Employees

[smithf36]

I've had a guy working part time for me for about the last two years. This season, he's been working full time because he lost his other job. Now all of the sudden he didn't show up yesterday and he hasn't called, ect. I have tried to get a hold of him with no luck. I know he's still alive, because I saw him driving through town. He had been very good at showing up when he was supposed to and I would say he was my best worker I had - if things persisted, I was thinking about giving him his own crew. I recently gave him a raise. I don't know what the problem is, I thought we were somewhat good friends and we worked great together. I guess I must demand too much or something.<p>Joe<br><p><font size="1">Edited by: smithf36

[Bobby]

Hey Joe, welcome to the club. This is the reason there are so many solo operators. It never ends.<p>----------<br>Yesteryear L/S<br>Hollywood Fla

[lawrence stone]

To make it worth the hassle you need to run at least two crews. <p>To much easy work around inside air cond buildings. <p><p><font size="1">Edited by: lawrence stone

[GrassRoots Lawn Care]

Had to let a guy go the other day. Hard to get good help with unemployment rates so low. Makes you wonder if employees are really worth it.<p>----------<br>Mike Reynolds,<br>GrassRoots Lawn Care, Florida

[Acute Cut]

Dito grassroots. I have 1 full time operator and two very part time guys. Two of them cant even do what can do. I am not saying i am the best, but here is how it is.<p>Example--&gt; We were doing a new job for the last couple of months. Moderate sized. Hour and a half with my 52&quot; going. The other 2 guys were one trimmers exclusively. They took so long that i had time to double mow! I didnt think anything of it till recently. I had a day with little to do so i went and did the job alone. I mowed for 45 minutes and trimmed for 12 minutes and cleared sidewalks for about 5 minutes. SO, roughly an hour. BY MY SELF! I let them all know the next day that they were in trouble. Crap or get off the pot so to speak. If they cant hang with me, then they need to go and apply at Wendy's. I pay well and would like atleast ONE good person. I had one decent person, speed was good, and quality was above my other employees average, but he liked to SKID into corners. Tore alot of lawns up. And that was the GOOD guy! As you may be able to tell, i am haveing a perterbing day with my &quot;help&quot;.<p>I want to get bigger and have separte crews, but how can i if i cant even get a guy that meets my requirements as i stand there watching him? How do all of you BIg BOYS get over this? How do ya keep the good ones? Or, better yet, how do you FIND the good ones? <p>Have a good day yall.

[plowking35]

I think you will find that they have as much turn over as the rest of us. No one will ever do as good of a job as we the owners do. we have a vested intrest, they just are seeing a paycheck. Incentives are good, so is a structured bonus plan. that way they have a reason to do a good job.<br>Also some people are just losers, they will never have a good work ethic, and they will never grow up.<br>Sometimes I am happy that they just show up.<br>Dino <br>

[bdemir]

Good point dont hire a looser. You have to be the judge of a good character. Screen a lot of poeple if you have the time. Good help is a blessing. When you find them its like finding gold.

[bill phagan]

Joe, if it weren't for employees, I'd still be in the profession. Had a 40 man operation. Went thru 400 employees my last year in biz. Too many disappointments, theft, attempts at intimidation, no shows, jumping off the trucks the first day b-4 they got to the job, walking off the jobs and leaving equipment, drugs,booze. You've got the good, the bad and the ugly. Just the nature of the beast. There are many things you can do...start by hiring the right? one from the getgo. Train them, have them sign your company policies, procedures, etc. Employees will always be a problem especially with such low unemployment. Hispanics and others are a great source for employees assuming you can habla which you can learn.

[GrassMaster]

Hello Everybody:<p>There is no one good answer to the employment problem? I think it is mainly the way they are treated of course money has a little to do with it too.<p>Yes Hispanics are hard workers, but you need to remember a few things. You are helping them save money, to compete against you.<p>Yes, the others do it too, if they decide to compete against you not just the Hispanics. Please don't get me wrong?<p>The problem is when they go into business for themselves, the people that give you work also know that in a lot of cases they will work for less?<p>I've Been There, Done That & Most of all Seen That!!!!!<p>Here where I live now 2 came here several years ago working for some large Apartment Complexes?<p>Then they went into business for them selves & I have nothing against that at all. But the Managers & Owners are flocking to these guys. <p>It's to the point they are telling them what they will pay & these guys are going for it.<p>More & more are working for them now. They are hurting the Pros out there & they are having the work handed to them. Yes they are working for a lot less. Then when the Pro goes into bid, they get laughed at.<p>There are good people out there. There is a lot of people now in the Green Industry mainly the Trade Mags that are pushing this. <p>Hire the Hispanics, The American worker is not putting out the work, they are lazy? That's the message I get & it's very wrong!<p>It upsets me when they talk the negative talk they do about the American Work Force.<p>We at one time was part of the American Work Force? I'm not lazy, I don't cut grass anymore but I work very long & hard hours.<p>There are plenty of people working for a little of nothing & getting treated like DOGS?<p>Look hard & treat them right. That's what counts!!!!!<p>I only had a 6 man operation, but I had very few employee problems. In 3 years I went through about 20. I treated them, the way I wanted to be treated. They worked hard & mainly they enjoyeed working for me!!!!!<p>----------<br>GrassMaster - Home: www.lawnservicing.com<br>My Start Up Page www.lawnservicing.com/startup/

