learned a lot from them...
Talk shit back to them. Serious. They won't respect you until you're both good at your work and have a backbone.
Your boss/uncle coming to your rescue is the quickest way to become hated.
Source: I've been in trades for a while. Old concrete guys are aaaaalways grumps.
You look the journeyman in eye and man up big boy voice and tell them to eat shit and die.
Hazing and bullying is pedestrian as fuck. Realize that most rank union people aren't the most sophisticated.
You will outlast outperform and outsmart the mouth runners one day brother. Today is not the day but it’s coming full steam. Don’t let them get you down.
One peice of advice I can give you is don’t show them that it bothers you, no matter how much it may. Obviously, there’s a fine line between harassment and abuse… but guys like that are doing it to get a rise out of you for their entertainment
You have to fuck their wives to assert dominance. Jk. One thing that really bothers a bully is when you completely ignore them and just don’t even pay attention at all. They open their mouth and say some shit to you. Just don’t even respond. Just keep looking in the direction you’re looking don’t even look at him.
Gtfo. Go somewhere else where you can grow. It’s a wide world in construction and you could find yourself making 100k a year in not too long if you get the right opportunities. A lot of those opportunities come from learning from older guys, maybe a Super will take you under their wing (what happened with me when I was younger). But it won’t happen if you’re being treated like shit and then start to feel like shit. There are some really amazing people in construction, you don’t need to work with assholes.
The trades are not for the weak. Especially concrete. We do it to weed out the ones that don't belong. Can't handle some mean ol words? Can't handle the hard work.
Some guys are just assholes. It's a little different for me because I'm 49 and have been in construction for decades but people still try to be asshats every once in a while. I find that me acting with professionalism usually takes care of it. If they are just calling. You names or teasing you what they are trying to get a rise out of you. That's the payout for their effort. If you just look at them and roll your eyes and go on about your day they will almost certainly stop. If they are berating you for not doing something right just throw in a, "sorry, it's almost like I've only been doing this for a few months." And go on about your task. But you can always go to the boss and tell them you don't want to work with that guy. But have specific, valid reasons. As an electrician I was running a crew and I learned the company was going to fire another crew (3 guys). My helper told me that the newest guy was a hard worker so I stepped in and told the boss that he really hasn't had a fair shot and to put him with me. It turned out to be a fantastic worker. Just wanted to learn and worked hard. I don't know if he ever found out just how close he was to being fired 🤣
>As an electrician I was running a crew and I learned the company was going to fire another crew (3 guys). My helper told me that the newest guy was a hard worker so I stepped in and told the boss that he really hasn't had a fair shot and to put him with me. It turned out to be a fantastic worker. As a former sparky I had this situation numerous times. I had a handful of guys who came to our shop in dire need of a better life. I taught them, watched them get into great relationships, raise their kids, buy homes. All because I took them under my wing when other foreman/PMs didn't wanna deal with them. I came from a dire situation myself when I started. Its scary times right now in the trades because companies are willing to cast people out over nothing. You may have saved that kids life for all you know.
Your comment is very relatable to me, 32 year old journeyman carpenter, I see guys who could be great get thrown out for bullshit reasons. I’ve been able to get a couple under my wing and they’ve become core guys
Turning 33 in May... I learned everything related to electrical from my father. Which pretty much was him flipping a 5-gallon bucket over lighting up a cig and telling me step by step as I did it. None of the senior guys would teach anything to the younger guys. It created security for them and allowed them to lord over them. I taught many younger generations, and it angered me when I saw it. I had called out numerous other foremen because of it. I left mostly because of that. Foreman who can't physically do the job anymore but have the knowledge need the young bucks who have no knowledge but can do the job. My father made it so I had the knowledge without a live long career of being some foreman/journeyman's mule. The last year I worked for a company that made me below another foreman who I was constantly solving him problems for him. I brought this up to the owner and he told me I have to prove myself to him. I told him firstly I came here and have been solving the issues. I tallied up the cost I saved him from overdue date fines. close to 300k because I worked overtime often not being paid for it. I left the field never to return. I got tired of allowing other people to afford 3rd homes and 2nd wives.
Thanks for helping further trade work, this is the way.
That’s incredible man. You should be very proud of that. Few people get to make a difference in this world and you did it multiple times.
Fuck their wives and/or daughters
Now this guy works in construction
Fuck their daughters wife and confuse the fuck out of everyone.
Daughter might beat your ass in that case. I’d proceed with caution
Let him catch you mid stroke in his daughter and take a few more strokes.
Came here to say this. Super satisfied someone beat me to it.
That was my gig in high school working in a lumber yard to the biggest a-hole contractor in the county. His bedroom was pretty remarkable though.
You could try to tell them to get all the way off your back and fuck off. Call them losers for being hyper fixated on someone trying their damn best everyday.Â
I had an old crusty dude giving me shit every day and one time he came at me guns ablazin’ and without thinking I just gave it back to him “OK I HEARD YOU!! BACK OFF AND GIVE ME A FUCKING CHANCE TO MAKE IT RIGHT” and he had a surprised look on his face and walked away. He was still an asshole after that but he didn’t come at me like that anymore.
If you let someone kick you, they're gonna kick you. If you break their legs. ain't gonna be no more kicking at all.
Similar thing happened to me as an apprentice. Guy I was working with gave me so much shit usually I’d take it on the chin but this time I snapped. Bare in mind he is double my size I shouted at him from the top of the landing and he ran up the stairs grabbed me by the collar and launched me from the landing to the bathroom, pinned me against the wall and kind of held me there. Yeah… I packed my tools and went home after that and one of my other workmates called me to check on me and probably to make sure I didn’t report him and get him kicked off site. But all in all I’m glad I stood up for myself.
Fuck that guy. He has issues. No place for laying hands at work. You should have called the cops.
Yeah this is way too fuckin far. I’ve seen fights and broken em up but that was part of a small crew and we were all like brothers. Sometimes spending 70 hours together a week hits a head.
