dwacker Posted December 5, 2013 Report Share Posted December 5, 2013 Employee's are a pain in the ass if you can get by without them then by all means do it! Just ranting. Ive been forced to hire two jug heads the basta^&* at the state of WA decided I didn't need to drive anymore and I was a liability to L&I Now Im stuck with tweedle dee and tweedle dumb. Tweedle dumb spends a good part of his day chauffeuring me around in my brand new chevy truck, spilling coffee on the carpet. If my heart doesn't give out in the shop its gunna be from his driving. Teedle dee filled the dust collector and just kept going, gunna have to run a snake down the main duct its so plugged up. Only a pint of glue on the floor and neither one of the morons know where that came from and its only day one. Im thinking I need to log of and call my insurance company and double my coverage now. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Trip Posted December 5, 2013 Report Share Posted December 5, 2013 ==> tweedle dee and tweedle dumb Yea, I've some times with shop "helpers"... Almost every "close call" in the shop was down to "helpers." And it's quite a laundry list... Some of the better "messes" as well -- I particularly remember the 2gals of #2ct shellac hitting the floor and splashing all over several stationary sanders -- that was special... Then there was the time one helper re-purposed the 7.5HP saw into a rail gun and launched a stick of 8/4 stock clear across the shop and 1/2 way through a block wall... ==> filled the dust collector Been there, had that one as well... The real issue was cleaning the canister filter properly -- it took hours, and never really worked properly again... A new filter was $600... Thanks, that was a big help... Hopefully, lightning doesn't strike twice --- but, I'd suggest that you video the entire shop and contents -- just in case... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pghmyn Posted December 5, 2013 Report Share Posted December 5, 2013 I'm just assuming they are younger, early/mid twenties, but I could be wrong. Good help is hard to find, but there are some good ones out there. Needle in a haystack. If I lived near you, I would love to help out, with hopes I wouldn't become tweedle dope. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted December 5, 2013 Report Share Posted December 5, 2013 I was a shop helper for a construction company during summers in college. I probably made twiddle dee and twiddle dumb look like nobel prize winners, especially when I was operating the fork truck. There was the time I drove across the shop with the forks as high as they go and crashed them into the overhead door. Or the time I was taking a 5 gallon bucket filled with concrete down from a storage area and decided that dangling the bucket from the fork on its wire handle was a good way to go. Well the handle broke and 5 gallons of cured concrete missed a guys head by about 5 inches. You could say it was my fault but what the heck was he doing walking under raised forks? Even the idiots at home depot know better than that. But my favorite act of stupidity was when I needed the fork truck and it was parked over by one of the cargo boxes we used for storage. The cargo boxes were too short for a full length of pipe so one of the welders would cut a hole in the back and weld on a steel extension that was roughly 3 ft wide by 6 ft tall by 3 feet deep. I can't say what gauge steel it was but it was at least 1/4", maybe even 1/2" thick. So it was heavy. Well I back the fork truck out and this steel box falls off the forks and goes tumbling across the yard. Turns out the welder was holding the extension box into position on the forks but hadn't tacked it onto the cargo box yet. When I backed out it fell off. Again you could say it was my fault but why the hell was the key in the ignition if he did not want it moved? Shop rule was key in ignition = truck is free to use. But he was a journeyman welder and didn't pay much attention to the rules us dumb*ss helpers had to follow. Besides you let a 18 year who can hardly operate an automobile operate a fork lift and bad stuff happens. But yes I admit, I was a dummy and probably should have been fired more days than not. Good luck and just keep your distance when they are doing anything that could hurt you. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rick A McQuay Posted December 5, 2013 Report Share Posted December 5, 2013 If you hire dummies there is no one to blame but yourself. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
duckkisser Posted December 5, 2013 Report Share Posted December 5, 2013 particle i bet when you were in your twenties and starting out you made all kinds of dum mistakes. remember the best way to learn is to screw up. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tpt life Posted December 5, 2013 Report Share Posted December 5, 2013 I admit to dumb mistakes. This is why I would look for a second or third job employee. Let some framing crew or factory get their mistakes out. I still make mistakes but they are far less costly these days. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dwacker Posted December 5, 2013 Author Report Share Posted December 5, 2013 Just ranting. Its difficult turning over the keys to the castle. These guys are both excellent cabinet guys, no training required. Both are pigs. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Llama Posted December 5, 2013 Report Share Posted December 5, 2013 particle i bet when you were in your twenties and starting out you made all kinds of dum mistakes. remember the best way to learn is to screw up. So true! Experience is something you get right after you need it! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
duckkisser Posted December 5, 2013 Report Share Posted December 5, 2013 just be firm about structure and how you want your shop to run but be flexible enough to allow them to learn and grow. remember we all work in a defferent way. just reminds me a conversation i had with a friend he was telling me that even though i like captain eddie castalins youtube video he could not stand the way the captain keeps his work space very cluttered and messy. my friend has his shop very organized with cabinets specific for each iteam. his tool all have there own section on the wall to hang on. im guessing you are a very clean cabinet worker? no over spray on the floor, tool put away at the end of the day? every space has to be cleaned up before you go home? its good to rant and get it off your chest then come up with a plan. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jfitz Posted December 5, 2013 Report Share Posted December 5, 2013 Hey, it could be worse. They could be in MY shop.... Good luck with them. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Byrdie Posted December 7, 2013 Report Share Posted December 7, 2013 General rule of thumb I work with is - you make the mess, you clean it up ... to my satisfaction. I've not had employees but other members of family to whom this rule was applied and when they got tired of listening to me b*tch about the messes they made or the lack of quality in the clean up, they stopped making the messes or were more considerate. Sorry for your pain but a good bit of training early on leads to benefits later. BTW, I didn't come up with this on my own. Some mistakes I made early in my work life lead to me learning the same lessons the hard way. I'm much better now at figuring out what the consequences of my actions will be and avoiding the negative outcomes. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
