I can't win.

[Xtra]

My take on your situation is wait to find out the charges and what went down. Then I'd be very cautious for a while.

[sorry for the long reply . . . but I had something similar happen, here's the outcome]

Last year one of my most experienced guys called me from jail. He had a bench warrant for not paying traffic fines, got pulled over and was arrested. It was 1:00am on a work day!??? I was contacted to pay his bail plus a promissory note. I said no. He called me a day later pleading, I still said no and contacted his Dad in another state.

When he got out I took him back.
Well, long story short . . . 4 months later he fell asleep driving my chip truck and totaled it. Then after it was towed back to the shop he disappeared.

Background: I knew he had a girlfriend who did coke or crack. He was always broke from supporting her habit & she would beat him up when she was bingeing. He’d come to work with a black eyes or scratches, but hey that’s his personal life I didn’t want to pry or play parent to him.

Since then I’ve learned my lesson.
From now on a guy's personal life does kinda matter to me. This guy was a ticking time bomb and the signs were all there for me to see.

- unpaid traffic fines . . . not a responsible adult or driver

- partying & out until the early morning . . . not respecting his position or the dangers associated with our industry

- druggie girlfriend . . . birds of a feather, flock together

In hindsight, of course it was just a matter of time before something was going to happen, I'm glad no one was killed by him.


Look back on your employee's history with you. Think about any small personality flaws you let slide or looked the other way on. If this is a one time screw-up, take him back, but keep your options by checking out who else might be available to do his job.

I know it’s rough to find someone without a checked past, or who will come to work sober everyday, and not rob work on the side.
Maybe hire a young newbie and start teaching him the ropes, just in case.

Ironic twist about the situation above . . . about 2 weeks after I took my guy back I was doing a job for an older lady near my neighborhood. Her son stopped by on his lunch hour to check out the job and drop off a check. He sounded familiar. Turned out he owned the bail company, that contacted me to bail my guy out. Yeah, that made my company look real professional – geez, I sh!t you not.

 

[oldugly]

Good call Bermie,
Timber, good luck to you. I hope things work out for the climber and yourself, but as someone stated before, you are his boss, not his daddy, make your decisions based solely on a professional basis.

 

[Yellowdog]

I've been in the business for about 25 years. You're always going to have some employees with problems.Whatever he did it's not your problem as long as it doesn't hurt the reputation of your company. Any monetary help you provide will most likely tell him that he can count on you to do it again whenever he has a problem. And there is an equally good chance you'll never see that money again. Give him all the moral support you can but remember you're not his mom or dad or best friend. You're his boss. Good Luck

That's how I feel. Why should an employer be responsible for straightening out someone's private life? I don't believe in loaning money as it leads to problems down the road. I would bail out a good worker (up to a reasonable amount) if I was sure he was innocent but I don't know if I could put that much time into it. We always think we can't survive without someone or something but adapting is how we grow and learn. It's tough but I think Ray's right, you aren't his mom, dad, or best friend. You have a business to run.

 

[BIG JAKE]

I'd do a background check. His history will pretty much tell the tale. That history may tell you a few things depending on his age. He may get in trouble from time to time or the frequency of problems can be reduced up to the present, which means he's learning. I don't have much time for a wife beater, for example, but the facts along with your judgement will show you the way to go.

 

[Timberhauler]

That's how I feel. Why should an employer be responsible for straightening out someone's private life? I don't believe in loaning money as it leads to problems down the road. I would bail out a good worker (up to a reasonable amount) if I was sure he was innocent but I don't know if I could put that much time into it. We always think we can't survive without someone or something but adapting is how we grow and learn. It's tough but I think Ray's right, you aren't his mom, dad, or best friend. You have a business to run.

I stretch for my guys as much as I can,but I will not loan them tools,money or bail them out of jail...I once paid a big fine for a guy that worked for me to keep him out of jail...Two weeks later he quit on me..I once bonded another guy out of jail,then less than a year later he got a DUI again..Over the years I've had some nice ones,and it seems like the best workers I have had are the ones who always ended up in trouble....I would .like for all of you to read my wife's story in the off the subject forum on here...It's under "Anyone else in law enforcement"....She tells a story about having to arrest a guy that was working for me at the time....This guy called in sick that day,and didn't bother telling me what was going on.Little did he know that my wife was going to be working at the courthouse that day.......Like everyone else,I get good ones and bad ones

 

[Timberchic]

The guy he's talking about called in sick that day because he had to come to court..He didn't just tell us the truth..I happened to be pulling courtroom duty that day,and when he saw me,he tried to hand me his tickets and get his charges dropped.....Two of his charges had a mandatory 30 day sentence plus a very stout fine...I would have ended up in jail myself if I would have tried to have his charges dropped.I felt bad for him in a way,but it's hard to have any sympathy for a two or three time offender.....I did feel bad for his family.His wife is a good girl.

 

[Ed Roland]

Holy Moley! Employees are a slippery slope. As a small 'specialty' operation I have a few guys help me out when I have to leave the ground. They drag brush, clear my ropes, and get what I need when I need it. I've trained them to run simple lowering/tag procedures. I DO NOT let them drive my truck, operate my chipper, or fire up a saw! Can u believe it? Yeah, im super tired @ the end of the day but no one gets hurt.

 

[Blinky]

This is a tough subject to discuss because we've all had experiences with friends or employees with problems.

All I can say is, criminal background checks and credit checks are NOT necessarily a good picture of who a person is. Some people pay the price for others just because it's their nature to love unconditionally and to help the people they love without suspicion or limitation. It's not a good way to live but a lot of people were raised to be just like that.

You say the guy is always on time, fulfills his obligations... is basically very responsible at work... he could be that way at home too and have a seriously troubled spouse (think untreated bi-polar or schizophrenic) who presses him to extreme behavior. You can make even the most passive person fight by cornering them and keeping the pressure on. A spouse that does that is poison... but someone who loves unconditionally will find it impossible to leave them.

If this guy shows up for work every day, on time, with a clear head, I doubt seriously if he turns into Mr. Hyde when he clocks out. Public records rarely paint an accurate picture.