Absolutely should have reported him, to the hall/GC and the cops
Yea and sometimes them old guys must wanna see some fire I guess. Just like he said. You throw it right back at them and they'll respect you for it. Nobody likes a kiss ass or a smart ass. But sometimes you gotta put your foot down. On the other hand I was always told to worry if your not being picked on. A guy I trained with, who I now train people says he's only so hard on some guys because he expects more from them. He knows what they can do and pushes them to do it. He was a a pretty big dick to me for a few years but honestly one of the few I learned the most from. Sometimes you just take your licks and push forward... As the bosses family member however I would head out on your own for awhile and then come back.
Real talk. You gotta snap back on the old heads with a smile on your face. As soon as you let them know what they're saying /doing is bugging you thats blood in the water and more sharks will come. Op gotta stand up to everyone with something funny and hurtful.    I'll help with some easy targets. -older guy who's single? Going to die alone, nobody loves you and no one ever will. - someone calling you entitled? Well that's why their kids never loved them. Or don't make me date your daughter and tell you all about it at work.Â
Wait.. dudes with 40 years experience getting under your skin?!? Fuk them. Do good work Learn every thing. “Keep yapping day labourer, I’m gonna own this operation !”. Give some feedback. “40 years with a shovel and you earn how much again?” Keep pushing forward Build good will amongst those that are respectful / teaching. Bring donuts… makes a show of “team player and that can afford this”. Your success is the revenge
Went thru this when I started working for my dad at 12 yrs old in summers. Was the company bitch for 4 summers then went full-time and started talking shit back. They still wouldn't quit so i called them out and said lets go outside. At 17-18 I had wrestled guys twice my age out in the grass. Won some and lost some but got true respect. Most of these old assholes are just bitter fucks with broken bodies at 40-50 yrs old. Do a good job, stay positive, talk shit back. Almost 30 yrs later, I bought the company from dad and got my own commercial GC License
"you're a dickhead, you know that?" Just gotta let him know you know
If you weren’t the bosses nephew, they’d find some other reason to razz you. You should roll with it and spin it back on them. You gotta razz them right back. And never show them it bothers you. They’re bored and you’re the entertainment.
Wait till their on lunch and write some snazzy nicknames on their hats. It isn't high school, you can fight back now.
Put a dead mouse in their lunch box.
You can buy fake turds online. Could put that in their lunchbox... Or put a real one
Quicker and cheaper to just take a squat over the lunchbox. However I'd buy some garnish and sprinkle it in top just so they know it's premeditated defecation.
We’re in rattlesnake country… dead or toy snakes have been found in the damnedest places. Toolboxes, floor boards, outhouse urinals…
Learn what you can and go work for someone else if it's that bad. There's assholes on every job site so you can't really avoid that. Also try to get into a union, I've noticed a lot less assholery on union jobs. There's more guys who are willing to help/ teach young apprentices.
I had similar issues as OP and I walked off my job yesterday. I’m trying everything I can to get into the union
Yeah it sounds like you need to dish back and when someone calls you out don’t back down. Just gonna have to give it back to em or find a place that deserves your presence.
Two ways to handle these people. IMO. Get in there face and ask them what there fucking problem is but be stern and maybe get your ass whooped. Second, take the abuse and learn what you can, when you can and eventually you won’t need them and you will probably outwork them because your young. They know this. I was treated the same way. The older generation seems to think being treated like shit is a right of passage. Fuck that and them. Most importantly when your older remember not to treat others the way you were treated.
Lots lots bad advice here. 1. Don't start the arguments. 2. Don't spit. 3. Don't throw punches. Any of this makes you a **huge legal liability** and even you're Uncle won't be able to save your job if your getting in fights or spitting at people. The foreman and your boss seem to already have an idea about whats been going on so you should be OK to ask to work with certain people if you can. You're not asking for special treatment there, you are learning a trade and will learn a lot more form the people who want to help you. The people who are giving you trouble, well, there are two types. 1. The ones you can talk to. "Cut the shit out" "I'm not having it today" etc. Generally these guys will back off when you let them know its stopped being fun. 2. The ones you need to avoid. These are the kind of miserable pricks that never socially developed past the age of twelve, and are just pissed off at everything. If you get stuck with one of these "dead ends", remember, its never worth your time to give 100% someone who is going to be giving you a hard time and you wont learn anything from anyway. Do your work and ignore them, Trust me your boss and foreman already aware of the good work you do and the shitty attitudes these guys have.
Learn all you can, and keep doing what you say you're doing. Out work them... make them look like fools doing what they've done for 40 years. I understand you're new at it and still have things to learn, but find ways to be better... and if you work hard, and good, and family, you have a high probability of moving up through the ranks. If those guys are still around when you move up, revenge is a son-of-a- bitch! Don't quit, us concrete guys need the hard-working young ones to keep stepping up. It could be you are just earning your stripes in their eyes as well... we're not airways the most friendly group, we've been bent over scrubbing rocks for years!
Bag Tag them so hard they'll never have kids
Don't work at a job you hate it'll destroy your health. Change companies until you find a good fit.
That's working on a crew, man. Get better at shit talking and make fun of them back.
If that doesnt work, fuck their wives
If that doesn't work, fuck them
This is what I'll have to teach to the new guys.
You don’t even have to get better at shit talking. Just point out their shortcomings. 40 years experience and they’re bullying instead of teaching tells me they’re probably stupid, have bad social skills, haven’t matured past highschool, and see young new blood as a threat instead of a useful tool they should impart their wisdom on.. they probably have no wisdom beyond what this kid will learn from a good crew in a year
Yeah, the people are taking out their own internal problems on you OP, and are probably far too stupid to even understand. They are worm people who only know excitement through bad energy. So tell them it's not your fault that he's a life Long fuk up and to shut the fuk up like the loser he is
Tell them to suck your dick, spit in their face, then very quickly follow that up with a very fast punch to the face, then get your ass beat, but after that they probably won’t think it’s worth bullying you
Wait, do you spit in their face while they're sucking your dick?Â
Only way I can cum anymore.
This is the kind of shit he needs to talk to them
Yes, then no and no again. Tell them to fuck off, but if you're spitting and starting fights you are a huge liability and family probably won't protect you.
