Do you get mad at your employees if.............

[Guardian]

I have a 1 year+ employee who is generally ok, but yesterday he put a BR400 blower on the ground in front of the truck.....and forgot he left it there. HOW DID HE FORGET THAT? WHY DID HE PUT IT THERE ANYWAY ( he's not sure) Do you know what it sounds like to run over a blower? Like $400 bucks being yanked out of my pocket. How do yall deal with stuff like this?

[KirbysLawn]

File an insurance claim, let him pay the deductable and order a new Shinaiwa or Red Max blower! :D

[geogunn]

I dunno how to deal with something like that.

the reason is that I have done some excedingly ridiculous things myself.

I suppose you just grab your wallet and yank out some C notes.

and of course you let the employee know that this is his first and final warning on future happenings of this type.

GEO

[Randy Scott]

Yeah, I would also be upset, but things do happen. If it isn't a common thing just move on. We try our best but sometimes we screw up and most likely he is sorry and just hope it doesn't happen again. If he is a good employee he is sorry and doesn't screw up often. If not, he is a moron and don't risk any more screw ups. You know more than we do!

[LAWNGODFATHER]

I had a guy leave a trimmer on a job and when we got back to see if it's still there it was gone
I took him strait to the dealer and he bought me another one

LGF:blob1:

[Guido]

If its an issue of constant negligance, you should have a replacement policy. They need to be held responsible for their actions.

The thing that bugs me the most is when I don't think they care.

I asked a guy yesterday "Obie (no lie, of all names to be a dummy) Why would you drive the dump truck 55 mph accross this area we just seeded instead of just staying on the road 3' away.

He said he wasn't sure. What does that mean?? He basically looked at me as if I was bothering him, and he wanted to go on with his business.


It kills me, because I want to know what these idiots are thinking sometimes, but I can't figure them out.

I know if I did it, I would feel sorry and stupid and jump out of the truck, grab a rake a straighten up BEFORE someone had to come chew me out.

I don't know, I feel better now though!

Bottom line, I like to make people responsible for thei actions. The minute you don't enforce it, they'll take it for granted and do dumb things all the time.

[TJLC]

This is one reason I work solo. If I screw up I have only myself to blame.

[Grapevine]

I think Randy Scott summed it up just right. The bottom line is we need good workers and mistakes do happen. If they happen repeatedly then it's time to find someone else. I generally make the guys pay for the second piece of equipment thats broken due to carelessness, it doesn't happen often.

[jeffyr]

Is it legal to make employees pay for such a mistake ?

:confused:

[awm]

sounds like a stunt my sons use to pull. some of those id like to have a chance to redo . id do it different.
people going to make mistakes. if his attitude is good tell him
he can pay some on it if he wants to. if he wants to you got a keeper ,if not just normal.later TM

[kris]

Originally posted by KirbysLawn
File an insurance claim, let him pay the deductable and order a new Shinaiwa or Red Max blower! :D

I hear this alot in this forum. How much is your deductable and would you really risk your rates going up?
For a four hundred dollar claim, forget it and move on... A good employee would have offered to pay and then you don't except his offer. If he has been there over a year and is a bad employee you should have let him go a long time ago.
PS. I do realize some good ones (employees) turn bad... There the toughest to let go.

[Eric ELM]

If you put all your equipment in the same spot each time, it only takes a few seconds to do a visual check to see that it's all there before taking off. I agree it was dumb to put it in front of the truck, but if a visual check was made before taking off, it would of been missed and found in front of the truck. I bet he doesn't put it in front of the truck anymore now, We Hope. :D

[Fallguy]

A helpfull reminder to always, always, always ,do an equipment check before leaving a job site. If your the boss then your accountable for all your equipment - you should be responsible enough to check for all your equipment before you head to the next yard - Why me? you may ask -because its your hard earned equipment and because nobody but you is going to care about the equipment enough to see that its always put back where it came from.

[Fantasy Lawns]

Everyone's due a brain fart ....... last summer I left a husky blower by the side of the trailer off some common grounds .....drove right off .....just put it down to do something n forgot (it's usually the last piece equip we all use) ......she was gone in less than 1/2 hr .....n we have blower racks on the trailer ....duh ;->

[BeerBefore12]

use patience. learn to laugh. if you got employees working for you for over a year then they should be friends by now.when I was working as a clearing contractor employee for power lines the job was so dangerous we all couldnt sweat the tinky bits. we were so worried about each other getting waxed by cut trees and chippers and oncoming vehicles, dropoffs, rivers and chainsaw accidents that equipment didnt matter. it was expendible because our constitutions and safety werent. be a pal before being a boss. they wont forget what happened and it should already have corrected itself by there nature.

