I currently work for an excavating company that is relatively young. (only in business for a year) The owner/foreman/estimator usually takes the seat in the excavators, dozers and blades, leaving me with the loader and backhoe. My problem is this. He is not a profficient or trustworthy operator. How do I go about telling him that the job would go faster and smoother, literally, if he would let me behind the controls of those machines. I, by no means, am the best operator out there. But I have been an operator for the last 5 years versus his 1 year. He was an estimator for a large construction outfit for 15 years, so it has been a VERY long time since he ran any equipment. I would like to get my point across to him that I want to make a career out of this and that he should be able to take it easy and maybe even stay in the office a few days out of the week. I just cant sem to find the words without "YOUR FIRED" running through my mind. Maybe some of you guys that have been in the business longer than I can give me a few pointers on this issue. Thanks.
tell him to hit the road he's too slow. Point out that he could be making more money by having you in the machine more, and him being the 'boss' and doing more work AWAY from work. I've got to tell my boss it's time to bump up my pay, THATS the hard one, getting them to let go of the money!
Maybe your boss like me dont give a sh** about the money but just likes running the equipment. Maybe he just wants to regain the experance so you could have 2 operators on the job. It also could be your more profient ware you are then he would be if you were to change places. Durning a brake or lunch just Ask him why he has hired you as an operator if he is going to run the equipment? You may not want to tell him you are better then he is but you could tell him you can run the other pieces of equipment he has. be pacent time will come when you will have a chance to play with the big toys.
I always like to run by this quote "Right or wrong, they're still the boss." You might have to deal with it, Dwan is probably right, he probably just enjoys running the equipment, can't blame him. You kinda have to do as he says until you can buck up some cash and pay for your own equipment. Sucks but that's the way it is sometimes. If he asks your opinion about him operating equipment, then the ball is in your court, then you can play your cards and you might be able to convince him to see things your way. But no way would I suggest you go up to him and tell him he's screwing up the jobs, not a chance in hell. If he starts doing something a bit complicated that takes a little finesse and he's getting frustrated, maybe you could tell him you might be able to do it. Most times, when you're fed up, you'd just love for someone to take it off your hands. Then he might see the light. Wait for your opportunity to get a word in.
The guys are right, he is the owner/boss so if he wants to operate his equipment that would be up to him. Any operator wants to know how they are doing, so you will have your chance to talk to him. Be diplomatic when he asks how he is doing. Running a company I am sure that he wants to turn out top quality jobs, and this requires good operators. Choose your words but get your point across...right now it sounds like he is just having fun.
Yeah, there's a good idea--wait until he's already pissed off to do the thing you're worried about getting fired for. Well, yeah, maybe. I only mentioned that part above because it's within the realm of possibility, and you need to consider both sides before opening your mouth...
If all else fails, use common sense.:bouncegri
If the owner has a lot invested into machines which I am sure he does, he will want to run them himself for a while. He could also be opererting so he will get better at it, nothing better than time in the seat. Then he will not need to count on a employee to run his machines. The better he gets at it the better he will be able to judge you on them if he lets you drive.
haha,your situation reminds me of mine but my boss is also family if he even walks toward an excavator i get my ass outta that hole asap as with everyone else in it he's dangerous but its also good entertainment as well:yup i under stand its his equipment and he can do whatever the heck he wants but you also have to think saftey,if someones hurt while he's screwing around his ass is grass after the saftey people are done with him and it might cost him his buisness hopefully not your job along with it. lol,i'll never forget the time he moved a porta potty with the cat IT28,but forgot someone was inside...poor guy
I'm guilty of pushing an outhouse across a driveway with the backfill blade on a mini, with a guy inside. The trick is you need to push from the side with the door so that they cant get out :yup We used to mess with eachother all the time, although he said i crossed the line that time :thumbsup
lol,hes done the same,smoked one with an excavator said he didn't see it...guy came out mostly blue,deep down i and everyone else wish he'd stay in the office.
