About the 2nd question:

Normally, for construction related jobs you end up working 10 hours a day, 60 hours a week, on average.

When a meeting is called at 3:00 pm, you cannot say, sorry guys... i have to leave at 3:30. You have to stay. Then day after day you get sucked-in to the system of coming in early and leaving late. You have to take this into consideration in the equation.