Finding/ training/ retaining good employees...

Much the same here, sometimes the only person who doesn't want to damage things is me, distant second is the HO. Even with permission I won't do willful damage. If the HOs are not interested in a good clean safe job that kinda indicates the type of employees available around here.
 
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  • #102
I will use more YouTube videos for training, now that I have a tablet.

Any good links?
 
Thanks, Willie.

How do you train your guys? What do you expect from them? What do you do when this expectation is met? Not met? What counts as a strike to you? How many strikes per year do they get?

I don't do strikes.
I don't have issues with the crew not wearing safety gear either. If a guy needs more than a few reminders to put his chaps on in the first little while I probably don't like his attitude anyway. I'm not the only one to tell them to put on ppe, the entire crew is into it and that helps. Everyone is different, I don't have a detailed "rule book", I play to the guy. If you don't have an attitude to learn, none of us wants you here. End of story.
I may be missing allot because my eyes glaze over and I tend to skip long posts.
 
A few posts back Pete talked about the length of time it takes to really train someone. I think he took what I was clumsily trying to say and put it much more eloquently.

It sounds like you are trying to basically build a company up, and unfortunately that can be a slow and painful process. When I worked at Bartlett in Pittsburgh, the shop had been around since the 50's and developed a bad rap in the division for shitty work and a lot of accidents. They brought a couple younger foreman up from different shops in the region, me being one of them, fired a bunch of the problems, and hired several new guys. I worked with a totally green guy who had just graduated from Penn State for over one year and taught him everything I knew about tree work. I was only 27 or so at the time and didn't know a whole lot myself, but I was a foreman and that was my task. It was a frustrating year filled with long days, shaky rides on removals, dull/poorly filed chainsaws, and the like. I have a scar on my arm from a rigging line incident during that period. That guy still works there and is an awesome arborist now. I still do side work with him on the weekends. ( I left tree care two years ago for a job as a utility forester for the power company here.) The point is that it takes time to train someone to do this job and you can expect some pain, unprofitable days, and hurt feelings while you are doing so. If you want to have a tree company, you're going to have to commit to this.These guys need more than just you reviewing the portawrap on the ground and then heading up the tree. They need to watch a pro on the portawrap lower some pieces in front of them while receiving instruction. Let THEM hook the truck up to the chipper while you spot them so that they can understand why they need consistent signals. Youtube videos, Arbormaster, Beraneks stuff, this forum, etc are all just a supplement to doing it and seeing it in the field everyday.The best that I can tell you is to be patient, set a good example, establish a firm culture of safety, and keep on taking the time to explain things. Your situation is really no different than what most folks experience in tree care IMO. You'll get through it.
 
I don't understand the whole " Backing the truck up to the chipper" problem.

Don't you have back up cameras in the US?

When I back up to the chipper/trailer/whatever, I can put the hitch right under the reciever, and I mean RIGHT under in first try.
Always amazes the shit out of people who don't know abiout the camera.
 
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  • #107
I don't expect it to last on a tree truck. Maybe on the chip truck it can be mounted under the bed, in a protected place.
 
They put them on forwarders here.
If they can stand up to that, why not on a truck.
 
Mines held up to weather for several years now. The one on the dodge had issues with rain at the connections.
Big trucks generally can be mounted in more protected places. I really want one on the new 150, dealer says I'll have to go aftermarket but I think I can make it work with the factory display...
 
I loaded a trailer that was set at a job site a few weeks ago. When the owner showed up I walked over to help him hook up. He never glanced at me. I was thinking how the hell did he do that without ever looking in his mirror.
 
I don't expect it to last on a tree truck. Maybe on the chip truck it can be mounted under the bed, in a protected place.

I picked up one from Costco a year+ ago. It's mounted just below the chip box. The lenz does get some resin on it from pushing chips, but it still works. I will say that the color has always been off, so maybe not the best model.
 
I loaded a trailer that was set at a job site a few weeks ago. When the owner showed up I walked over to help him hook up. He never glanced at me. I was thinking how the hell did he do that without ever looking in his mirror.

:lol:

Not many drivers left who can back up to a trailer by sense of smell alone.
 
Hi Sean and everyone,

I've been reluctant to say hello for the first time in the Business Management section. Since I've considered it since around page 4, here it is :wave:.
I have enjoyed and appreciated reading and keeping up with this one. My interest in it is just starting a tree service myself and glad to get all the input I can.
A couple things I have considered at the point of an employee are something a previous employer of mine had. (this was steel industry not tree though) They were incentives being production driven and profit sharing. The production was actually the bigger part of your weekly check. The profit sharing was an annual thing and was 10% of company profit divided out to all employees proportionally.
Something else I listened to was the audio book of Dave Ramsey's Entreleadership. If you like to read, Id recommend it or like me listen to it in some audio form. I do see inherent problems to these few ideas being as is said many times in this thread. Retaining.
Anyway, hope you all will let me by one time with thinking I have a clue what I'm talking about!
Tee
 
Sean, I think that you are asking to much with your crew expectations. You are going to have to ease up on your help, and pick your battles. I used to get so stressed out over people on the job site not doing everything my way. If your employees think that you will listen to what they had to say, they will be more open to you telling the key things they need to know, and them hearing it. One of the key benefits to employees working for smaller companies is the fact they can have a bit looser of a work environment. Stress safety and make sure everyone knows that you are in charge in the tree, but ease up on some of the micro managing for your own good.
Thanks
Sep
 
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