Working hours as the key to building in the mountains
Construction sites in the Swiss mountains present companies and workers with special challenges. Short construction seasons, rapidly changing weather, logistical bottlenecks and difficult access characterize daily business. At higher altitudes, smooth processes and efficiency are virtually impossible to achieve without flexible working hours in the construction industry.
Experienced practitioners from various cantons emphasize that work in the mountains is subject to tight time constraints. Construction machinery and materials often have to be laboriously transported, while electricity and water supplies as well as access are limited and susceptible to weather conditions. Strong temperature fluctuations, long access routes and periodic freedom from construction work in winter require flexible, project-related time models – rigid working time specifications are practically impossible to implement here
Planning, pride and AVOR
For companies, this means careful work preparation and ongoing flexibility. Construction companies often organize special working time calendars for mountain projects, which are adjusted seasonally, by the week or even by the day. With the approval of the local Joint Professional Commission, the main construction industry can deviate from the normal weekly working hours in order to take geographical and climatic factors into account
The construction workers’ wages follow the national regulations in accordance with the collective labor agreement for the construction industry. Forward-looking resource planning is becoming increasingly important. Sometimes the model of a four-day week or longer shifts over the summer helps to compensate for bottlenecks and offer skilled workers attractive prospects in a seasonal context
Special features and motivation in mining
Increased physical strain due to the thinner mountain air, challenging terrain and logistics that require autonomy demand experience and a pioneering spirit and, according to industry representatives, increase employee motivation. The changing backdrop of the mountains, team spirit and pride in what has been achieved contribute to the special identity of “building in the Champions League”. Flexible working time models, from forward-looking planning and locally coordinated time accounts to temporary staff contracts, are essential in order to give mining a professional, economically and socially balanced face
If you want to build in the Swiss mountains, you have to calculate flexibly, adapt to the weather and geography and establish tailor-made time models together with planners, authorities and the workforce. The demand for flexibility is therefore not a fad, but a necessity for building culture and competitiveness in Switzerland.