[Fine Edge]

So what does everyone do to employees who have no clue how to treat your tools, especially the new ones.

For example, last week bought a new wheelbarrow, nice Kobalt chipping hammer, new trowels.
The new chipping hammer edge is ruined from someone smacking the mess out of our mixer, which they forgot to clean out & left it outside under the irrigation, now rusting.
The wheelbarrow had mortar left in it twice in a row, is now a mess.
The trowels were left uncleaned all weekend, mortar all over the handles.

And my 7" masonry grinding blade was used to cut off the rebar at the top of our wall ( good thing it was about done anyways ).

So, how many times do you have to show them and tell them before thet get it?

And... if it keeps happening, do you fire them or find a way to make them pay a penalty?

[Stonehenge]

You can't make them pay.

But by all means, get in their faces. If it's something they've been told about, a profanity-laced tirade with spit punctuating the syllables can be right on the money.

Another avenue to take is to set up a bonus system for tools (an 'account' that starts w/ $X at the beginning of the season), with deductions for damaged or broken tools. Deductions drop the bonus to zero and they may be terminated.

[Pelican]

Stone is right, you can't make them pay.

I had a run on broken tools and no one told me about them. Get to the next job and no tools to work with. I read the guys the riot act, and made it clear the next time a tool was broken and no one reported it, they would go home for the day without pay while I made repairs. There haven't been any further incidents.

[jwholden]

Ummmm....

Train employees procedures for using and cleaning out equipement and hold them accountable. Do not call them idiots. Ask them why they didn't do what was asked of them (WAIT FOR A RESPONSE BEFORE YOU CHEW THEM A NEW BUTTOX). You would be amazed how often they simply forgot something that you hurridly explained to them. If you seek first to understand, it will go a long way toward happy (read low turnover) and productive (read jobs being completed in less man hours than budgeted) employees.

The secret here, oh gentle contractors, is COMMUNICATION.

You are all self-employed because you didn't want some idiot boss telling you what to do all day, but you act like idiot bosses.

If they don't get with the program after proper training, positive reinforcement, and being allowed to make some mistakes to learn from. You are more than welcome to thank them for thier time and seek new help.

[John Palasek]

.


I agree with jwholden 100%!

My "company" consists of myself and two year-round guys, both of whom are Spanish. I speak about as much Spanish as they do English, (which is very little), yet we have no problem communicating and we get along very well.

I just bought a brand new laser level with a new tripod and rule.

What I did was to simply mention to both of them - in a somewhat solemn tone - that this new stuff cost "mucho denero" and I demonstrated my concern for the equipment by making sure that at the end of each use, it was put away in its case and stored in the truck, not in a wheelbarrow or some shed, like other tools.

Well, just like always, once they understand my concern and respect for a piece of equipment, that thing is carefully put away after each use and placed in the truck.

Some tools, like basic shovels and picks are just tools. They get "handled" roughly and so what?

But woodworking tools, my cutoff saw, any delicate instruments or other "worth taking care of" tools are handled with care and stored properly. Mixers are cleaned, as are wheelbarrows, shovels and so on.

This is all because I demonstrate by example how I want these tools to be handled. If I treat the tools like crap, so will my employees.

As is the case with anything else, if one leads by example, most problems disappear. "Do as I do" is just as important as "Do as I say".




-JP

[GLAN]

Can't make them pay?


Foooey.........


I had a 5 man crew each pay a share for a new back pack blower that they conveniently lost.........This was after they lost the first blower and after chewing them out and giving them an ultimatum.....that anything ends up missing cause of carelessness and lazyness......they will pay for the replacement.


I don't lose tools or equipment..........In the 30 years we only lost 1 blower that fell off the trailer, that was 20 years ago.........now all of a sudden 2 blowers missing and a gas hedge clipper........nice to know I am equiping one of my guys that is doing his own lawns..............I just can't prove it..............just that where and how these pieces end up missing is to convenient and coinsidental.

[Fine Edge]

Thanks for the input, just seeing how others would handle the situation. I take good care of my tools and stress to the others the importance of good cleaning, etc... but sometimes people can be morons. I guess the crew all took stupid pills last week!!!

[jon korevec]

Just this week I found a new backpack sprayer in the middle of a busy street. I saw it an hour earlier when I passed headed to a job. On the way back it was still there. The inspection tag was still on it and it had two gallons of round up in it to boot. Last month I came across a stihl pole pruner sitting next to a driveway by my house. No work crews in the front or back yard. I pulled out a sheet of paper and left a note with my contact info and what I found......Never heard from anyone.
Had the owner of this equipment taken the time to put a little info on said equipment i would have given them a call so they could come pick it up.
Now as far as taking care of tools...... if the boss isn't there someone should be in charge......Thus it would be their responsability to make sure thing were cleaned up properly. Then you only have to cuss at one person instead of the whole crew.
Jon

[Dragonfly]

Just forget to sign his check a couple of Fridays in a row and be unavailable until Monday (fishing, whatever). Remind him that everyone makes oversights,just like when he (name two examples) and be very calm about it. If he does'nt get the message start the termination process, cause he never will. But I guarantee he will be just as pissed as you were at that particular moment.