[Guido]

I think the thing I hated the most was when a customer, (NO MATTER HOW MANY TIMES I INSTRUCTED HIM/HER NOT TO!!)decides they are going to just give the check or cash for the week or month to my &quot;partner&quot;. I asked a customer that usually pays cash very timely, what was going on after I waited a month for the money and she said I gave it to your partner. But I don't have a partner I replied!! This was a whole nother story, but........even if the money did reach me like it was supposed to, I wouldn't have wanted him to see the check. <p>Heres a tip I'll give any of you new guys that are thinking about employees: Don't discuss how much your getting paid on a job/ making with your employees. The minute you do you can see shiny dollar signs in their eyes and they always think they should be getting more of it! Or they get the idea that &quot;its that easy&quot; when they don't know the half of it and try to venture off on their own (and fail shortly down the road). Someone else had a post about this too a couple of weks ago, but when they do decide that they can quit working for you and stat their own company they start scoping out your clients, maybe even on your time!! Just a heads up and something to keep an eye out for.<p><p>----------<br>&lt;a href=&quot;http://communities.msn.com/guidosequipmentpics/&quot;&gt;&quot;Guido&quot;&lt;/a&gt;<br>David M. Famiglietti

[WorkForce Intl]

GrassMasters,<br>Not all Hispanic workers are out to get you. As a matter of fact there is one type of Hispanic worker that absolutely can't--imported Hispanic workers. They are here, then they are gone. Sounds like the kind of Hispanic workers you speak of are the Hispanic-Americans. There you might have some competition.<br>As for Americans being lazy. No, I don't think Americans are lazy. On the other hand, Americans, not all but many, seem to have a work ethic that is less than stellar.<p>Elisama

[GrassMaster]

GrassMaster Wrote Quote:<br>&gt;&gt;Yes Hispanics are hard workers, but you need to remember a few things. You are helping them save money, to compete against you.<p>Yes, the others do it too, if they decide to compete against you not just the Hispanics. Please don't get me wrong?&lt;&lt;<p>Maybe I should have worded it a little better & maybe you should have re-read it a little better, before making your post!!!!!<p>I thought it was good enough, after reading this post several more times, I don't see anything wrong with the post I made?<p>Elisama Wrote Quote:<br>&gt;&gt;On the other hand, Americans, not all but many, seem to have a work ethic that is less than stellar.&lt;&lt;<p>I said nothing bad about the Hispanics or cut them down. On the other hand, I'm reading your post & looks like the Americans got cut down pretty bad?????<p>I only speak of only true life experiences that I only have lived & I've had a more than stellar life!!!!!<p>These guys were over here as you say imported Hispanic Workers for a couple of years & now there is at least 15 or more now. Some are now Americans, but at what cost to other Pros in the Green Industry? <p>I'm seeing these Pros loosing HUGE accounts every year. It's not fair to them, because they worked hard to build up the Green Industry to what it is now!<p>If you read other post I have placed in this forum, I have said how hard working & honest the Hispanics are. <p>Not once have I said anything derogatory against any of them & the people in the Green Industry have already let us Americans know very well as you said that &quot;many, seem to have a work ethic that is less than stellar.&quot;<p>I still will not say anything negative at all about the Hispanic Worker. <p>I'm just sick & tired of people that stand to profit off of this, trying to convince others, &quot;That us Americans are Lazy&quot;, I for one don't buy it? I never will & anyone that does, well there is a place for them in the unemployment line?<p>I'm sorry that I'm Pro American, I'm Indian American & I stick up for my own. My last name is Fiveash, before WWII it was 5-ash, Uncle Sam said it had to be spelled out, with no numbers. <p>Yep, you guessed it, we were named after 5 Ash trees. We lived 7 miles from Johnny Twelveoaks too!<p>I own land this very day that the President Granted My Ancestors for fighting in the Civil War.<p>All American & Proud of it!!!!!<p>The Indians were here first & they didn't ask anybody to come over here at all!!!! That's a Fact Jack!!!!!<p><br> <p><p><p>----------<br>GrassMaster - Home: www.lawnservicing.com<br>My Start Up Page www.lawnservicing.com/startup/<br><p><font size="1">Edited by: GrassMaster

