Ad news of my attitude in hiring help

just_sawing · #1 10/29/12, 10:42 AM

I am at the point that I need to hire one to two people.
Setting down rules since I have had the experience of having to fire 12 people in the last three years that I have worked alone for the last while.
1 I no longer furnish lunch. It has always been apart of the work to sit down with a good hot lunch but no longer.
2 no early pay when you don,t have gas money to get to work you are out of a job
3 the third time your not here on time without a good reason your fired
4 when your here if you are not producing work that helps the farm or makes the farm money I don,t need you
5 if you make the farm extra money expect some of it as a bonus back to you
6 work as hard as I do
I know what I can do by myself and it has been difficult to get it across that your wage is based on how much extra profit I make for having you here and that is what you are worth. If I spend extra time in overshadowing you I am not producing.
It sounds like I am being hard but when you are stolen from and abused you develope an attitude. When I started hiring I loaned vehicle got the help extra jobs using my tools and acted like a father. The problem you can,t take the help behind tha wood shed and the only power that I have is to fire people.

rambler · #2 10/29/12, 10:46 AM

No rules on cell phone use?

Seems that is a big one these days....

I've stayed small, no hired help, it just sounds like such a pain these days....

--->Paul

mammabooh · #3 10/29/12, 10:55 AM

I think your rules sound great and I agree with rambler. There should be one about only using a phone on break...and that includes texting.

suitcase_sally · #4 10/29/12, 11:08 AM

What about being online when you're supposed to be working. That's my pet peeve.

CountryWannabe · #5 10/29/12, 11:46 AM

I agree with your rules. When I had the shops I found it almost impossible to find anyone worth hiring, despite the fact that I was paying more than most groomers and I had a health care plan for my workers, which is very unusual in the business. I only had two people that were real assets - they were both older and both had run a business of their own at some point.

Mary

mpwithem · #6 10/29/12, 11:59 AM

It seems like people that are given the chance to learn how to do something as valuable as working on a farm, they ruin it for people like me. I, myself want to one day own a homestead and instead of jumping ahead of myself, I want to experience it first. That means working for someone else. Money is only a part of what you're giving them, knowledge is invaluable and I don't understand why people don't get it.

ChristieAcres · #7 10/29/12, 11:59 AM

A friend of mine runs a net business, got busy, and needed extra help. I went over and was basically shocked... I am turning 49 next month and worked circles around most of her worthless employees. There was only one young lady who could work the same pace. She went down the road due to drugs. Now, there are better employees, but none could keep my pace.

We are self employed, but don't hire others.

Tirzah · #8 10/29/12, 12:34 PM

I don't think you are being hard.

My husband owns a small business and we have been more than generous with our employees.
You want to treat employees better than expected but when you are taken advantage of and your reputation is now lacking because you put trusts in them, it is hard not to develop and attitude. You learn how to prevent that in the future.
Best of luck finding some responsible, hard working employees. (not being sarcastic)

willow_girl · #9 10/29/12, 12:51 PM

Are you hiring part-time or full-time? Steady work, or just when you need an occasional hand with something?

Most good workers want (and need) a full-time permanent job and they won't quit looking until they find one. If you're offering something less than that, you'll have a hard time finding -- and keeping -- a "steady Eddie." JMO.

whodunit · #10 10/29/12, 01:14 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by willow_girl

Are you hiring part-time or full-time? Steady work, or just when you need an occasional hand with something?

Most good workers want (and need) a full-time permanent job and they won't quit looking until they find one. If you're offering something less than that, you'll have a hard time finding -- and keeping -- a "steady Eddie." JMO.

While I agree with the OP, WG makes a good point. I have a full-time job and want a second part-time job. I have been unable to find one and I suspect the issue is that I won't be available to the PT employer as much as they want. Typically they want full-time availability with part-time pay. They seem to expect someone to sit around unpaid and wait for their call. I understand an employers need for PT workers, but you get what you pay for. Why would someone sell their soul for PT work especially at minimum wage? An employer is not likely going to sacrifice their interests (keeping costs down, etc.) for me, so why should I sacrifice for them? I'll work and do the job I signed up for, but if I need time off for something I really want to do or if I am in school, have the opportunity for FT work, whatever, I will likely see that as more important.

It sounds like your ad lays things out pretty good. After that if they don't work out, it's their problem.

ChristieAcres · #11 10/29/12, 01:41 PM

The best part time workers are college students, excelling in their grades, usually. Then there are the retired folks, need I say more? The rest are a crap shoot, but they are out there, just harder to find.

Our office may be hiring a college student, part time... This the Realty I work at, not our home business.

just_sawing · #12 10/29/12, 02:21 PM

What I have could easy be full time. What I have found is that most workers that I have found can,t stand up to 40 hours so I work them around 20 with the ability to go 40.
Had a young man show up and for 24 years old I am impressed. I only worked him three hours today ,that is enough to get an attitude to show and all was good. We start for real wed and I am hopeful

ChristieAcres · #13 10/29/12, 02:25 PM

Keep those boundaries in place and I hope he works out very well!

