The Green Industry's Resource Center

Grass Shark · #11 03-01-2010, 03:31 PM

How many weeks are in your season?

Gunnels Grounds & More · #12 03-01-2010, 04:46 PM

Have A talk with your employee. Be very open and honest ask him if this is what he wants to do in five years from now. Is it possible he could be A crew leader? offer incentives, bonus's, work in winter. Do everything in your power to clean the air and keep him/her aboard. But remember bottom line yo do have A business to run. GOOD LUCK.....

Gerg21 · #13 03-01-2010, 05:41 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ALC-GregH

Pay the guy more money. Don't be a cheap skate.

I think he is getting paid great for what he does. He was making 9 dollars a hour and i gave him a 4 dollars raise to 13 in 2009. i can only pay him what he is worth to the business he has said many times he does not want to run a crew train new guys or even work in a uniform. i offered him to partner with me he has no want or need cause he does not see this as his line of work for the rest of his life he says. do you lay your guys off so they can get unemployment ? What is the turn over rate due to lay off going into the next season ? I know how i make it thru the winter its easy but i dont see how any employee with a house payment rent wife kids and bills can just take the winter off even with unemployment not in this day and age. They cant get unemployment and still work!! even if it snows like it has this year its only a few days work for employees. I have made friends with many solo guys here and they say thats why im still solo. on the other hand i know many people with 15 or 20 guys but they are all mexicans and i have no problem with that but they are not legal and i will not run my business that way just like im not going to lay off my guys so they can get unemployment then pay them in cash during the winter. I loved working solo but im worried about getting hurt or a medical condition as im getting older. ANY ONE IN MARYLAND LOOKING TO PARTNER UP??

Gerg21 · #14 03-01-2010, 05:44 PM

About 26 to 30 weeks our season

Daily Lawn/Landscape · #15 03-01-2010, 05:56 PM

I pay the ones that are not foreman $10 hr with guaranteed 30hrs wk during winter mo. with or without work. I do provide snow removal, but in my area we are lucky to get 3 events a year. We have a 30-35 wk season. If you know your numbers and work with a budget, there is no reason to let your good employees go during the winter mo.My foreman get 40hrs week all year.

James

Ps I have been doing this for 3 yrs now and only been in business for 9.

grassman177 · #16 03-01-2010, 07:12 PM

from your words, he is not the guy for you so dont give him more now, he stated it was not the business for him, respect that and HEAR it too. i dont mean that badly, but sometimes we dont hear the words directly spoken to us.

find and hire more guy(s), and let him know the reasons as you want to grow, dont let him in any way tell you anything other than if he is gong to keep working or quit. that is it, other wise you have nothing.

we have had many guys now that worked for us and have ran into his type, make it work for this year but on your term alone

Gerg21 · #17 03-01-2010, 07:45 PM

Grassman i agree!! How many guys do you have working for you full time?how many years have you retained your full time employees year after year? seems to me that its really hard to find good legal help americans dont like to sweat or even get their hands dirty. I love this business after a nice hot sweaty day of cutting i enjoy washing off all the dirt/dust thats dried on me. i have even had guys that try to stay clean while cutting guess what they left before they learned to mix oil/gas. I have even givin guys from AA and NA a chance but they as well did not work out. I know a lot of you probably think im not training or paying them well but believe me thats not the problem. I have many friends that are very lage in this business and they tell me ill never make it with white guys in my trucks.

Gerg21 · #18 03-01-2010, 07:51 PM

DONT GET ME WRONG I will hire any race or color what they mean is i need mexicans to run my crews. reason bieng is they dont mind the winters off cause they go home rich and get to spend the winters with their familys. And they are glad to come back to america (h2b program) and work another season.

johnnybravo8802 · #19 03-01-2010, 09:10 PM

Tell him the unemployment line is really loooooooooooong!!!!!!Geez......people should be happy to have a job. That's what's wrong with this country. A person has no education, can't pay their bills, can't manage their money(Reason they're working for you), has very little to offer society, and then wants a raise. If he wants a raise, tell him to either go back to school or work harder-In other words, earn it like the rest of us did....You can't start at the top!!!!!

sdk1959 · #20 03-01-2010, 09:41 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Gerg21

Grassman i agree!! How many guys do you have working for you full time?how many years have you retained your full time employees year after year? seems to me that its really hard to find good legal help Americans dont like to sweat or even get their hands dirty. I love this business after a nice hot sweaty day of cutting i enjoy washing off all the dirt/dust thats dried on me. i have even had guys that try to stay clean while cutting guess what they left before they learned to mix oil/gas. I have even giving guys from AA and NA a chance but they as well did not work out. I know a lot of you probably think I'm not training or paying them well but believe me that's not the problem. I have many friends that are very large in this business and they tell me ill never make it with white guys in my trucks.

The real reason Mexicans work hard is that with the exchange rate of dollars to pesos 1 dollar equals 12.75 pesos. If you pay them $12hr it will be like $50.00hr in Mexico. Pay Americans $50.00hr & see how hard they work or start paying Mexicans $2.00 an hr and see how hard they don't. It's all relative, that's why they send all their money back to Mexico and 8 guys share a 1 bedroom apartment when they live here, saving big $$ and all the more money to send back to Mexico.

If your near Baltimore you should be able to hire some college kids every spring and summer. From what this guy said to you this is just a temp gig for him and he may quit without notice.