If they keep walking off site/not coming back after a couple of days, maybe they're not the problem, it's you.
I'm a hard boss, Mick. Its true. When things go from would you please do this or that/ Thank you... to would you hurry the frig up and quit doing things the hardest way, its time to split ways.
I expect people to do their work, as (well) trained, unfortunately difficult for a lot of people. Follow protocol, as trained.
Some things the same as preschoolers (get someone's attention before speaking) or McDonald's (I'm pretty sure you do things their way or don't let the door hit you in the ass on the way out. People's lives are at risk with food borne illness, vats of boiling grease,etc. My friend just got grease burns at her restaurant and could have been way, way, way more injured because an employee decided to use the fryer a tool for things besides frying.)
When you're not sure, ask. If you can't do it safely, DON'T!
The other day, when I was going to stand a 35' limb up over my head using two blocks and the loader, I set the top block, I told him he needed to set the loopie sling and block below. He tried to turn it into a dead-eye sling, rather than tell me he wasn't sure how to set up the loopie sling, which was out of sight from me. Basically, could have killed me if something went wrong. How do you deal with this situation after 6 months of pounding into their heads?
The other guy was a newbie 25 year old who was used to being a conservation crew assistant lead. He couldn't get it into his head that he was not to make decisions. He was not the lead cog in the machine. He couldn't follow basic protocol, but then wanted me to change my backing-up the truck protocol (which works really well) for the way they used to do it on wild-fires, where I think they make parking areas with bulldozers.
I have an analogy, Let me drive. When people want to start making independent decisions that don't follow the charted course, I say that it is like them taking a hold of the wheel and trying to drive while I'm behind the wheel.
This is like an employee that thought he should "drive" one day with the chipper chute. He decided to move it from where I had put it, and it should be have been aimed (hadn't been trained on it adjusting the chipper). He decided not to lock the dischargeback down to keep it from rotating. They loaded a big piece, the chute swiveled, and blasted me in the face shield with a fuckload of chips from less than 4'. What is a good way of dealing with that (7 years ago)?
I wish it was a simple as having brush draggers and rakers, and I could do the rest.
Don't expect miracles.
Don't belive that their ambition is to be just like you.
When the jobs finished, everyone goes home, don't make them split wood or other mindless work.
I expect that as intelligent people, they can learn rules. They aren't supposed to be just like me. They are supposed to be just like a well-trained ground-man/ treeman.
I've definitely had jobs where I had to do things a cog in the machine, not the driver. Working in a high paced, high end restaurant. You do things their way or leave/ told to go.