[whitleys]

Eric and Fallguy have it right.

Nothing beats organization of your equipment. A quick check before you leave the site and if something looks out of place or doesn't feel right. Stop and double check. I have three sons helping me keep up with about 45 properties. They know the routine and organization of the equipment. Guess who's most prone to the careless action? (ole Dad!) I appreciate good help but I also don't underestimate the value of organization and a fixed routine. They reinforce good help!

[bubble boy]

hey guardian sounds like your passing the buck...i know he left the blower there but sounds like you both were present, so you both loaded up. if you value this $400 blower that much you should have noticed it wasnt on the trailer.

i would never make my employee pay. if it is a recurring problem, get rid of him. if its a rare occurance, get over it. a $400 blower isn't worth blowing up at an employee over.

your employee likely realizes what he did, and feels bad. that will deter future mistakes as much as making him pay would. and he won't resent you in the meantime.

[Wangel]

Most major companies require a drug test prior to employment. They also require the employee to sign a statement that they can be retested at various intervals. Normally, when something stupid happens, the company will require that the employee submit to a drug test. You would be surprised at how many had major drugs in their system. Normally the drug policy reads that if the employee refuses to test, that this would be grounds for termination.

[grassyfras]

If hes been working a year there is no need for anyone to check to see if the blower was there. I think that was a careless mistake and you too should talk out how this should be handled maybe both pa half since u are the boss but maybe not.

[powerreel]

Things happen and that's that. How many of have done something we regretted during the thick of it all, all my stuff has a place and doesn't move anywhere without a bungee cord on it. Atleast you got some spare parts! :)

[Bill c]

Everybody makes mistakes know and then and you gotta realize its just part of doing business claim it on the insurance or just eat it.

[Mike (MLC)]

If stupidness happens all the time with this employee, I would re-evaluate his employment with you. If this was the first time this happen with this guy, I could understand having a forgetfull day. We might have all had a day like that at some point. But on the other hand you are the boss, so you should take some of the responsibility of making sure the equipment is in its proper place. Just be aware of it next time and try double checking everything. Inform employees that one mistake may happen, but if it is a constant problem they may have to pay for it out of their own pocket or if necessary terminate employment. ;)

[Charles]

I was talking to a fellow lco in my area. He did the same thing. Let his back pack blower in front of his truck and ran over it. of course he was sick about it. You should have a policy of putting stuff back where it came from immediatly after completing that task and if they dont fine them. I never lay anything down and leave it. cause i know I am very forgetful LOL

[CMerLand]

First of all, who else thought this sounded like a post out of Lawnboys file????

Secondly, the answer to someones question was no it is not legal to charge your employee for damages after the fact without a written policy signed at the time of employment and even then may cause you more headaches then the dollar amount lost.

How are you going to charge a guy who probably doesnt make $ 400 bucks in a week for a new blower??? Or how do you figure the value on a blower thats 2,3 or 5 years old. Sure it still worked but by that point you should have already recovered the cost of that equipment in your bids.

Hell, I just had my car stolen out of the valet parking lot in Atlantic City two weeks ago, do you think the hotel is going to have this kid pay $ 10,000 to replace it??

One suggestion might be a bonus amount set at the beginning of the year and all equipment lost or damaged due to abuse is deducted from that amount. Anything left at the end of the year they employees split??

[thelawnguy]

Cost of doing bizness.

[Albemarle Lawn]

I'm sure your engine is still good and you should save it for parts.

Also, a lot of BR320's going around cheap on EBAY. Put your BR400 engine in one and you have a BR400. (the 320 just has a smaller engine).

Keep a log of date and incindent, and if more of these things happen, let him go. This forgetfullness can sometimes get worse. Does the employee smoke pot? Sounds like something a pothead would do.

kb

[Grapevine]

We had a college kid helping us out for a couple of months this summer, nice kid, worked hard. Placed a brand new Shind 230 on the front of the walkbehind (to save time). He tried to get it through a gate that the mower would normally fit but the weedwhacker got caught on either side and he just kept going until it snapped right in 2.. incredibly stupid ! He apologized, that was the end of it .. what are you gonna do ?

[Fine Lines Lawn]

Mistakes happen and I am always forgiving for honest mistakes.