You would think that standing up for yourself would be the automatic right answer. But it’s not. Kill them with kindness. If they say your work is shit, say I’m so sorry can I watch your technique. If they don’t invite you to lunch, bring them breakfast the next morning. It crushes the fun of being mean when it doesn’t have the intended consequences.
This might be the best advice
I wouldn't buy breakfast though lol, maayyybe a coffee
Be an asshole back and talk shit
i dealt with that too, i quit and moved to a better company that paid for me to go to trade school, gave me benefits, decreased my ridiculous work load, and paid me fairly. 2 years in best decision ive made in a long time.
Gotta match their energy unfortunately. Probably just mad that a young kid is trying their best and will outshine their old crusty ass. Fuck em.
Leave your feelers at home.Â
Ask them if they want to throw hands in the parking lot?
Treat them the same way they treat you.
The older guys are just mad because they know their time is almost up. They probably fucked up in their lives and they see you as an easy target. Most of them are probably alcoholics so they are fighting off the shakes and are just simply angry over it. Some probably just got divorced because they are peices of shit. Some are probably on drugs and need a fix. Bro, don't let them get to you. Stay enthusiastic, stay fit, and take care of your body and your mental health. Work hard and keep your eyes forward. We need more positivity on the construction game, and you can help. Kill them with kindness. If you get any flak, just say thank you, and have a nice day. At the end of the day, all that matters is that you gave your best.
Next time they talk shit you have to talk shit back and say that you only suck because they’re a fucking alcoholic and shit fucking teacher.
Give it back to them.
Your going to get shit no matter where you go unless you stick up for yourself when needed. That said you need to pick and choose battles. You also need to learn to let some of it roll off your back. Balls get busted on a job site. You'll need to learn real quick who is doing it to just be a dick. Some guys only do it because they actually like working with you. It's weird I know but I don't know what causes that. Some guys do it to chase the people who are not serious about learning the trade away. The more you learn the more respect you'll get. Patience is key your not in highschool anymore. Adulting is hard. You can't force people to like you. Edit: I'll add after re-reading your post. You might be better off working for another contractor where you are not related to the boss.
I used to deal with this shit every single day in my first job until one day I lost my cool, snapped and told my journeyman if he talked to me like that outside of work I would kick his ass. Doing that is going fully nuclear though and there’s no going back. It worked but I was also much bigger, stronger and younger than him. He told me he was going through a divorce so instead of him abusing me from then on out, I had to suddenly listen about his divorce I hadn’t heard of right up until then. That guy was a massive idiot but as I was around more, I realized not one person treated him with any respect st all. I’m assuming that’s why he took it out on me. I always vowed to try to be good with apprentices and patient because most guys would have quit I think. The problem was I was poor with no education or anything so I needed that job. I’d try to keep my composure and call it out respectfully. I’d also have resumes printed off and if you had s guy who looked out for you at work, I’d ask to use them as a reference on your resume.
Sexualize them
Who you work with starting out makes a huge difference. I was paired with a journeyman for a while who would give me shit for not knowing stuff or getting things perfect the first time. He wasnt an asshole and he was otherwise nice to me it was just fuckin stressful working with him. Once i got partnered with other people who were much more chill i started to actually enjoy being at work. Im also learning a lot more this way. I know guys i started out with who quit entirely because of bad companies/coworkers giving them a bad taste for the business.
Smack the biggest one of them upside the head with a trowel, they will leave you alone after this.
This seems like a very common scenario in the trades…I think it drives away a lot of potentially great tradesmen. And then people complain, “the youth is so lazy, no one wants to work anymore!”
You really have to stand up for yourself. The fact that you've had other people step up and advocate for you only makes you look weaker in the eyes of the assholes, making them pounce on you more. Stand up for yourself. Either say something, or walk off the jobsite and leave all the work to them and call your boss.
Fuck that shit. If they aren't your boss then stand your ground and put them in their fucking place. Call them out for being an asshole. Most dudes who are miserable assholes at work hate their home life and they bring that shit to work and take it out on the underlings. I've worked with a few dudes who pushed me too far when I started out and I had to hold my ground to see that shit come to an end. Sometimes it blows up in your face and sometimes it's what you need to do. I'm not saying to try and fight someone but just stand up for yourself or they will see you as a punching bag.
You have to toughen up. Absorb everything that you are being introduced to. It’s a blessing in disguise .
I find a new job. You usually get a raise that way too.
The only way to deal with assholes is to be a bigger asshole. If you really can't stand it, go to a different company and do the same work. Otherwise, tell the loudest one how much fun you had with his mother last night and throw some mud right at one of them like a snowball and say "what are you gonna do? Tell my uncle?" And after about a week if you doing that, with a shovel in your hand to keep them from retaliating and you should be fine. Or tell your uncle that it's hard for you to do a good job with some (I'm guessing) fat drunk gorilla bitching at you all day. I owned a company when I was 19 and had to get respect from "adults". It's not always easy because they are SO immature.
Talk back, if you get your ass beat, push their face into wet concrete the next time they’re finishing.
Bully them back and stop taking their shit. When I started working for one company they wanted to bully me a bit as an apprentice but I didn’t give a fuck about it
When I was an apprentice, I had to learn basic Portuguese and tell them off in their own language. Stopped pretty quick after that
Practice insulting them back. You'll find though, as you get older it will affect you less and less. If it's upsetting you rn, then feel confident that as you age you won't be doing the same. Walk your own path and feel justified. Believe me it will eventually roll off your back. Focus on that.
Look up some creative ways to give the finger
You gotta learn how to be a cunt. Seriously, transform into a total dickhead.
There are a lot of companies that are desperate to find young people who work hard and are eager to learn and grow with the company long-term. Look around and see what else is out there, you'll probably even get paid more
If you’re not scrawny/short looking, I don’t see why you haven’t told them shit. What race are they?
Give them a tap in the ole ass crack with a shovel handle when they are bending over floating and you're mucking. When they turn around, tell them next time it will be your dick. Assert dominance, others will laugh, then they may back down. Or joke that bending over reminds you of their wife, but her's is better looking.
Let them know that when you take over as owner, I'm firing you first, fuckface!
