Disgusted with your help

[carl28]

Had a really bad day with the help got a kid well not a kid but a 23 yr old baby who just dosen't understand that the way he treats the equipment directly affects his pay refuses to listen to the simple things this kid can cut!!!!!!!! his lines are perfect small guy so he can get a big machine to do things that most of us only dream of. always getting comments and new customers on the basis of the way his lawns look when he is done abut he just can't put it together to run a crew for himself. he just dosent have any motivation to move up the ladder and the longer he stays where he is the more he adversly afects the other guys he works with any suggestions.

[mdb landscaping]

you need to use more periods when you type. i could barely follow along.

[awm]

you can do a lot of things but you cant make somebody understand work ethics ,character and taking care of equipment.
you can try to motivate him but i think we are talking about maturity here.michael jordan was the greatest talent in bb.
but he wasnt a champion until he matured into it.later

[Calvin]

Carl28,
If the more periods suggestion doesn't help this "kid" you could either offer him more $$$ if he gets his sh$% together or put him with a good crew boss & let him cut as many lawns as possible. I have a guy who is an excellent cutter but he could care less about doing anything else, trimming etc.. I now just point him to the lawns & let him do what he does best.

[bubble boy]

is the glass half full or half empty?


sounds to me like this "kid" is a great wingman. take advantage!

i've got guys who can't cut straight but show up, on time, and give it their best. and i'm satisfied (somewhat) with that.

[carl28]

As for the period comment I hadn't realized that my grammar would be corrected on this web site. I guess I should add that I have worked with this kid for Four seasons now he cuts approx. 200 acres aweek for me and has always been on time and willing to do what ever. Problem is with a company this size he needs to move up or he will get run over by more ambitious employees.
Despite his good work his harshness on the equipment is slowly losing him what respect I had for him.

[UrbanEarth]

Have you tried making him financially responsible for the equipment. Ie, if he breaks something, he has to pay to fix it?

Alan

[Kent Lawns]

Can't do that alan. That's not legal.

You could reward him for keeping equipment in good condition.
$50/week or $5-10/piece.

But, perhaps this guy isn't motivated by $. Doesn't sound like he is.

Anyway, it's time to isolate the good/bad attributes by putting this guy on a 1 man crew.

[YLC1]

I have been told by a larger lawn care contractor that he sets aside a small amount of money every year that is used for unforseen repairs(employees abusing equipment).If the money is not used to repair abuse,he gives it to the crew as a bonus. Just a little more incentive to keep the equipment on the job.He had told me he wanted to implement a program with his trucks as well.Good luck.

[Eric ELM]

If this guy is cutting 200 acres a week for you, he has to be making you some big money. Wow, that's 40 acres a day. What mower does he run? It must be a 72" or bigger.

[kris]

We have a excellent employee who has no interest in running a crew...This guy is the first in the shop at 6:20 am every day getting equipent ready and loaded..he can trim better and longer then anyone else,never complains...He now has a crew foreman who has less experience and makes more money for running the crew, doing the paperwork etc. The job was offered to him first. Some people are just happy doing what they are doing with minimal responsibility. It's not a bad thing... I think every company needs a good "mix" of people.

[HOMER]

Simply put:

Every one has their strengths and weaknesses. Is the guy an asset or a liability? Does he make you more than he costs you? If you have more ambitious employees then they might be wondering why you won't deal with "problem boy", they also might be searching the want ads where their talents might be better served.

Bottom line: Nobody is perfect, nobody is indespensible. You have to decide if he stays or goes. Watch the door though, a good one might turn up working for your competition.

[lawnman_scott]

I would say if his work makes up for him being hard on the equipment then you should be satisfied. I would equate it to the people on here, some have absolutly no intrest whatsoever in having more than one crew, or evan any employees, I for one am killing myself to grow so that by next year I dont have to phisically do any work. Which way is better? That depends on what the preson wants. He wants to be an employee that cuts grass. Let him.

[joshua]

sounds like one of the kids i have, he's only 17 a junior in high school, doesn't complain much at all, cuts almost perfect, i never have to check on his work. trims better than me now, and he pushes me and himself on slower days to get everything done faster. never wanted anything with responsibilty before. so i tell him today that i am thinking about putting on a second crew next year, and after i said that he said don't worry i run the crew for you. i was shocked, and even more shocked on sat. we runs times abuot every 2 months to see if we get better at the lawns we cut without losing quality. we shattered every record by 2 -8 mins. and the lawns looked like they always do. everything trimmed, blown off, everything double cutted. lawns looked perfect.

about your emploey being harsh to the equipment, i told my guy this, whatever i don't spend replacing stuff is his bonus, at the end of the year. now he treats the equipment like gold. and i won't mind goving him the bonus money for treating the equipment like it should be treated.

just s thought for you, have you ever thought of giving this guy a truck and sending another guy with him to do the properties you want him to do,and you do the paper work, and the other stuff that would be needed since he isn't a foreman, (if you don't already do this). put him up to bat and see if he strikes out or hits a homerun.

