Lay-offs

[Turfdude]

I don't even want to start this thread!
This is the first time ever that I will have to lay-off employees prior to tha winter since conception (1988 - legit). I will probably have to let 3 - 4 guys go this Friday. I know that I don't control the weather, I know that my guys know I'm doing all I can to keep them busy, but man this drought is really killin' me. The mowing that normally takes 5 guys and 2 crews a day is now getting done in 6 hours by 2 men. We haven't seen rain in about 30 days, and we have had a lot of days in the upper 90's, w/ mornings starting in the low 80's. I thought this could never happen. My irrigated properties are all gonna turn to sh** now too as the Governor just stepped up restrictions. Only exemptions - new sod/seed for New Construction, and can water 2 days after an application. I can't even justify sending my applicator out in early Sept. unless we get rain. I can't renovate or aerate w/ out rain and easing or restrictions. A lot of my confirmed landsacpe installs are calling to be put on hold, and the long range outlook - no hurricanes, no precip and no snow.
I'm not gonna quit, but I could potentially lose up to $100G's gross and that sux.

The thing that really peeves me is that it is hard enough to get labor for a seasonal business, but if the labor market sees that there could be 2 layoff periods, it will make this line of work less desirable than it already is. Man I sure hope it rains!

Bob

[anythinglawns]

Man I hate to hear that. For reasons I posted about before. I had to tell my entire crew (I only had 4) that I would not need them this year. It broke my heart to tell them. One of them has stuck around and done some part time work. 4-5 hours per week but that is it. I am operating on about 1/3 of last seasons take. Now the dry weather we are experiencing is making things worse. I am sure I will bounce back and have a new crew in a year or so. I dread sifting through the 100 or so deadbeats to get 4 or 5 workers.
Jason

[General Grounds]

:blob3: i hear ya guys, tough hear as well, but we're lucky enough to be doing pavers and ret. walls. probably will not need to make any layoffs just because when we do get the rain in sept. then the phone will ring out of sight and those 4 guys i laid off are gone. t

[Bob Minney]

One of the big LCO's here just announced 300 layoffs.
Maybe some of the younger guys will want to move to greener pastures.

[65hoss]

You guys know about the traveling nurses? They go where the shortage is. Maybe one day it will be have trailer will travel. Go where the money and rain are.

[Turfdude]

I don't know if I'm lucky, or if its just Mother Nature trying to even things up a bit, but W/ recent rain last Saturday, some last night, today and tomorrow, things are looking a lot greener. I also had 3 clients call w/ a days work each for 2 guys and I signed a definate 3 landscape jobs that have to be done by month's end and possibly a larger one to do early October. Most of the jobs are 2 days w/ the larger one being possibly 3-4 depending on the client's budget.

Let it rain - we need it. I think we're 11+ inches down for the year and 22+ inches since Jan 2001.

Bob