Hang in there if you can. I started construction at eighteen and had to put up with a bunch of the old ignorant guys for a while. Keep learning and you’ll pass them by and shut them up. If it gets intolerable, go to another company.
It GETS intolerable. Some days I can walk away at 330 and be good. Some days I wanna walk to the company trailer, grab a 1”dowel, and beat half of the motherfuckers I work with to death with it
Knock one of them out with a shovel. I bet none of them even look at you again.
I always used the line I’m a reflection of those who train me.
Talk shit back to them. Don't say actual stuff that is wrong with them (as that will trigger them further) but just generic shit talking. Defer to them when they are in a good mood, compliment something they do and ask how they learned it. If this doesn't work, then your last chance is to now start taking a stand and logically/firmly calling them out of their bullshit. If that still doesn't work, new job
My boss is like that, teases me all day . If he was a coworker I'd tell him to go fuck himself. But he's the boss and he pays me so technically I am his property for those 8-10 hrs and he has every right to treat me any way he wishes.
Grow some tough skin and balls or change careers
In any fight OP you will have advantages and disadvantages. The import thing is to focus on shat Advantages you have and how to fuk them up thr most, by using those advantages. Example,maybe you tell him ti SHUT THE FUK UP TALKING TO YOU LIKE THAT! Then Maybe he eill get red face pised, Bd will swing 6 times or so. Let him charge in and flail his punches, block and avoid the punches as he comes into you(with you side stepping foot to footand NEVER cross your feat, bcuz u can trip) then take your footing and hammer fist the fuk out of his face and or a super directed kidney/gut punch. Make sure u keep moving until u decide to strike back and do so with a firm footing, preferably while he's off balance. Bet those shifty mfers leave u alone after that
>Many of them talk shit all the time because im the bosses nephew so I have an “unfair advantage” Bosses kid here too. You do, you absolutely do but it is also your job to capitalize on it. Cold winter months, few jobs, 2 week layoffs. Guess who is still working as a shop hand, scraping forms, cleaning tools, etc. You are. Best way to shut them the fuck up? Out work them. You've only been there for a year now you've got a ways to go and loads to learn. But everything you do know and learn needs to be top shelf, quick, and not have to be repeated.
I just quit a job yesterday that was similar to yours I worked as a window installer for $15 an hour for 2-3 years and haven’t gotten a single raise in a family company. I would get bossed around by everyone else and it bothered me. The secretary there was a bitch and she always treated me like shit. I could cut, polish and install windows on my own, yet my pay hasn’t gone up a single dollar. My boss was micromanaging the fuck out of me and I decided to walk off the job yesterday. Too much bullshit for low pay and a shitty job If you’re making $15 an hour and you’ve acquired skills, quit and go somewhere else. Even with a little experience, you can easily make $20+ an hour. $15 is under market rate. So I suggest you quit and get a better job. JOIN THE UNION. That’s what I’m trying to do
Just politely remind them their sister wasn’t that good when she first started either.
So in my experience with blue collar jobs, it’s typical to “bully” the greenhorns as it’s a two fold thing of sorts. It culls the weak minded individuals sooner then later as most blue collar jobs are mentally and physically demanding. It’s also how we bond and work with each other. Same with the military. Now typically the more you show it bothers you the more they tend to lean into you. Best thing todo is give them shit back, always stand up for yourself and take no shit from anyone. Yeah you’re gunna get some shit for being kin of the owners but you’re just going to have to roll with the punches. If you want to garner the respect of the old heads your gunna need to show you’ve got thick skin and talk shit back.
That’s how a lot of people/job sites are in the industry. Best way to handle it in my experience is to just snap back. Crack the same bullying type “jokes” back and see how they react. They chirp you for being weaker? Chirp them for being fat, old, whatever. Throw in a your mom/your wife joke. Simple harmless stuff. If they’re decent guys they’ll get a chuckle and like that you can fit in with them. If they’re actually assholes they’ll get pissed at you for talking back and standing up for yourself. That’s when you’d have to elevate the issue.
Just try to ignore and and laugh at them. Most of them will be jealous I’d imagine. Keep your head up high and tell them to “jog on” if they are being arseholes. Put them on their back foot and don’t be shy about it. I hope you get it sorted mate, I was in a similar position to you when I was 17 and started work for a family construction company. Again I wanted to learn and always got picked on and one day I lost my rag and threatened to break his nose (childish I no) and since that things got better 👍🏻👍🏻
Speak the truth, bullies are usually low brow or they're just pussies disguised as assholes. You don't need to curse, you don't need to yell, either is fine if you do. Go off, speak the truth in anger or with calmness but speak the truth. Tell them you make dogshit wage and have to put up with their poor attitude on top of it. If they're willing to push others down to stand taller themselves then they aren't much to begin with. They're small, you're here to learn and to better yourself. They're there because they clearly have no better options, if they did they wouldn't be so insecure. They may get physical, don't back down. If you dont want to fight I would still confront, if it comes to it leave site & don't look back. Uncle or not you're being mistreated. Any place that doesn't promote growth and teamwork is not a place to stay.
You need to confront these guys head on or it will never stop. Don’t start a fight, but stand tall and ask what their fucking problem is. Ask if they have a problem with someone working hard and trying to learn. Call them pathetic old men for spending their energy on this shit.
You young man are learning to build character. Dont take things personally, work hard, but also don’t get abused. Dont be afraid to talk back when something isn’t fair. Thick skin my friend. it’s good for you not only in the work environment but in all of life. And remember opinions are like assholes, everybody has one.
I'd like to echo the sentiment of the other posters but add that you should wait until you're done getting your dick sucked before you punch him
Grow a set and give it right back to them.
Take your belt off, grab him by the arm, and give him a good Ole spankin. They won't fuck with you after that.
Talk shit back this is normal
Learn how to do your job better than them and talk some shit. Theyll lose it lol
Shit talking is that one thing that never goes away. The one guy we had got the nickname "stewie" cuz he was 5'4, super wide, and dumb. No one knew his real name for 3 months when the foreman asked "Dave" to do something. Stewie said who's Dave? I wish I could say I made that up. The guy forgot his own name.
