All work and no play …

A project manager, a superintendent and a field engineer are in Hawaii to help out on a project.

During a lunch break, they go for a walk on the beach and find a lamp. As they rub the lamp a genie appears and says, "To show my gratitude for releasing me from this lamp, I'll grant each of you one wish."

The superintendent goes first.

"I would like to spend the rest of my life living in a huge house with all the money I could possibly want."

The genie grants his wish and sends him off to his new house. The field engineer goes next.

"I would like to spend the rest of my life with no money worries living on a huge yacht by Jamaica."

The genie grants his wish and sends him off to the islands. …

In this issue of Wisconsin Builder, you're going to see a feature called "Best of …" It represents a departure from a lot of the stories we run in this magazine, mostly because it's a collection of completely subjective observations of the state's construction industry.

There are no facts to back it up. We didn't conduct any comprehensive industry polls to support our assertions. Basically, we made it up.

Why? Because it's fun - and, we hope, funny.

Construction is a serious business with millions of dollars and thousands of lives at stake every day. The news that comes out of this industry by and large reflects the serious nature of what you do.

But construction - really, any industry - is more than just a business. It's a collection of people who do stuff together every day. And the stuff they do and the things they talk about aren't just related to work.

It's natural to shoot the bull with someone. It's perfectly fine to stop working and listen when someone walks in the office with a good joke to tell.

The New York business research group The Conference Board reported Feb. 23 that only 47 percent of Americans say they're satisfied with their jobs. That figure is down from 61.1 percent 20 years ago.

The report cites all the usual suspects like bonuses, promotions, workloads and the potential for future personal growth.

I'm betting that the report also signals that people aren't having as much fun at work. They're not laughing enough. They can't break the tension, bust up the monotony or simply take a breather from the daily grind.

Basically, they're not getting a chance to hear the punch line often enough, which is …

The genie now asks the project manager:

"And what would your wish be?"

To which he replied: "I want them both back on site after lunch."