Motivation at a construction site

[TheLordOfChaos201]

Hi

I'm at work at the moment(infinitely so because it's a 5 year project) and I was just wondering if you guys could help me.

Conundrum:
How do you motivate your brick layers to lay more bricks?

further insight:
I've been doing this for 4 years and have noticed a pattern. brick layers will only lay enough bricks to earn a minimum wage. this fact is ridiculous because the number of bricks in order to achieve minimum wage varies.

right now we are on our best project so far. brick layers only need to lay 500 bricks to earn minimum wage. usually it's double, 1000 bricks, yet now that they can make double the profit they refuse to lay more.

how do I get them to double their profit?

what I've already tried:
telling them how much they have made at the end of every day (publicly to shame the lower values)
monthly incentives to the bricky who laid the most bricks
monthly admonishments to lowest bricky
splitting the working force into teams and at the end of ever day telling them which team laid most (competition)
buying beers
setting daily goals
telling them they need double the amount of bricks they actually need

none of those worked

what are your solutions? could you solve the problems of real work life?

 

[Mechanical Man]

For such work (it could be else than laying bricks, just a work with a norm), the workers are on their best when doing the absolute minimal. Not sure how it works in your country, but in my country works like this using your example:
- you usually lie 500 bricks to earn your minimal wage, because it's the norm
- one day you may lay 1000 bricks instead of 500
- you get a bit of pay increase for that period
- next period your wage falls back to minimal wage, but this time you have to lay 1000 bricks for your minimal wage, usually your co-workers as well

This leads of series of issues:
- if you lay more bricks than others, you become an enemy of your co-workers, and you risk ending mobbed and lynched
- you now have to work harder, just because you wanted a bit of increase for one month, however going this way you lead yourself in unbearable working conditions

Now tell me how is this motivating for people. I see only two reasons:
1. you're fit and want to piss other less fit co-workers who will struggle with new norm
2. you already found a better job and this is your last month so you can piss around to get more money

 

[TheLordOfChaos201]

sorry to do this but...

how does this help? if anything you just provided me with a what not time do scenario

I just found something quite interesting, the brick layers work faster when it's raining or super hot

how could we use that as motivAtion? I'm imagining walking around sight with a water pistol, but that won't work

hmm