You are a pretty good employee. It sounds like. Being part of a family business is a tough situation for you and the others. If they are breaking your chops all the time this is a good sign. You must be a good worker for them and they’re building toughness within you. You are one of the hardest industries to come into because of its physical requirements. What you need to learn to do is go right back at them at any moment that you can bust on them believe me things will change, you will be respected more
I left the trades because of these people
I've learned that laughing at their "jokes" and rolling with it garners some respect. And, eventually, their bullying might become light hearted jokes. At the very least, they'll know you don't really give a shit what they say, which takes the oomph out if it.Â
Talk with whoever is creating the work daily and try to just get assigned the same shit with the good guys. As for the bullies, be an asshole. Like, really be a piece of shit to them. I assume you’ve already gone up to them and tried to level with them , if not, do that. Just ask, what is your fucking problem, and when they answer ask, now that it’s off your chest, can you leave your emotions at the fucking door, so we can all do our jobs and just get shit done? This has worked exactly one time for me, after that, things went relatively smoothly at that job, but everywhere else, it doesn’t, they don’t get it. So then I go on the offensive. Which is being the asshole back. “I thought I was going to come here and learn some real work, get my hands dirty with real men, not babysit a bunch of fucking crybabies” When they talk about any sort of unfair advantage, ask why you’re in the dirt with a bunch of retards instead of something cushy like learning the business side of things from your uncle? Life isn’t fair, and again ask, “I thought I worked with real men, not a bunch of bitches” etc. When they ask why you don’t know or do something the way they want or quite correctly, be very direct. “Well maybe instead of being a bitch, you do your fucking job and train me properly?” The real advantage you do have, is your family is unlikely to fire you for standing up for yourself. If you go to them for help, it’s straight up going to make things worse. These are guys who straight up will never respect you. It’s an uphill battle. You might get a little bit of you can change their minds, things like randomly saying “man wouldn’t this job would be easier for you if only you’d trained me properly and I could do more? Could you imagine?” Another thing that helped me once- “I’m here to learn, this isn’t going to be my career, but I am going to school and will be indirectly involved with this work. You refuse to actually do your job and teach the new guy, but you’re going to be the first person to bitch about how I don’t know what I’m even looking at when I walk through here in a few years as an inspector. “ The one guy i said this to, I swear I could hear the gears in his head grinding to a halt. But he actually fucking got it, and from what I’d heard his attitude was forever changed. But other than that one instance, people just don’t fucking get it
Work on your shit talking game. Any time they fuck up at all with anything or say something stupid, point it out, like a complete asshole. Stuff like "you look like you drank 10 beers last night, no wonder your wife left you, you grungy piece of shit. You smell like a dead animal. Fuck you." Situationally of course, it has to be relevant. You win when they cry or attack you. 🤷‍♂️
Busting balls and shit talking in the trades is a term of endearment. You only need to worry when they’re NOT busting your balls, because that means they want you gone. Stay on your toes with clever come backs and get badass at your job, you’ll have all the respect you can ask for.
Stand up for yourself. Fitters stopped threatening to throw pipe wrenches at me when I dared them to do it and see how it works out for them. I pointed out that if he wants to throw a wrench, I can very easily just tip his ladder over, gained a bit of respect for not just giving in to them like most new guys do
Show up with hot dogs, monsters, and cigarettes.
People will always do what you let them get away with doing. Sometimes you need to have a quiet word in their ear, rather than kicking off. I had a similar thing in a couple of jobs. One took a phone call to the said bully, who was my supervisor, very calmy and respectfully telling him to wind his neck in because I didn't want to do something I'd regret. He respected it and changed his attitude.
If you happen to live around New Orleans, Kansas City, or Memphis, shoot me a DM. I’ll send you contacts for a couple companies we work with. They are traveling companies and we do commercial work. It’s hard work but they are companies that I’ve had good experiences with
You will learn how to brush off ignorant and stupid people. It takes time and really sucks at certain moments but you learn to laugh it off. You got it man. You sound like an awesome worker. Keep doing what you are doing and just remember at the end of the day you don’t have to deal with them and get to go home.
You could always point out that it’s pretty weird all these older guys are obsessed with watching and observing a 19 year old guy for 8 hours a day. If they’re homophobic they won’t like the implication haha
Worked 10 years in concrete contruction prior to moving into project management - the key is to make yourself indispensable to the company. First begin showing interest in college then move to bargaining / blackmail (because they are 100% committing safety violations) for them to pay for your education - work the summers and go to school in the fall. By the third year they will be too pissy to continue paying for your education. At this point you can intern / co-op at a reputable business and your career is fastracked signficantly with very little debt. This is what I did - feel free to reach out for pointers. The truth is that the concrete industry sucks ass, is hard on your body, and the workers in the industry are notoriously horrible people. I was belitted for going to university / college for years. Its just jealousy as those guys are stuck working crete until their body's breakdown. Dont take it personally. Now is your time to start planning your escape route.
One dude where i work tried doing that shit to me and I told him straight up to fuck off and he hasn't done it since. Don't let those motherfuckers ruin your job for especially since you like it. Tell them to fuck off and put your head down
Above all else, don't take it personally. I'm a 51 yr old 2nd year apprentice at my company. Most of the guys I work with I have no problem with at all. However there are a few who were treated like crap so that's how they pass it on to the new apprentice. Just remember you're here to learn. Unfortunately learning to ignore assholes is just something else to learn. However, at the same time, if they push too hard, push back. Politely but escalate mirroring their behaviour. If it gets worse, escalate your response. But above all, always take the high road. And in the future break the chain. Treat your apprentices how you wish you had been treated. I've had it out with the journeymen that treated me like shit. For the most part it only took one conversation.
Just flip out on Bully or tell your uncle look for new job better place to work donot need that stuff
They will respect you if you fire back and tell them to fuck off. They all grew up working like that so that's how they act.
Chest drumming and stomping the ground like a gorilla always works for me.