I would call THAT crossing the line, nobody got covered in crap when i did it. Sometimes the boss where i work will come out for a day and want to be "put to work" cause he wants to get out of the office for a day, I try to put him on the end of a shovel cause when he gets on the equipment all hell breaks loose.
story my dad told me was when they were doing a job in nova scotia in the 60's they were unloading pipe off flatbeds,2 flatbeds,1 crane an old link belt LS98 and the float truck carrying the crane. his idea was to keep the crane still tied down to the float and unload the pipe and drive the the 2 trucks unloading the pipe behind him saving time,he forgot that on his left side was a bank 20 feet down,he watched his operator do his job and got impatient too slow for his liking i guess,told him to get out and watch a "real operator show him how its done" he did fine for about 5 minutes till he picked up speed and started rocking the float truck side to side swinging so fast,went to grab another pipe he swinged and went too far and the weight of the pipe took him down the embankment lol wrote off the crane,mack truck and the float was twisted to hell....you'd think he learned his lesson?,no he's flipped dump trailers,burried dozers,he actually wrote off a DJB articulated rock truck don't ask how,smashed up about anything u can think of and the dummy still doesn't get a scratch. some people just shouldn't run equipment or have access to keys
Tell him how you fell try and use some tact and if you get fired your probably better off IMO, because his business I bet will go under.
I was working in a development doing a house and a decent size company was building the roads. They got a brand new 315 and the owner threw the operator off the machine and was playing around. He swung right around and smashed the cab on a pickup and he laughed about it. I bet he wouldn't be laughing if someone was in that truck.
I would not worry about this. It is his equipment and his time and his money. He can do wahtever he wants with his stuff. If he wants to be inefficient thats his choice. You are paid x amount whether he runs it or you do whether hes efficient or not. As long as your paychecks good on friday dont worry abou ti. I had a boss who would gamble gamble gamble and spend about 250 dollars a week on lottery tickets, gripe about money and not give me any raises. That is very inefficient, that was his choice, my choice was whether or not to put up with this rubbish and chose not to. Also, if hes antyhing like my boss he'll tinker for awhile his cell phone will go off and send him in another direction or he'll see s omone else doing somehting and go yell at htem.
I agree if hes unsafe or carless jsut walk away from the machine hes running and get other popele otu of there. I told a boss one time I didnt want to be around when he was running equipment, didnt want nothing to do with it. Never copormise your safety, your life is woth more hten hes paying you
Thanks for all of the replies. Our business is thriving, and life is good. I was thinking about this all day long. I am an equipment operator, something that I have worked toward since I was 15 years old. It is his dollar with this equipment, and your right, someday he just might tell me to get my butt in the excavator because he has other things to do. I am thankful that I am in an air conditioned cab listening to the radio as I watch the younger kids in the ditch doing what I was doing only a few years ago. I still have a long time before I am too old to climb into one of these machines. So i am gonna take my time and learn all that I can, no matter what machine I am running.
I don't get this thread who's the boss or owner ? I he want's to run his equipment flip it over or anything else ! Why do you care? the only thing I would be worried about is my check there at the end of the week & will it clear at the bank!!!!
I understand it perfectly. The thing is, why we do this. It's not just about the paycheck. At the very basic level, it's just plain damn fun to play in the dirt. :yup Once we get a little more mature, there's other things like the satisfaction of a job well done, knowing you're part of a good team, and the feeling of being a "professional". Whichever of those ways you want to look at it, it's hard to watch somebody else playing with the funnest toys, while not doing the best job.
So you just work for fun too?! I agree its about more than just money. There is something about looking back at your work and saying damn that looks nice, or looking back and saying damn that was quick. I'm not the owner of the company i work for but i still take pride doing the best work i can and it bugs me when people im working with hold me up, be it a laborer, or the boss.
LOL! Sometimes it seems that way! And honestly, if I won the lottery, I'd still work, some ...
Funny you say that. Other day guy I am subbing for says that someone asked him once; Jon what would you do if you won the lottery? He says keep logging till I lost it all.
I know i would still work, only difference is i would be working for myself with my own equipment.