Otter · #14 10/29/12, 03:24 PM

Once people get an attitude like that, it is really hard for them to get good help.
They drive it away.

Here is a major problem. If I work for a big company, not a huge one, but say a supermarket - the boss knows what s/he wants from me. They know what hours they want it, etc.
That means I get to know, and then decide if it's what I want to do in exchange for $.

When I work for a small business, it's insane. "Oh, I've got a big job on Tuesday, I'm going to need you.", "Sorry, someone cancelled, I've got no work the rest of the week." "Hey, it's been really slow, why didn't you leave the register and clean the back room?!" That last sort of thing really gets to me = ummm, did you tell me it needed doing? Do I ever go back there? Didn't you hire me to run the register? How many times have I heard you whine about the last employee - the one who spent all their time hiding out?? You, as an owner, walk into a place and think about things like cleaning the back room. I'm an employee. Unless you've asked me to, I'm not going to run back there and clean it in 5 minutes of down time.
Because I'm lazy? Because I don't care??
No, because I was hired to run the register (or whatever) and I don't want to be accused of stealing, hiding, shirking, sticking my nose where it doesn't belong, trying to take over - whatever.

The other thing that kills me, Dude, if I wanted to care about how much money the business is making, I'd own one. But see, MY bills still need to be paid if you're having a slow week. No, I don't want to work for commission when we agreed to an hourly wage. My landlord and I don't care if it will be a great score if/when you sell ____, we both need paid on Friday.

If you want good employees, then give the good ones a reason to work for you and stay. Know what you want them to do and when you want them to do it. be consistent.
Pay when and how much you said you were going to. That sliding scale bit will only net you deadbeats. Anyone who has ever been the only employee at a small business will just assume that you will never be satisfied and will use it as an excuse to pay the least possible amount - we've danced that dance before.
Don't expect "someone to work as hard as I will" Just don't. This is your everything, your dream, your life. It's only their paycheck. ~ Think of it like the story of the hound and the hare; "I was just running for my dinner, the hare was running for it's life."

Clear expectations, clear rewards and consistency are the only way to get and keep good employees. Will you still get some bad ones? Yes, of course. But the good ones will come, be good and then stay, so you'll be able to stop looking.

oregon woodsmok · #15 10/29/12, 03:38 PM

You will never get an employee who works as hard as you do. You are going to have to settle for an employee who works all day at a steady pace.

Retirees often have a good work ethic, but maybe not strong enough physically to work at a sawmill.

Otter just wants a paycheck and is not interested in having a job. Lots of people like that out there,.

Otter · #16 10/29/12, 04:06 PM

No, Otter has been burned by too many small business owners. And you are confusing jobs and careers. Are you offering a job, or a career? Most small business owners are offering a job, and not a great job at that.

Otter has a list of past employers who are sorry she moved on and would hire her back and who tell people that she goes above and beyond. The very, very few who were unsatisfied, had that boss vs employee attitude that I was warning about, and didn't know what they wanted from an employee. If you don't know what you want, why be mad at me for not knowing what you want?? And if you want someone to go into your house and scrub your bathroom - that's fine. Don't hire me to milk cows, go hire a maid. This sort of thing happens a LOT.

Try this - how many folks will say that you are an awesome person to work for? I've gotten to where I ask folks before I will even consider hiring on to a 1 or 2 employee situation. I figure I can discount it if 30% of the people say you're an evil, heartless sob. But if more then that do - there's a reason. And if even one person says "I wish I hadn't screwed up and was still working there," then you're probably decent to work for.

Forerunner · #17 10/29/12, 04:25 PM

If your boy works out well.....you might reconsider in re that hot lunch.

Back in my out-hiring youth, that hot meal and hour break at noon made me a whole 'nuther man 'til dark......

coolrunnin · #18 10/29/12, 04:37 PM

I have had to hire help on a few occasions. Some weren't worth shooting, some where adequate, none worked like they owned the place.
People need to keep their expectations whithin reason.

Steve in PA · #19 10/29/12, 05:00 PM

Find good people, hire them and treat them well. As you have found out, hiring the wrong person can be very expensive. Normal figure is 80pct of first year wages to hire a replacement when factoring in lost productivity and training, or 1.8*wages.

(Finished my MBA just as economy tanked and had to compete with too many downsized managers.)

maverickxxx · #20 10/29/12, 07:41 PM

I don't expect anyone to wrk as hard as me. There is an expection of what I want from them In a day. An two weeks is about the point I run them into the ground. N that's not trying. I've changed my attitude to piece wrk. U do x amount n get x amount. But I mostly wrk by myself it's easier.