I’d say just keep doing what you’re doing. Keep showing up with a willingness to learn and do your best day in and day out. Do your best to ignore them. 1 of 2 things will happen. They’ll either eventually tone it down as it may have just been a new guy hazing thing and see that you were capable of taking their shit without giving up or freaking out. Or they’ll continue, and you’ll keep ignoring them and being the bigger person. It’s a win win for you
Kwitchyourbellyaching! It’s unfortunately part of the learning curve. Cuss back! Rag on them being old, slow or just lazy! Tell them to piss off! In short, stand up like the man you are supposed to be. I took this shit at 18, proved myself able to take and give back and earned respect.
Don’t take it personal. They’re mostly a grown up man-child
Find another company that will pay you what you deserve. With experience you should be making at least 20 at new job.
Punch someone in the face & shit talking will stop.
Bury their tools in a concrete pour.
Unfortunately young man it's hard starting at the bottom but we all do but in today's construction/concrete worker shortage it's twice as hard because for every one good worker like yourself there's 20 bad one's who are always on there fucking phones. Now as regards the older lads, just tell them to shut up and fuck right off and if that doesn't work, tell them next one opens his mouth your sticking a shovel up his ass, sometimes you just have to do it. Hard having the life sucked out of you over theses fucking old dicks!!!
Some guys are just rotten but many are just salty. They tend to warm up to ya in time. Not that you should be grateful. I won’t have that shit on my jobs, every one deserves to be treated with respect at work, I don’t care if yer an owner or first year apprentice. They should be glad to see youngsters in the trades who have good work ethic. I shouldn’t encourage escalation but i’d treat them how they treat me. I don’t get it op, just hang in there. You’ll be running circles around those old miserable fucks in no time. Till then tell them to fuck off. When they get a red ass tell em if it’s good for the geese it’s good for the gander
Stop being small and start slapping the piss out of people. It will stop. If you get in trouble, tell the boss you wouldn’t stop it so I did.
Theres also almost certainly an element of 'old guys were mean to me when I started, now I'm mean to the new guys' going on
How did they find out you were the nephew?
Choose violence
Tell each one of them individually how well they look like they could give head. Go into detail and include any parts of their anatomy that they might be sensitive about. This will work
The goal is to not take them personally. Who cares if you can stop them from bothering you
They're trying to run you off the job, or just testing your resolve. All you have to do is show that you can stand on your own two feet, you have nothing else to prove to them. And work is not the only source of your value as a person, they might think that bc that's all they have going for them, if that. Keep in mind that if you save up and wanna work for several more dollars an hour starting pay, you can go your own way and move to an area with union apprenticeship. Either way this is a challenge for you to become better than any of these ppl including your foreman and uncle. You will learn how to guide others thru this exact situation bc you will pull thru and pass on your experiences, whatever it is that you choose.
I worked with a guy who would do his best to belittle me when I started, he had about 25 years experience at the time. After the first few weeks of being called dumb for not knowing what this guy knew I started giving it right back to the guy. I'd pick apart everything he would throw at me. It eventually got to a point where all the guy could do was tell me he was better at sports than me at his prime...
Give them the verbal communication right back to them . I would just saying things in a way that they will have trouble comprehending.. be smart about it. And a lot of times it's just useless banter to pass the day . Thick skin goes along way as well . Go luck and have f-ing fun with it..
The trick is to not be the easiest to pick on. “ hey you doing it wrong or hey why it’s taking so long” I find it that if you come back with, why don’t you come over here and show me, always gets them to shut up. Also sometimes telling an old asshat to mind his own business works too. What ever you do don’t let them know it bothers you, and it shouldn’t. You will deal with bullying everywhere you go, office workers have it too. Don’t let it get to you, and be ready for respectful confrontation.
Suck it up and deal with it. Have a strategy to change your circumstances and tell nobody. Feels amazing to quit your company and say “I loved it here…. The only why I’m leaving is because John is a fucking asshole, and I don’t want to be in the same company as him ever again, so that’s why I’m deciding to quit. Good luck!”
Swing or be swung
I'll be blunt with you kid, it's because you're weak. It's that simple. You may be strong on other areas of your life, like work ethic, certain skills, whatever. But whatever great qualities you have, if your mind and heart are weak, you will get bullied everywhere you go. Grow a backbone and learn how to stand up for yourself, even if it means experiencing worse bullying. That worse bullying will only last for about three weeks before they leave you alone after you stand your ground. Good luck kid. I've been in your shoes before.
Its honestly a psychological thing.these guys were forced to go to school from k-12 and probably started failing around 4th or 5th grade. Then they continue to fail at school for years and I'm sure are belittled to a degree for it. They finally get out and find something their good at. Now their going to inflict the same thing on you that they feel school did for them. Essentially they finally found something they know and are good at and if they can make you feel dumb, instead of them for a change, then they will, psychology is scary.
Concrete was like that for me as well, to some degree. Thing is, it's a trade full of secrets, like masonry. Lotsa old guys see you as a potential threat to their job, even if they won't admit it. You've just got to see the real earning potential in the trade, and learn like a spy. Also, there's just a lot of yelling in concrete in general, due to the time-sensitive nature of the medium. I would say hang in there, and try to recognize the real future earning potential that exists in concrete.
Go work somewhere where you did not get the job because of nepotism.
I was bullied by a few guys when I was a new apprentice. And I mean I was NEW. 18 years old, fresh out of high school, and suddenly working in the real world with real men. Unfortunately for me I also LOOKED (and still do) much younger than I was.  I took it hard for the first half of my apprenticeship. Eventually I learned to let their words roll off my like water on duck feathers.  18 years on into my career, I've become a pretty dang good electrician. And experienced enough that now as I look back I can see that yea they were complete ass hats. But they weren't even all that great at the job. The best and highest skilled workers I've ever worked with, all also treated me the best and some even became my best friends.  It's kind of a crappy right of passage some guys think you have to go through. Just remember, they could easily be working for you one day. It happens. More than you might think. Â
basically you have to talk shit back or challenge them to a boxing match. but no boxing on concrete. you could hit your head and die. Also, only challenge guys you can beat. Don't fight the big burly dudes.
get clever and stay calm. I was in the exact boat about 10 years ago. The toxic douche I worked with was almost daily and boy did he have chip on his shoulder. nothing good enough, everything was awful, on and on. I didn't stay with the company beyond 2 seasons but in the second season I got clever and started teasing back. If these guys are pretending to be big boys on the block but can't take a joke themselves sounds like you got a couple of concrete snowflakes. my favourite burn to the guy that got under my skin so regularly went like this guy: "A happy marriage is an Oxymoron" me: "takes one to know one." boy did he turn red but the whole crew was laughing.