[LAWNGODFATHER]

it is legal to key word "dock pay" for employee negligence do not use the words abuse or tearing up

in MO. employee negligence of equipment is legal to dock pay for such acts

but accidents do happen I know 1 mower a W/B off a 16' retaining wall totaled

that is why we have ins.

if you word thing correctly thingds that are not legal can become legal

check with you labor boad or a lawyer to see if it would be legal for you

I did and mowers don't get torn up but they will always get abused that is why we buy commecial heavy duty mowers

they make mowers that go 10 to 15 mph and you put guys on those mowers and they will try to go that fast on bumpy ground

but you did bring up a good point that is why I am going to all Mexicans next year. the differace in labor cost will offset the slight increase equipment repair

don't get to agravated LOL LGF:angry:

[UrbanEarth]

Good way to go with the Mexican's, Godfather. LOL

Alan

[CDP]

Can anyone tell me who to talk to if I were interested in hiring Mexicans for my business? Thanks!

[Grasshog]

CDP I talked to a mexican, hired him and his friend

[Evan528]

Unfutunatly, alot of the mexicans new to america dont speak any english! I got my mexican through another landscaper i know who has his friends working for him, My guy dosnt speak a word of english but his friend who speaks a little enlgish called me for him! Best thing to do is ask mexicans you see if tyhey have friends looking for work...... most can get you as many workers as you need! Just gotta fund out how you say " have any friends looking for work" in spanish!

[97Stroker]

How can you guys use mexicans????? Not to sound racist or anything. The town I live in is mostly old, retired, rich people. Our customers would absolutely freak out, if we had guatamalians or mexicans working for us. When they come out to talk to us, they wanna be able to talk to us.

Anyways to get back to the original post. I hear what you are saying. I used to be the guy first one to work, last one to leave. I would work crazy hours to help out my boss, which is also my best friend. When he first started we had 3 walk behind gravely mowers. And 50 lawn accounts, just him and I. Now we are 4 guys, 160 accounts a week and it stinks. Seems like more hours, no increase in pay for my hard work. Take it from me, workers get discouraged quick. To me I cannot see myself doing this the rest of my life.
We run our crew like this, 2 guys mow 2 guys trim. When we are done mowing we go to the next lawn. The two guys trimming are responsible for trimming, when they get done they head to the next lawn. You can imagine how pissed off the guys get, cause all they do is trim all day long, all week. It sucks, been there, done that.
Carl I guess what im trying to say is, you don't want this guys attitude to affect the other guys morale. It will happen.
SOme people just do the work because it's all they know, doesn't mean they have to like it, but they do it.

[jeffyr]

97stroker,

This may be too simple of a solution, but.
If you see that the 2 guys trimming all day are discouraged, and you yourself said it sucks, why don't you try a new system ?

jeffyr

[97Stroker]

Jeffy,
I don't own the company, I just work here. Granted I am like part owner, because I help make alotta the decisions. It's still not my call. The fact of the matter is, the two guys trimming all day is very efficient. You don't have them standing around the truck waiting for you to get done. Which as we know is very annoying, you can only top off weedwackers, and string them up so many times. But yes, it does suck, and your right we should try something else, but what???????Any suggestions???? You have to understand, my boss does not like to see people slacking off. We never get breaks, you can't just hang out at the trailer when your done, you always have to be doing something.

[RC Services]

To ask if they have friends who need work say "Tienes amigos que busquen trabajo?" or "Si tienes amigos que buscan trabajo, Llamanos al tel. #555-1212" That says if you have any friends looking for a job call us at________. Most mexicans I have worked with in the past are honest hard working people that are just trying to do better for their family. The economic conditions in Mexico are awful! Hire two, they're small!:angel:

[Evan528]

Once ya find one mexican..... you have unlimites acces to as many as you need. While driving out of my mexicans apartment complex today i was flagged down by a mexican who gave me his number and said he has alot of friends looking for work and to call if i need more help!