I'm in basically the same labor market TI and BEdwards is in. And i totally agree. It is a total nightmare around here finding any 20's white males willing to out in the heat & occasional rain.I have 2 college students that have worked for me 1 for 4yrs the other for 2yrs.These 2 work for me in the summer and on weekends.These 2 are the greatest.I pay them well and they do there job and beyond.Now the end of august i will Dread because i will have to find help.I went thru 8 last yr between Sep-may.Always on the phone,Needing to leave early twice a week.Now the days it would rain and I let them clean the shop they made sure they were always there all day on those occasions.From Sep till end of may my wife has to work with me and Whomever to help us complete the jobs.Its ridiculous when a 37Yr old woman is out the busting her hump dragging brush while I'm in a tree and the "Help" Is leaned up against a tree on the phone.
And the other has left early for various reason.And she Will have to drive 1 of the trucks because most of my insurance Co wont approve to drive our trucks
For Bad driving record.The last one before my other 2 got out of school.Was Arguing with his girlfriend on the phone on the way home from a job and pulled right out in front of another vehicle while driving my P/U.And Totalled the other vehicle and Dang near totalled mine.2 Days before It rained the previous day.I told him it was to wet to pull into the yard we were scheduled to work in.So I told him Wash my pontoon boat get in clean and you can go home.
1 hr later my wife calls and he's already left.Needless to say i had to spend 4 hrs Redoing the job myself.And he was on salary btw 500.00 a week and a tank of Gas.Anything over 40 is 19.00 an hr.Plus we always provide Lunch and 2 snacks a day.That was just the last one the ones before were worse.So tell me what should i expect for 550.00 a week"Salary +Gas" And Free Lunch and snacks a week?
It may be that the labor market is that much of a nightmare. But DDM, you've shown at least in part that it can be overcome, evidenced by your 2 and 4 year guys.
It may be that a change in the hiring/training process would help you to find a solid full timer or two for year round. How many people do you talk to or interview for each one you hire? How do you locate applicants?
Making your expectations known up front, then backing up what you say will improve workers output, and your bottom line. The cell phone issue seems to be a common issue in this thread. Want to solve it? Lead by example, first off, and don't use your cell phone for personal calls when the crew is working. If it's a business call, it cant be avoided, and there's nothing for the crew to complain about. If you don't use yours, they can't use theirs. Simply tell them up front that it isn't allowed. Then the first time you catch them using it, keep track of how long. When you get back to the yard that night, calmly explain to them that they knew they weren't allowed to use the phone, and they cost you x minutes on the job site. And that they need to make up that time now. Make up time needs a dirty job too. Stay with them, and supervise the whole time. Once is usually enough.
Breaks should be the same way. If you're working, they're working. You're the leader, you call the break. If they physically can't hang, you choose wether to shape em up or ship em out. If they're just lazy, and won't respect your rules, you don't need them anyway. Make your expectations known up front. Tell them, "if I'm working you better be working." When you catch them trying to test the boundaries, be calm, firm, and respectful, but let them know they gotta meet expectations if they want to work for you.
When it comes to starting pay DDM, a few changes could save you money, and have the positive effect of making new hires feel like they are developing and deserving of more. Don't start them on salary, but give them the same hourly rate 13.75 = 550. (Then when they run off without cleaning the boat right, it costs them money. You offered the hours, and they went home. No pay for that.) Give them a goal to hit, like 95-98% on time attendance for a month or two to get moved to salary. They're more motivated to show up for work, because they have a goal to work for plus a paycheck. Tell them as soon as they've learned how to do all the daily and weekly maintenance on the equipment (correctly) you'll throw in a tank of gas every week. (And explain to them that it's equal to a $3000 raise, and you'll give them a $3k raise because proper maintenance will save you more than that.) Once these goals are attained, they've learned good habits, and are on the way to being the employee you need.
You're paying good money, and you deserve good help. It takes a lot of time and work to find and mold great workers, but it's worth it. If your crew is always learning to be better, and being told "Hey, thanks for all your hard work today." (when they deserve it), you can develop effective loyal help. It is not easy though. Honest communication is a big part, both with praise, and when you need to correct improper attitude or technique. And sometimes you just have to cut your losses, and say "You're fired".
Footnote: I know that finding people physically and mentally capable of the demands of the job, and being in the elements makes finding crew for treework more difficult than most other jobs. It's still necessary to maintain a positive attitude in order to be sucessful.
