Here is a good question, brought on by a screwup in the field today. I spent all day ditching in the excavator, i sent my helper home early afternoon. When i walked past his machine late in the day, his warning flashers were still on. I check but the door was locked. So i cursed him and left. But it got me thinking, I can cover his butt, and come back with a key. Or i can call him and make him drive all the way out there with the key. I can tell you one thing, i get pretty tired of covering for his screwups. Stuff like this happens all the time. What would you do? Ken :Banghead ointhead
He will never learn if you keep bailing him out. I would call him and make him come back.
ditto Pj
Call him and tell him bout it if he does nothing then let him take the heat for what happens.
I agree!
i wouldn't worry about it until morning, and then throw a set of jumper cables on it. man, i hope his screwups are most sever than this?
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if he's a good worker......just a simple mention may work fine for the future, don't wanna lose good help either. just two cents i guess
Tell him to go to bed earlier so he can think better or you will find someone who does. What are his other screw ups and how often?
Workers Around here, them folks that's Paying Peanuts usually get Monkeys for Helpers.
I got to remember that! :lmao
. It does not cost him a penny and why should he care when you fix it for him all the time. Why don't you carry an extra key for his machine. Don't know how much you pay this guy but your covering his hind end all of the time is one of his paid benefits you are supplying. It's your job now. If you forget to do it ... would he chew y..r hi.. e.d .ut in the morning ? You finish the phrase and keep it clean for me, or I'll have to dock your pay ! ! ! .
yeah its a pretty simple solution, I dont go that far to cover someones ass if its a regular occurrence...
Should have multiple sets of keys.
The operator should make sure his lights are off and his machine will be ready to go for the next day
Around here the lights get left on once in a while and everyone looks out for one another.However , a repeat offender will get to tell the boss why something won't start. I don't mind helping someone that is trying. I will say that if this is the worst screwup you get out of him ,count yourself fortunate.
I would not make a big deal out of leaving the flasher's on. we all have keys so it isn't a big deal. give the guy a break, it's not like he forgot to shut the tractor off and let it run all weekend till it ran out of fuel and killed the batteries and such. Personally, I keep my helper around till i am done digging then he fuels, greases, and glasses. ps.. you let your helper take the key home that belongs hidden on the tractor somewhere???hmmmmmmmm
i'm with cd there, just climb up and a simple flick of a switch, i know with the blokes i work with, i would do it for them and they would do it for me, gotta look after each other. serious stuff, like cooking a tractor or something come back to the operator, i know, its happened to me once.
that is a pretty minor screw up. how about a bigger one? what if while locking that machine up he slammed down the glass so hard he broke it? or when he parked the hoe he laid the stick down on a rock and scratched the hell out of one of the cylinders? how do you handle those screw ups that cost real money?
X2 They're the cost of doing business. If they get to the point there he if costing more then he is worth give him and option to pay or send him packen.
Tell him you met a guy on the HEF thatll move to wherever a guy will give me hrs and A good learning enviroment. I do anything pretty much! by the hour!!!!! You tell me to check the lights when I am done for money... NO SWEAT!
We have made glass and lost tools the employees responsibility. We had one guy who was so hard on pickups we made him buy his own for company use. He was too valuable to fire. He so far takes better care of this one. On our rural water jobs I don't provide any thing but simple hand tools. It didn't take long for everyone to go out and get their own dewalt cordless set.
You sound A like an undestanding fella. I do know for me working around guys that can work together despite "spacing" stuff out... Well I will just say I am happy to pick up some slack as long as a fella has heart. BUT if yer just always somewhere else, that drives me nuts. Here in Marin co, the guys that wanna be carpenters think the ground floor is middle mngnt. I cannot get a kid for 15 bucks an hour to work a week straight, much less do any real manual labor. GOOD LUCK
Seems like 15 bucks an hr comes complete with cell phone stuck in their ear as well!
Oh man, I will be the first to say I am no master craftsman BUT I was trained by some and the "kids" man, to good for the labor. I am so over people that cant be counted on to do clean up work explaining how to make stuff. I am in Marin county and I am just saying these parents should be ashamed of themselves. Whoever tells these kids there special or smart...I am having to eat a lot of humble pie. My work is taking care of 12 acres and like 16 buildings that people come camp at(killer gig) and the owner has hired some so called "hands" that make me shudder. All I want to do is run iron or dump truck but I have no ins and my "dirt" dudes say it has never been leaner out there. NOTHING going on. My log trucking buddies in Oregon say theres work but log trucks pay 13-15 an hr. Now I do not want to sound like a jerk here, but I have not had teen in my wage since teen was in my age.
The first thing that jumped at me is that he is YOUR helper. Therefore what he does is your responsibility. Now, if it gets to the point where it starts costing you money, then you need to worry about whether its worth it to keep the helper around.
quite a few posts for the obvious answer...the guy holding the checkbook pays for the screwups...and adjusts accordingly....
It wouldn't matter how good a worker he is at our company. He's obviously an irresponsible and lazy individual. Here he would get two warnings and then a ticket to the unemployment line. Sometimes we run multiple shifts and can't afford the down time a person like this can create.
I never cared how much I was being paid, if my employer hired me to work his equipment, it was my responsibility to care for it. That means lights out too. And why are they taking the keys away. If there is an emergency shouldn't there be a way to move the equip?
I have only worked a 1 place that left the keys in there equipment. And someone used a loader to open one of the shop doors and steal the mechanics tool boxes.
On a job site everyone should work together as a team. If that means turning his flashers off, so be it. If you don't have a key to his machine you should call him and let him know he left them on. If you don't do anything that would make you just as bad as the employee who left them on. Keep in mind he is just a helper. Why don't you have a key to his machine???