On a construction site, the site foreman supervises the workers and keeps track of the work schedule. The site foreman ensures that the job’s time frame, as well as the proper sequence of the various jobs, are met assigning jobs to specific individuals and groups. The site foreman is also responsible for ensuring that certain jobs are completed in order for the next job to begin. While the majority of individual contractors and subcontractors are on the job site to manage their own employees, the foreman keeps track of all of the foremen and is responsible for their collective work product.
The foreman’s job is to supervise all of the individual work crews and ensure that all of the work is directed in the same general direction. The site foreman is in charge of resolving any scheduling conflicts or delays in job completion. On a daily basis, the subcontractors will report to the site foreman, receiving pertinent information about the progress, or lack thereof, as well as suggestions on how to resolve any issues. If the work crews do not maintain steady progress or fall significantly behind for any reason, they will be disciplined and possibly terminated.
The site foreman, like a general manager in a factory, is the construction site’s collective authority. This position serves as the final quality check for a typical construction project, with any flaws falling on the shoulders of the foreman. Occasionally, the site foreman will be eligible for a bonus if the job is completed ahead of schedule or on budget. Failure to come in under budget, on the other hand, may result in a penalty or fine, and the foreman is typically penalized on a sliding scale for each day that a project exceeds the projected completion date.
Before taking an overseer position with a larger company, a site foreman is often a person who has excelled in private business and may have owned a construction company. One issue that many site foremen face is the need to be on multiple sites at the same time. It’s unusual for a top foreman to be in charge of only one job site at a time. On a daily basis, the site foreman is expected to drive to several construction sites, board meetings, and supplier meetings.