BUT...

Wednesday, one of my seasoned veterans, apparently having a bad day, slammed a T270 on the ground when he was having trouble with the head. Also, got lazy and heaved a new hand blower in the bed of the truck rather than laying it in there. Then got mad at the ExMark when the safety switch broke and kicked the engine.

He was very lucky that this was reported to me by other members of the crew, and not witnessed by me since I was on another job site. If I had been there someone would have had to call an ambulance for him.

Thursday morning he was seeking employment.

[1grnlwn]

I have tryed to explain to all 8 of my crew this year(1 employee every 2 weeks avg.) to put the equip in the proper rack on the trailer any time you set it down. If you do this it is impossible to run over it or leave it. They look at me like I am stupid! In a past life I was a Mech. Eng. ( paid to figure what will go wrong and fix it before it does) Funny it doesn't help much.

[Guardian]

I agree - I agree...thanks to all for the input. No, this is isn't a recurring problem and yes-he's sorry. I do have a system for keeping track of equipment. I use trimmer trapper and keep everything locked (I'm more worried about theft than the thought of leaving something behind) The blowers are the only thing I cannot see from the driver seat. The truth is...he's been a good faithful employee for a year and I trust him, so I dont always check behind him anymore. It was a dumb mistake he won't easily do again. thanks again for contributing.
I do like the idea of a bonus set @ the 1st of the year and deducting damages and giving employee the rest.
Steve

[hustlers]

i had a br400 blow out of my truck at 60mph and no
damage and was pretty ticked off, then a month later
he put in front of my truck and i hit it.
I told my guys if you do something stupid you got
to pay for part of it and take responsibility so they learn.

[SLS]

Last year I was mowing with a Scotts 1642 and hauling it on a golf cart trailer. (A guys gotta start somewhere)

As I was loading up one fine morning my wife came out with the telephone "potential new customer" she says....

In my distraction and haste to get going I forgot to tie the machine down and got about 2 blocks down the road...and well you can guess what happened next...thank God no one was behind me and I was only doing about 25 mph when it happened. This tractor was only 3 months old and to see it upside-down in the ditch with the hood and grill assembly in pieces was quite a shock. :blush:

Well, it was not as bad as it looked (cosmetic only) and a trip to the John Deere dealer and $100 bucks made it new again.

Not a day goes by that I don't think about that episode.

Now I ALWAYS check my straps and gate pins BEFORE driving away...ALWAYS!

The thought of seeing my new 60" Lazer Z tumbling down the street is too much to bear!

When I get an employee who "goofs up" for the first time I will remember my "flying tractor" episode before exploding and hope that they will learn from their little faux pas like I did with mine.

...But...If they screw up a lot, or deliberately, they can hit the road.

[Keith]

Make em use a Homelite handheld for a few weeks :D Thats what I did to myself when one of ours got smashed in much the same way.

[awm]

SLS if you do this long enough that happens to everybody.
somebody upstairs is watching after me,or id have killed somebody a couple o times. later TM
PS COME TO THINK OF IT MABE HE WAS LOOKING AFTER THEM .:)

[bobbygedd]

i dont know about asking an employee to pay for something. i worked at another job(not landscaping) for several years, and the company never asked anyone to replace something or pay for it. if a guy kept screwing up they had options to keep or let him go.

[AztlanLC]

I think lot's of guy got it right, never charge your employee for something they brake it's ilegal and if somebody decide to sue against you, it may cost you a lot more that what you lost at the begining.

What I usually tell my employees is that at the end of the year everybody has a $500.00 bonus if nothing happens during the season, I always keep track of every piece that I have to replace, and at the end of the season if it's big thing I will deduct from the bonuses, I don't deduct small stuff like gloves, glasses, etc.

[kutnkru]

I dont know what that sounds like when your driving a regular truck but it sure sounds like alot of beer money when its a stakebody!

I did this when I was younger, and in an effort not to get fired for being an incompetent, unreliable, and I forget the rest of those big college words he used right now (-LOL!), I asked if I could split the cost of the blower with him because as forementioned, I didnt have the funds to replace it.

After the smoke cleared we agreed that I would donate $50 bucks a week for 5 weeks to cover half the replacement cost for my carelessness.

$250 bucks of my hard earned cash and a FREE detailing of his personal vehicle and all was smothed over.

Live and learn!
Kris

[dmk395]

Mistakes happen,live with them, but try to avoid them.