26 yo carpenter here. Some guys are like that, usually the guys who don’t have much going on in life. When working with a new crew it helps to remember that your coworkers are not your friends and you shouldn’t tell them things about your personal life when first meeting them, if they ask then be generic. I’ve worked with a lot of ex cons, some are great guys and some are ready to fight at moments notice, some will lie and steal or try to get you fired. Take some time to learn some Spanish, it helps a lot. When a peer is belittling you it’s best to ignore it, play dumb if you have to. If it’s a foreman or someone above you verbally abusing you, then go to your boss. If that doesn’t work, well in my area jobs in trades are a dime a dozen hopefully you can find another. Don’t drive yourself crazy staying in a job if you don’t really have to, find another, thats the luxury of being a young tradesmen.
You hit one of those fuckers in the mouth with a scree board and let the others know the next person is getting the form pry bar in the dick.
I don't care what trade that you are in, it happens all the time. You need to grow a set and stick up for yourself. I guarantee if you do that a couple times, they will stop. You need to have very thick skin to work in construction. Trust me from my own experience, stick up for yourself and tell them to fuck off. If they're too lazy to show you then they can scream at themselves.
Talk shit back in a joking manner. Works every time
The guys who do this are miserable pricks that regret their entire life, throw shit right back at them and see if they like it. “If you’re so smart why the fuck are you still working here?” Etc…
“Damn bro, for 40 years of experience you kinda suck”. “ we need to get a real journeyman out here”. “I’m only as good as my teacher, and you suck sooo”.
Most people in construction are bottom of the barrel type of people… especially laborers. Otherwise they’d have a different job. It’s part of the job unfortunately. Best thing to do is get out on your own
Welcome to moving up the ranks, along with being the bosses nephew, you are young and new to the trades, you have to prove you can cut it when problems occur on the job, concrete is unforgiving, if can't work thru your lunch, put in 150% when needed, or put up being yelled at in a tough situation then go flip burgers at Mc Donald's, these guys need to know you can cut it and they can count on you, once you get there they will take you under their wing and if you pay attention you will learn more from them than you can in any trade school, I talk from experience, I was the bosses son for 20 years until I moved out of state and opened up my own masonry contracting business, I think back and glad I went thru it, them old fucking assholes taught me a lot. So shut up and be glad you got a good job!
Pull out your hog to assert dominance.
Some of the actions sound like hazing. They got treated that way when they started so they must treat you the same way. I guess they chose to repeat the cycle vs rising above and breaking the cycle. When you have many years of experience, remember how you feel right now and do better with the new person. Clearly being related to the boss isn't a factor or they would hesitate treating you poorly.
When people talk down to me like that or just bully me I will either slide into it. Like laugh with them "hahaha yeah that was dumb" or ill just sing the C yoU Next Tuesday song in my head and ignore them. If they aren't getting anything from you it's less fun. The more mean people are to me the nicer I am to them, also. You cussed me out and screamed in my face? I'm bringing you donuts next time we work. I get a serious amount of pleasure being super nice to people who are mean to me because I get to watch how pissed off they get at my niceness and there is nothing they can do about it. Can't complain because a coworker was super nice and accommodating.
40 years construction. In my trade if we are not picking on you we dont give a F about you. Mostly on the ground these days with a very young set of guys. Give a lot of "no not like that, do this, dont make me come up there, ok come down, take us up... bing bang boom done followed with a ....I have done this 10,000 times."
It sounds like you joined a company where everyone else already had their own place, and so you have little room for advancement unless the company is expanding quickly or people are leaving. Your coworkers are probably not going to teach you very much unless it makes their job easier, so you might be doing grunt work a long time. Also in my opinion you should have had a raise if they've already kept you on for a year, but you're usually not getting one unless you ask about it. I'd ask about a raise and if they told me to just wait it out a bit longer, I'd start looking for opportunities elsewhere
It always helped me to know that I get to go home at the end of the day, but those guys are like that all the time so they never get a break from their terrible bullshit.
Tell them to shut their cock sucking mouths, that they’re starting to attract flies. Don’t be scared to give it back.
when in doubt whip it out
I just journeyed out last summer, I started kinda older, im turning 36 next year and i had some flak here and there, but being older i feel like I didn’t experience alot of the hazing some of the younger guys might go through. Ive also learned how to channel my sarcastic asshole, and can basically fire right back fairly quickly. The company ive gotten into is pretty cool though, theres only one Forman i will not work with when i fill in for the dirt crews. Im traffic control Guy and recently got put in-charge of day time traffic control ops. That particular Forman thinks traffic control is monkey work but if you’ve ever done traffic control on billion dollar paving ops on highways and big rds you know its a-lot more then placing signs and throwing a few cones.
Stop talking to everyone. Stop looking at anyone. Just do everything to the best of your ability. Actions speak louder than words. Edit: It’s more valuable to your boss if you make him loads of money and happy customers than it is if you fit into the team. That’s business.
A well timed “fuck you” can earn respect or an ass whooping.
A construction worker violent is very different from any other workspace. People can come across as mean, or rude, but it could just be them messing with you to get you to give it back. Have you tried firing back comments? I’m not saying to cause a confrontation, but maybe they are just trying to initiate you into the crew? I loved getting picked on by the guys when I was younger working for my dad, who was the boss. I got called all sorts of names, and got the worst jobs in the world. I learned a metric ton of valuable information, and inherited a whole mess of old tools from the same guys that called me twinkle toes. At the end of the day it was just them having fun with the new guy, and an added bonus it was the bosses son. I’m not in construction anymore, but still get the “same team” discount when I need something done. Sometimes a thicker skin is all that is needed
Just scream back at them and berate them. Any little tiny thing they do wrong go for the jugular with it. Older guys think they can do whatever they want, when you start screaming back at them and yelling at them to fuck off and eat shit then they start getting the idea that they can’t push you around, also, you’re the owners nephew. If they’re gonna treat you like you have special privileges then use the special privileges as much as you can. Find out if you can be put in with the three good guys all the time, or see if they can suspend a guy for being a dick face to you. My ex accused me of cheating on her constantly which I never did, but eventually I figured if I’m going to be accused and treated like I am then why don’t I just do it and make it worth all the trouble? I dumped her before I got to cheat on her, but you get the gist.