krtwood Posted December 9, 2013 Report Share Posted December 9, 2013 I always think this time of year how nice it would be to have some seasonal help to deal with all the orders that have to be shipped these 3-4 weeks. I might get some sleep instead of coming up from the shop at 12:30am with still more stuff to pack up in the morning. But then I think about leaving things up to some part time guy who I don't really know and I figure I am getting more sleep this way. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Beechwood Chip Posted December 9, 2013 Report Share Posted December 9, 2013 But then I think about leaving things up to some part time guy who I don't really know and I figure I am getting more sleep this way. With all the people looking for work, maybe you could hire someone for a couple of hours a week in October, with the understanding that the job is 20 hours a week in December. Maybe have them do all the packing and shipping. That way, he/she is trained up and reliable when December rolls around. I've learned that if I want to get any mileage from my employees, I have to budget my time and money for training and supervision. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
krtwood Posted December 9, 2013 Report Share Posted December 9, 2013 With all the people looking for work, maybe you could hire someone for a couple of hours a week in October, with the understanding that the job is 20 hours a week in December. Maybe have them do all the packing and shipping. That way, he/she is trained up and reliable when December rolls around. I've learned that if I want to get any mileage from my employees, I have to budget my time and money for training and supervision. Ah, but October is when I go "Oh crap! It's October already!" and get my ass in gear. I'd have to bring them in during the summer when it's slow. Every year I say I'm going to get stuff done over the summer and have some time to relax a bit right before the mayhem kicks in. But every year summer me screws me over. I really hate that guy. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bobby Slack Posted December 10, 2013 Report Share Posted December 10, 2013 How about the employees that read this forum during working hours Now seriously. I am starting a nano woodworking business making cutting boards that is going very well. When things get bigger I am investing on a CNC ... no employees other than "feeders". I want to bring manager quality team players. We'll see. Good luck building your team./ Employee's are a pain in the ass if you can get by without them then by all means do it! Just ranting. Ive been forced to hire two jug heads the basta^&* at the state of WA decided I didn't need to drive anymore and I was a liability to L&I Now Im stuck with tweedle dee and tweedle dumb. Tweedle dumb spends a good part of his day chauffeuring me around in my brand new chevy truck, spilling coffee on the carpet. If my heart doesn't give out in the shop its gunna be from his driving. Teedle dee filled the dust collector and just kept going, gunna have to run a snake down the main duct its so plugged up. Only a pint of glue on the floor and neither one of the morons know where that came from and its only day one. Im thinking I need to log of and call my insurance company and double my coverage now. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mike Frank Posted December 11, 2013 Report Share Posted December 11, 2013 you're funny particle boards hire a cab to drive you around keep the shop guys in the shop that what ya hired them for. I agree with bobby ya on the computer and the shop guys will read what ya said about them bet they quit already if not probably fixin to Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dwacker Posted December 11, 2013 Author Report Share Posted December 11, 2013 you're funny particle boards hire a cab to drive you around keep the shop guys in the shop that what ya hired them for. I agree with bobby ya on the computer and the shop guys will read what ya said about them bet they quit already if not probably fixin to At $24 an hour plus benefits and bonuses they don't care what I call them. Most of us have a sense of humor. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
duckkisser Posted December 11, 2013 Report Share Posted December 11, 2013 hell 24$ ill come drive you around just so you know I don't have a sense of humor. for example....... what do you call a fish with no eyes? a FSH 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tpt life Posted December 11, 2013 Report Share Posted December 11, 2013 More proof I think you run a shop I'd love to work in. Employees that are worth their salt need to know their strengths and weaknesses. Any that cannot take occasional ribbing over those weaknesses will never accept harsh criticism from a customer. I think light banter in this way is how my dad raised me and helped me accept even temporary outbursts from tired bosses. "Close the door, were ya born in a barn?!" Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted December 12, 2013 Report Share Posted December 12, 2013 when i got my first real job, i asked my boss about my career path. He said "right now you are completely useless. In 6 months you will be almost useless. If we are lucky in a year you will be somewhat useful. I really can't commit to anything beyond that". Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rick A McQuay Posted December 12, 2013 Report Share Posted December 12, 2013 A former boss used to get angry because I didn't get emotional when he yelled at me. I told him that compared to the Army, his yelling wasn't very impressive... it didn't help the situation. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dwacker Posted December 12, 2013 Author Report Share Posted December 12, 2013 A former boss used to get angry because I didn't get emotional when he yelled at me. I told him that compared to the Army, his yelling wasn't very impressive... it didn't help the situation. You dont yell at your employees, you give them the day of if they make you that angry. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rick A McQuay Posted December 13, 2013 Report Share Posted December 13, 2013 You dont yell at your employees, you give them the day of if they make you that angry. If an employee makes me angry I'll tell them what they did wrong then have a chat at the end of the day. But if I get to the point of sending someone home they won't be welcome back. I've had a couple really terrible bosses over the years which is part of the reason I like working for myself. On the other hand I've had a few really terrific bosses too. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bobby Slack Posted December 13, 2013 Report Share Posted December 13, 2013 I think that if your employee does not see the big picture and how his/her actions affect the bottom line of the team is not worth keeping. IN a small business there is very small margin for error. Good luck educating your team. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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