finding help

[Greenhorn]

Trying to find good help for the year once again. Had a 23 year old kid show up and work great for two days only to dissappear on the third and never return/call for the check. Cant get him on the cell # that previously worked. Weird. Something I'm missing here? It would be one thing if he got a check and never showed again or had attitude probs etc.

 

[MasterBlaster]

At least you didn't loan him any money.

Right???

 

[sotc]

jail? one of my no shows today called a half hour ago to say he blew a tire up in the woods sunday evening. i actually beleive him, he likes to work so i found it odd he didnt show up. finding good help is hard!

 

[SkwerI]

A few years ago I used to drive down to Tampa and climb for Brett once in a while. He had one employee once, quiet guy, worked well but never said 2 words all day. I think he worked for Brett a month or two. One day I showed up to help them on a big job, the kid was there, we started working and the kid turned and walked down the street. He never came back, never called for his paycheck, nothing. It's like he was called back to his home planet.

 

[brendonv]

I sense that this is going to be the downfall in my future tree care business. I'll pay someone good if they are worth it, but few are worth it. Last week I had a guy working, first day dragged ass, stood there all day looking at me. Next day never showed because it was drizzling, I guess he melts in the rain. He's been calling for his money, maybe I should answer. I'm not going out of my way to pay him since he didn't go out of his way to show up for work and leave my hanging.

Am I bad for that?

 

[NickfromWI]

Just give him his day's pay and tell him goodbye.

Tell him he could use the money from the paycheck to invest in a phone so he can call you next time he ain't gonna show!

love
nick

 

[sawinredneck]

Sorry, but GET USED TO IT!!
It sucks!! We get guys work there butts off for three weeks, then disappear. Guys work good for three days, then spend all day on the damn cell phone texting and calling home or setting up this or that. "DUDE, you get off at NOON!! You can't schedule around that?"
The kid I got moved to third to save his butt. We go by a points system, miss a day, one point, late, 1/2 point, leave, 1/2 point, no call/no show, two points. Work the entire month you loose a point, that's the only way. Six points it's three days off, eight and you are fired.
He is sitting at seven, TWO DAYS in the month and he looses one point. He's sick, it's obvious, the supervisor and I BOTH told him, "Sit in the chair and sleep, spend the night on the toilet, JUST DON'T LEAVE!"
He left that night.
I don't get it either.

 

[squisher]

Am I bad for that?

I'd get him paid up so he's outta your hair. Best to take the highroad most of the time and espescially when dealing with crap employees. I'd pay him up but might speak my mind a bit to about his performance/attendance.

 

[Greenhorn]

Didnt loan him nada... jail is the only thing I can come up with - but he didnt seem that wild/stupid. It was sweet having a 3 man crew while it lasted. I finally got to climb all day.

 

[Mr. Sir]

Sawinredneck, I like the point system. I think I'll implement that. I'm kind of easy going, so employees tend to take advantage of my good nature.

 

[sawinredneck]

Sawinredneck, I like the point system. I think I'll implement that. I'm kind of easy going, so employees tend to take advantage of my good nature.

I get it, and I hate it all at the same time. I have been trying to get set up so I can take a weeks leave, no vacation, two months notice. But it seems I will have to take a point to do it?
Miss more than three days without a doctors note, it's two points.
Things like that.
You also have to remeber, we have TWO days a year sick leave, NOT to be used in the same month. Thats it!

 

[SkwerI]

So? Take a point, BFD. You said that you lose one point per month of normal attendance, and as long as you aren't flirting with the 8 point cutoff then what's the big deal?

They only have as much control over your life as you allow them to have.

 

[MasterBlaster]

You also have to remeber, we have TWO days a year sick leave, NOT to be used in the same month. Thats it!

Wow, I had two weeks a year at McDonalds, plus two weeks vacation.

And all the burgers I could eat!

 

[sawinredneck]

So? Take a point, BFD. You said that you lose one point per month of normal attendance, and as long as you aren't flirting with the 8 point cutoff then what's the big deal?

They only have as much control over your life as you allow them to have.

I will, I am just used to companies working with you. And that will put me at three if you wondered.

They would take my soul if they could!!

Yeah Butch, I am used to having sick leave or "well pay" or something to work with! We get vacation time out the whazoo, but can't use it when you are sick? Vacation has to be scheduled five days in advance.

 

[MasterBlaster]

The neat thing about McDonalds was for an incentive to NOT use your sick days they would buy it back at 1 to 2. That gave you an extra weeks pay once a year.

 

[lumberjack]

I fire my help if they no show/no call on the first go round.

80% of my help takes a key, fuel, and maintenance and is highly positive, predictable performace.

 

[Old Monkey]

I have been having good luck finding guys. The thing that works for me is to put an ad in the paper and then have four or five people who call up meet me at the job site. I tell everyone ahead of time that I will pay them for the day and that it is a good chance for them to decide if they like that kind of work. Of course I also get to see everyone and pick the best one. Last time I did it, I had my buddy Dan work with me and the two of us watched everyone and picked my guy Preston. Preston has only missed one or two days of work in a years time and calls if he is late which seldom happens.

 

[MasterBlaster]

The dickins you say.

 

[stehansen]

My guys found me. I had exhausted all of my employee hunting abilities and they called me as they were going through the phone book calling all the tree companies and landscaping outfits.

 

[mryb]

I must be a real dumb a$$ or a slow learner. I've had had perfect attendence at the same job for almost 12 years. I might try walking off and not showing up again just see what its like...Rick

 

[sawinredneck]

I must be a real dumb a$$ or a slow learner. I've had had perfect attendence at the same job for almost 12 years. I might try walking off and not showing up again just see what its like...Rick

I also have a 3 1/2 year old, and my wife works full time, if that helps explain things.

 

[stehansen]

I have went so far as to go into Mexican grocery stores and put my card on the bulletin board. I got some good workers but none of them liked the job and left as soon as they found something else.

 

[Greenhorn]

screw more help - think I'll get a bigger chipper instead

 

[SkwerI]

The most difficult, most unpredictable, most expensive and least reliable aspect of treework is your employees. In order to be successful, you either need to be so big that individual employees cannot hurt your bottom line or else you need to focus your business on generating dollars without using employees. I'll never be a millionaire but I've found a way to do better than average by focusing on my strengths and steadfastly refusing to weigh myself down with high overhead employees. I've also discovered that the least profitable aspect of treework is hauling crap to the dump, yet there are hundreds of guys out there looking for hauling work and they will work cheap. So why do I want to climb down out of the bucket truck in order to pick up debris and haul it to the dump? Or even worse, hire expensive employees so I can supervise them picking up debris and hauling it to the dump!!

 

[squisher]

Mini, goodsized chipper, and dump trailer. Frig employees, one is enough for me.