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Generations of rookie construction workers have been asked to fetch the 鈥渂oard stretcher鈥� when they mistakenly cut one too short. This practical joke works best the more the rookie’s co-workers play along, passing off the younger worker many times around the site.

鈥淕oose chase鈥� pranks like this have long been considered rites of passage in construction 鈥� good-natured joshing that all newcomers must endure. But attitudes about harassment have been changing, and the shortage of skilled workers in construction has been deepening, and worksite bullying has been increasingly in the spotlight.

As the need for employment practices insurance rises, business leaders are re-examining their employee handbooks and office culture to make everyone feel included. The impending Multnomah County Courthouse project, headed by Hoffman Construction, will even feature a robust anti-bullying campaign.

鈥楽omething else’

David Oancea didn’t work for long at his first job out of high school. The journeyman general laborer says he got a lot of 鈥済uff鈥� while working there, for, among other things, being young, religious and physically smaller than most everybody else. The other workers all seemed to go way back, and they partied together regularly.

鈥淚 felt like if you weren’t a part of them, they treated you pretty bad,鈥� said Oancea, 21. 鈥淚 mean, I was never seen as an equal with anybody, really. There was a couple people who took me in, showed me the ropes, made sure I was safe. That’s just how it was. I was always an outsider.鈥�

The days grew more stressful as be got used to the rhythms of the job. At lunch he’d retreat to his car, where he’d eat and read his Bible.

鈥淚 had to pray a lot, because it really was getting to me,鈥� he said. 鈥淭here was even a moment in time where a guy actually got me near my breaking point. I actually went back to my car and cried.鈥�

That guy in particular was 鈥渟omething else,鈥� Oancea said.

鈥淗e was always inappropriate 鈥� he was never not-inappropriate,鈥� he said. 鈥淚’ll never forget him.鈥�

Fearing retribution, Oancea never filed a complaint, though his employer had a harassment policy prohibiting the behavior he says he experienced. (The head of the company Oancea worked for declined to comment, saying absent a complaint, there was nothing to comment on.)

鈥淓very company has a harassment policy, but what can they really do, honestly?鈥� Oancea said. 鈥淭hey might slap a guy on the wrist or talk to him, or whatever, but then the rest of the crew will look at you like you’re a complete wuss. Like, 鈥楥’mon, what kind of man are you that you can’t take it?’ 鈥�

A man who worked with Oancea and requested anonymity said he witnessed people stealing Oancea’s tools, and assigning him 鈥渃rap jobs that didn’t teach him anything.鈥�

鈥淒avid was a smart kid,鈥� the former co-worker said. 鈥淗e actually worked pretty hard once he got the muscle built up. But that’s how it is. A lot of people were threatened by it because David’s boss material. That’s what it was.鈥�

Green Dot climate

A study by two Portland State University sociology professors examining discrimination in the highway construction trades found that harassment against apprentices was 鈥渄eeply embedded.鈥�

The paper by Lindsey Wilkinson and Maura Kelly (commissioned by the Oregon Bureau of Labor and Industries) addressed the question of why women and minorities drop out of apprenticeship programs at rates far higher than white males. In short, the report found discrimination to be a major factor in pushing women and racial/ethnic minorities out.

Oregon Tradeswomen Inc. is helping lead the Respectful Workplaces Project, which will include an anti-bullying program for construction of a new Multnomah County Courthouse. That 17-story project began recently and is expected to last three years and cost at least $175 million.

Along with Hoffman and Multnomah County, the Oregon Department of Transportation will supply a grant to help pay for the pilot program. (ODOT is bound by statute to set aside money to help diversify the highway industry.)

The program will address policies and procedures, instituting support systems and a 鈥渂ystander intervention program,鈥� devised by the nonprofit Green Dot.

Seven jobsite 鈥渋nfluencers鈥� have already been trained through the program. The category of influencer includes Hoffman project leaders, and also workers deemed popular with their peers and experienced at their trade.

鈥淵ou give bystanders who are witnessing problematic behavior the knowledge that there are a variety of ways they can intervene to shift culture,鈥� OTI program manager Tiffany Thompson said. 鈥淚t’s about how you create change on the ground, and how you influence a cultural shift that is sustainable.鈥�

Labor pains

The Pacific Northwest Regional Council of Carpenters is developing training to tackle the issue of jobsite bullying. A subcommittee is examining generational and cultural differences as sources of tension, said Ben Basom, communication director for the union. The plan is to make it a part of the union’s apprenticeship program and possibly continued education for all members.

This year, the Pacific Northwest chapter has directed 900 workers through an anti-bullying training session.

鈥淚’d like to think the carpenters have been proactive on this issue and trying to stamp out that old-school mentality,鈥� Basom said. 鈥淲e’re working to change the culture of our industry. We’re working on developing their soft skills to improve communication and their leadership styles.鈥�

Each craft has a different way of addressing conflict resolution, said Willy Myers, head of the Columbia Pacific Building Trades Council. Some have mentoring or stewardship programs. Some address the matter in their language of project labor agreements. But each trade also has its own unique constitution and bylaws, its own rituals, and its own procedures for handling disputes.

鈥淜nowing which pathway to take is crucial,鈥� Myers said. 鈥淯nfortunately we don’t always educate our membership as to what those pathways are.鈥�

View from the boardroom

Though construction leaders are reluctant to call hazing and harassment a 鈥減roblem鈥� in the Portland market, they acknowledge nobody wants it in their workplace.

鈥淭here’s a couple reasons why we’re looking at this,鈥� Hoffman Construction superintendent Gerry Hein said. 鈥淲e want to make sure the workforce is welcoming to minorities and women, and we also want to develop apprentices, because the construction trades right now are challenged to recruit people.鈥�

It’s no secret that the construction workforce is aging and more kids are choosing the four-year college career path over the trades. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Outlook for the construction industry, about a quarter of skilled craft workers are expected to be age 55 or older by 2020 鈥� a 6 percent jump in a decade.

Hein and others are worried that their efforts attracting skilled craft workers are wasted when those workers are shaken by bad initial experiences. Many workers now entering the field are older than previous generations 鈥� men and women with children to support who are transitioning from other careers 鈥� and they’re even less willing to tolerate abuse.

Building a workplace culture that’s inclusive and equitable is even more of a challenge for an industry that operates in many disparate, temporary locations, according to Bart Eberwein, vice president of Hoffman Construction, a massive firm with projects across Oregon and the U.S. Hoffman’s projects involve many subcontractors and unions that come together for just a few years for a project, before going their separate ways. Eberwein said the approach should be, 鈥渇irst you build relationships, then you build the building.鈥�

鈥淚t can sometimes be a strange brew on a jobsite, with all these people you’ve never met before,鈥� he said, 鈥渂ut you have to establish and nurture your own culture. It’s something you don’t have to worry about at a factory. Is bullying a problem? Well, no. Is it something you take for granted? Absolutely not. You work at it.鈥