laborer

mécanicien de machines fixes

driver

opérateur

répartiteur

A typical workday started with a shift handover. Only breakdowns were handed over, all work started by a technician would be completed by the same technician. Heavy equipment redundancy allowed many things to remain non-critical while down.

I learned to improve my troubleshooting and problem solving skills. Picked up the basics for arc and MIG welding, plasma cutting and Milling and lathe operation, not usually afforded to my trade. Improved and refined my ability to navigate, troubleshoot and isolate electrical problems remotely through the online PLC program and use it as a powerful troubleshooting tool.

Management was past its prime. Most were approaching or over retirement age. This leads to an "old boys club" mentality where newcomers of a younger generation are not welcome or respected. Their perspectives and ways of doing things are outdated an considered unacceptable in the modern work place. Heave rift between production and maintenance in both management and on the floor.

Work culture is an "Old boys club" culture, with an emphasis on lip service and bare minimum safety compliance. Production over safety. Reprimanded heavily if injured or damaged equipment, rewarded for unsafe behaviour if it minimized downtime with no incident. Aging workforce with a tendency to hire in the 50+ age group perpetuates this culture with little hope of change, and no consideration for future generations, or the plant's future. 

The hardest part of the job is dealing with the stress of a tough work environment. Dangerous, dirty, noisy, extremely cold, extremely hot and working outdoors in all weather with others who are as unpleasant as you feel.

The most enjoyable part of the job was when there were no breakdowns, and maintenance activities slowed. You were able to forge relationships with fellow maintenance technicians.

Oldcastle is a great company with many talented individuals that are experts in the field. The company made numerous acquisitions during the mid 2000s and integrating those companies was the biggest challenge I saw during my time at Oldcastle. There is a great depth of talent and opportunities for synergies. At the same time the integration of cultures from different offices and a coherent strategy understood company wide are still a work in progress. There remain many opportunities for highly motivated individuals to make a real impact with this company however nothing worthwhile is ever easy. Many challenges remain and a modernization needs to take place both in terms of infrastructure and the approach to execution of complex projects.

The day begins by opening and starting the production line for my co-workers, as a review the production schudule and unload glass packs.  Start the cutting line and reorganize the glass packs in order to have the schudule and cutting line run smoothly.  I learn everyday more skills to make me a better worker in my field.  My management is great and keeps me satisified by encouraging my work load.  My co-workers follow instructions and enjoy working along side of me.  As a lead hand I enjoy having a great relationship with all my co-workers to established a great work environment.  I have to say that at the end of the day, the heavy lifting is one of the hardest things of my job.  I enjoy the co-workers and learning more and more everyday.  I feel there is always room for improvement and growing.

CRH Canada is one of the biggest construction/supplier company in Canada. It has a great culture and work environment. You will learn so many new advance methods and skills in this company. They will provide you all necessary tools to make your job easier. The only problem is moving up in this company is not as easy as other place. Sometimes you need to know ppl to move up for better position. Also probation time is not 3 month in this company. It can be between 1 year to 2, depends on your performance, and meanwhile you won't be in title of any benefits. Salary start very low and when you get your full time it goes up but not what you expect, maybe my expectation is high... In general its a great company to start but its not that great to invest your life.

CRH management focuses mainly on Profits. Focusing on profits is not wrong. It becomes wrong when it is the only important thing for the management. 

It is important to listen to the employees and care about their ideas, needs, and professional ambitions. Many desitions affecting the employees are taken without proper communication. You feel like a chess piece for them.

Many of the managers are not properly trained and don't have any idea of how to be real leaders of a team.

You're required to work extra hours, sometimes weekends and statuary holidays, and have to remind every time in order to get them back as there's no monetary compensation for those.

The only thing I can say is working at the company is a great career to make but sometime you have to deal with lazy workers that are just bottom feeder and it’s hard to work as a team. Being a team is a great thing because things get done on time and more chances open up for workers seeking to rise in the company. But dealing with lazy workers at work should not be allowed under any reason. To start we all need jobs and we all need to put in the part where you applied for the job to work not to be lazy people. The company is great and I will continue to push forward seeking more doors to open. :-) GO CLR/OBE

The best part about working for this company was my immediate supervisor who was extremely supportive, encouraging and knowledgeable, and my fellow co-workers. I truly loved what I was doing and going to work every day. The worst part was upper management. You are nothing more than a number in this very large company and they proved that time and again. Putting 100% effort, getting excellent performance reviews (always) and being a reliable, dependable employee does not matter to them at the end of the day.

A typical day consists of testing concrete trucks either at the plant or at the job site. The testing itself is quite simple and easy to learn. The people I met here in terms of drivers and supervisor are very friendly and easy to get along with. The only negative I had with this job were the hours that were required on a weekly basis. For example a normal week would consist of 50-60hrs a week, and although we were compensated with overtime its tough to maintain a balance between work and personal life.

	Assist with Forecasting & Budgeting process 
	Monitor KPIs of production by refreshing reports (BW-SAP) and compare actual vs. budget & previous year.
	Reporting financial cost analysis through 15A & M reports for Senior Management review
	Prepare detailed reports to make recommendations to Production Manager and Controller on abnormal inventory movement and improve operational efficiency
	Assist with internal and external Audits 
	Month-end closing , adhoc reporting & participation in projects 
	Assisted with inventory count process

I worked at an expocrete plant in Acheson, AB for two years. Production equipment was frustrating to deal with, it was always in some sort of malfunctioning state or had to be limped along with constant worker intervention. Management never seemed to listen to our requests for working equipment, but they were keen to micro manage. I watched a supervisor break lock outs on the daily, it was reported and nothing ever came of it.

Top Job Titles	Average salary
Laborer 11 salaries reported	$29.57 per hour
Mécanicien de machines fixes 3 salaries reported	$32.60 per hour
Driver 2 salaries reported	$28.00 per hour
Opérateur 1 salary reported	$24.78 per hour
Répartiteur 3 salaries reported	$34.13 per hour

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