[WorkForce Intl]

I guess I less than wholeheartedly embrace your point of view because of the generalizations you are making. First, there is a difference between native born Hispanics, legal residents, non-legal residents, and imported labor (those brought under the auspices of the Justice Department) who are considered to be non-immigrant labor. Native born Hispanics carry the US Constitution in their hip pockets just like any other American. In other words they may be of Hispanic descent, but at the end of the day they are Americans. Legal residents are very ambitious and business minded. Historically, they tend to be very conservative politically, and would probably agree with you about other Hispanics. Undocumented Hispanics are not a threat to anyone, because they are usually too scared about being found out by the INS. These individuals come here to work, and 9 times out of 10 send their money back home to feed their families. Then there are the imported, non-immigrant laborers. These too are not a threat because they come here with permission of the INS to work for the employer who requested them, and for the time the employer specifies.<p>Now, about the work ethic. I don't deny that many, if not most, Americans are hard working individuals. My husband is one of these. Yet, many also have a questionable work ethic. I think its about what we've become used to. We are a high tech society that for the past 50 years has come to rely more and more on technological advances to help us live. This creates a certain mind-set. &quot;There's got to be an easier way of making a living.&quot; or, &quot;They don't pay me enough to do this.&quot; Think of it the Green industry is based on the concept that people would rather pay someone else to do their lawn than do it themselves.<br>I don't doubt that you are a hard worker, but as the years go by there are less and less people like you. When I said that many Americans have a less than stellar work ethic I was not speaking ill of the US or its people. As a veteran (1st Infantry Division Mechanized-Ft.Riley, Ks) I can tell you that there is no other country that I know of which has been blessed the way we have. But part of what this country stands for is opportunity. &quot;All men are created equal.&quot; I served this country 6 years believing this, and I still do.<br>I'm sure your intention is not to make derrogatory remarks about anyone,so I take no umbrage to that, nor should anyone. I respect your indigenous heritage, and you have reason to be proud. I know I'm proud of mine. Trahumara Indians of northern Mexico. But it is not about who came here first. It is about where we are today. We live live in a world with a global economy. Why not a global workforce?<p>Elisama<br><p><font size="1">Edited by: WorkForce Intl

[Charles]

America has the most productive work force in the world. Many times greater productivity than any country in the world. A trillion+ economy.But when you get around 4% unemployment. The good intelligent hardworking people either own their own company. Or are looking for careers that challenge their minds and offer advancements and benefits and better working conditions than most lawn services can't offer them. Take BMW for example. They start you off at 39,000$. Let you drive a brand new BMW home. Have a gym you can work out in etc. And they are hiring! I treated my employees well and paid them good. But I had similiar problems as the above. I could do the jobs faster and better working alone. With alot less damage to the lawn and equipment. I gave up on the employee idea awhile back. I may have to work harder. But I am much happier I don't have to deal with them. Now they are some good workers out the still but its like finding a diamond in the rough and just as hard to hang onto. Its not just the lawn services having this problem. Its the fast food, swimming pool co, tree services etc.

[Toroguy]

This some how turned into a race debate.<p>If someone is working for you they are &quot;Americans&quot; they live in the United States, except for the Canadians amongst us. Or they are resident aliens.<p>As for each race. There are low ambition and high ambition folks in every race. Lets just call everyone &quot;people&quot;, and trash the human race.<p>I dont hire Cro-Magnon or Neanderthals, and those Australopiceans, get real:)

[southside]

Austalopiceans?? :)<br>I think you've just got to accept that no-one<br>works as hard as the boss,and allow for that.<p>Karl<p>

[Toroguy]

Karl,<br>Australopithecus afarensis was the &quot;Lucy&quot; uncovered by Leakey in Africa. Believed to be the first bipedal human form.<p>What is little known however, Lucy was found next to a 2 million year old MTD. Was this the beginning?<p>Australians, now they are far more evolved, trustworthy and ethical.

[WorkForce Intl]

This is not about race, because Hispanics are considered Caucasians (aka White). This is about cultures. Understanding the culture of those that work for you, and for whom you work makes sense. I would bet that many &quot;labor&quot; problems can be solved if more emphasis is placed on understanding the cultural reality of your labor pool, and giving them insight into yours.<br>There is nothing wrong with looking at differences, if the goal is to understand those differences. For a long time we considered ourselves a melting pot of cultures....well, that was never true. We need to appreciate our differences, but we will never get to there if we can't hold open, adult, nonperjorative conversations about what makes each culture unique.<p>Elisama <p>Elisama