When you take pride in your work, it is frustrating watching someone that is ineffective, inefficient, or doesn't care what kind of job they do whether they are just a laborer or the owner of the company. There are advantages of being your own boss. You have less of that to bother you. You still run into idiots working on the same job site that can be irritating. About a year ago I was digging trenches for a school project. There were a number of other trades on site doing various jobs. One Friday, as I was loading up to leave, I noticed another guy on a bobcat cleaning up spoils from a walkway of the school. There were pillars on the outside of the walkway and a laborer was shoveling dirt out in front of the bobcat so he could carry it away. I had noticed this laborer before. He was a young guy but terribly slow. I decided to help out so the bobcat guy could go home. It would have taken all night for the laborer to shovel out the dirt. I grabbed a shovel and started helping. Soon after, the bobcat shut down in front of the laborer and asked him if he was alright. They guy say yea, why. The bobcat guy replied "that guy that just started helping you is 61 years old and he is kicking your ***". It didn't phase the young guy at all. He kept up his very slow pace. When I was his age, I would be mortified to have some old guy out work me. Something like that would have made me work all the harder. Pride in your work, no matter what you are doing - I just don't see much of it anymore. When I do see a young guy that is taking pride in what he does, I make sure I let him know that I noticed. Didn't mean to hijack the thread. I guess you can tell what bothers me.
:laugh I, being one of those young guys, always catch myself trying to outdo whoever im working with/around. be it hand shoveling with a co worker, laying pipe, loading trucks, backfilling, whatever the task at hand is. And if i'm alone i just try to outdo myself, try to get it done faster than i did the last time. Thats one of the great things about this line of work is that no matter how many years you have been at it there is always something new, there is always some way you can do something a little better, or a little faster. I've had a few other jobs that once you get it down and get a system down there is no changing, no way to improve your work, and it just gets downright boring.
You are right about there always being something new to learn. At 62, I still learn something new almost every day. Watching others is a good way to find out not only the good ways to do something but the wrong ways as well. Once I got a call from a customer who had gone with another dozer operator than the one I recommended for a job grading a horse arena (I was to do the finish and add the footing). He said the guy just showed up and he was in his 70s and was going to use an ancient cable operated CAT. He thought he had made a big mistake in hiring him. I went over to look at the job on the second day and this old dude was a master with that old dozer. He ended up doing such a good finish job, all I had to do was add the footing. It was plus or minus an inch over the whole arena when he was done. I sat and watched him for a couple of hours to see what I could learn. He and that maching were ONE. He had probably been on it most of his life. He was fun to watch.
Nah, Bob, that ain't it. At 62 you only think you're learning something new, cause you already knew it but you forgot it! (50, pushing 51 here, so I know what I'm talking about--err I think I do anyway...) :wink2
Since the thread is officially off track now, I've a joke and an observation. Joke: An older guy is sitting in his doctors office. The doctor enters and says "I've got two bit's of bad news for you." The guys say "What's the first one Doc?" The doctor responds "Well.....you've got Alzheimers." The guys says "Ok, what the second?" The doctor responds "You have an advance case of heart disease." The guys say "Whew......thank God, I was afraid you were going to tell me I had Alzheimers!":laugh I've noticed that despite the decrease of physical strength to do some jobs, alot of the older guys never lose any of there abilities to operate machines. Often their abilities were learned on machines that were much harder to operate than what we have now, and required more skill. A case in point, my retired father lives here in Mn. during the summer, and still has his class B license. I let him drive my International dump truck the other day. I was expecting it too be a scary ride, but on his very first try he was shifting the twin sticks better than I can, even with my having driven it much more. He looked at the two pattern stickers, picked a different progression through the gears than I use, and didn't grind them at all. His choice seemed much more fluid than mine does, too. I was humbled alittle bit.:notworthy I really wish my grandfather would have lived longer. I know there's much I could've learned from him that could've help me in business.
digger242j - you may be right but don't tell anyone. I am one those old guys that is just a kid in an old man's body. I raced motorcycles and mountain bikes until just a few years ago. It was then that I discovered that I don't heal as fast anymore and I had to give up working or the dangerous sports. Guess what won. I do have to eat. I refuse to admit that things are starting to slow down for me. I guess once I condede, I am done. I plan on working until I CAN'T. I am not one that can just sit around. That may be because I get stiff if I don't do anything. You know all those broken bones catch up to you later in life. Every morning when I wake up I check to see if there is dirt over me - if not, I figure I am going to have a good day.
That was you??? :notworthy I went home crying and never came back to work...J/K:laugh I have been mortified because of old guys out working me then they taught me it was about working smarter not harder of course I was only 4 and it never happened again.