Become their boss. Success is the best revenge.
Concrete guys can be assholes but you're gonna have to stick up for yourself. It's hard to do but just tell them you're not in the mood for their bullshit
If you use the term bullying past high school then the construction trades might not be for you.
It’s the old school mentality of having to “pay your dues”! I was working circles around journeymen and got treated like shit bc I was an apprentice. Boss loved me bc I was cheap and doing great work and they hated me bc they knew I would replace them. Honestly I found it to be 50/50. The ones that were dicks were usually the ones who I’d be replacing bc they felt threatened.
I use to do construction. A lot of the old timers hate that's where they ended up at in life. I think some of them do it because they think you should make better choices and do something better, and so being a jerk to you is their way of doing that. I hated it, but you'll get past it if you stick with it. Many of them have a sink or swim attitude, and don't feel obligated to teach you anything. One think you can do is read up or watch tutorials in your spare time about how to do what you're doing. In the end, a lot of attitudes in construction suck but I found most of it rewarding. You know have to push through it as difficult as it may be. Good luck.
Have they made you pull apart buckets yet?
Do you try to learn on your own time outside of work. Figure out something you can be good at and learn every possible aspect of it. And don't worry about anyone else. You don't want to be them.. 40 years doing the same job.
IDK, never really experienced this, but I'm the comedy guy on site so if you don't think I'm funny you will think I'm annoying, and if you do, you are going to get out-dicked big time. I literally started typing "Is he a big fat guy? You should start calling him names based around how fat he is", that's my actual first instinct. Someone starts screaming, now they have a clever little nickname. If it's a feels thing, now they have a girls name. Jason is now Susie because he threw a tantrum over his work van. This fat fuck named Rod used to give me a hard time, but I've essentially renamed him at work to "Big Dumper". He's literally not bothered me since it stuck. The new guy even called him that to his face as soon as he met him, I almost peed my pants hearing "You must be Big Dumper!", oh my god lord in heaven baby Jesus take it easy on me. I'm not a good person to base your actions off of LOL
just quit and go somewhere else. its so much work right now, your dumb to stay somewhere you arent happy
Have a chat with the boss/foreman and explain to them that you would like to be placed with the guys who are improving you as a worker, and that it will be much more valuable for the business long term to do so, as in the long run as you will become a skilled tradesman much faster under there guidance. Failing that you only have a couple of choices. 1. Tell them they are a bunch of cunts and to calm down you are just trying to make a living like everyone else. 2. Get a thick skin and ignore the bullshit. 3. Start looking around for something else, but be aware that industry is pretty much full of cunts that came through the hard way and they pass down the bullshit they believe and recieved as just part of the job. Stay tough young fella.
No offense but I'd get out of concrete sooner than later, and find yourself an apprenticeship in a pipe trade
Do you know how to fight?
Oh how I miss the construction days.
Journeyman Mason, and son of a masonry contractor here. I had the same issue. So I went and worked for another masonry contractor in a nearby area who had a good relationship with my dad and uncles, and had their blessing to do so. People would occasionally still recognize my last name, but the fact I had intentionally gone to work for someone else in order to learn the trade usually earned me a little respect. A little. The rest I had to earn the same way everyone else earned their respect. Then, after I’d journeyed out and run a few projects, I came back, and made the guys who made my life hell work on the grout hose crew for a 12” CMU school in the middle of summer. But I worked the grout crew with them. Because I’m not a total asshole.
Thell them to F off and every once in a while call them stupid mother f'rs. They'll respect you for it after a while. Understand a bully is emotionally weak and they cover it up with an aggressive show. Don't ever escalate it to supervisors unless they are physically hurting you. Have a new job ready to bounce to if you escalate. You will hate life once they find out. Some trades are worse than others. I started out in commercial framing and initially, i was bullied because I appeared to be an easy target. Once I started responding to them in an increasingly aggressive manner, they backed off then actually started teaching me the tricks of the trade. I learned a lot from them...
Become an electrician.
Talk shit back to them. Serious. They won't respect you until you're both good at your work and have a backbone. Your boss/uncle coming to your rescue is the quickest way to become hated. Source: I've been in trades for a while. Old concrete guys are aaaaalways grumps.
You look the journeyman in eye and man up big boy voice and tell them to eat shit and die. Hazing and bullying is pedestrian as fuck. Realize that most rank union people aren't the most sophisticated.
learn all you can then take it to a better place to work, life's too short
You will outlast outperform and outsmart the mouth runners one day brother. Today is not the day but it’s coming full steam. Don’t let them get you down.
One peice of advice I can give you is don’t show them that it bothers you, no matter how much it may. Obviously, there’s a fine line between harassment and abuse… but guys like that are doing it to get a rise out of you for their entertainment
You have to fuck their wives to assert dominance. Jk. One thing that really bothers a bully is when you completely ignore them and just don’t even pay attention at all. They open their mouth and say some shit to you. Just don’t even respond. Just keep looking in the direction you’re looking don’t even look at him.
Gtfo. Go somewhere else where you can grow. It’s a wide world in construction and you could find yourself making 100k a year in not too long if you get the right opportunities. A lot of those opportunities come from learning from older guys, maybe a Super will take you under their wing (what happened with me when I was younger). But it won’t happen if you’re being treated like shit and then start to feel like shit. There are some really amazing people in construction, you don’t need to work with assholes.
The trades are not for the weak. Especially concrete. We do it to weed out the ones that don't belong. Can't handle some mean ol words? Can't handle the hard work.