Or a guy with a bad attitude.
I’d take the slow poke over a guy with a bad attitude any day.
Could probably send him for lunch, but you might not eat until dinner.
Totally agree here. Over the last four years the people i have had work for me work. They figure it out the 1st day. This is easier then cutting a lawn. heck with a lawn mower you need to know how to start the thing and put the correct mix in the blower and weedwacker. With this work the most complicated thing is how much cleaner per bottle. I know right away from the interviews if the person is going to work out. My girl is off the payroll now cause she is having a baby in august. The guy I have now is good. I have been trying to get him a helper. Over the last month he has gone out with 6 people. All are slow and can’t figure it out. I give them a 2nd chance figuring the 1st day is a learning curve. But if they don’t get it the 2nd time out their gone. I felt bad telling people they can’t make it knowing the job market is terrible, but heck!!. Listen to what I am telling you, listen to what my employee is telling you. If he says you need to move faster, then move faster. Heck these people have only been cleaning screens, sills tracks etc and they still can’t get it. I fired a guy on my birthday. Almost ruined my day. Someone once told me 3 years ago. hire hard, manage easy. It’s sooo true.
i have gone through a number of workers this year, my first with employees . if i hear at interview they like climbing trees, skateboards, long bike rides, etc i know im probably okay.
Anybody telling me that they listen to the radio a lot,who is on first name terms with the local DJ ,starts alarm bells ringing. Another bad sign is if they start telling me they suffer from depression .
One such person i gave a big load of windows to do, followed by an afternoon session working in a rainstorm to try to break the cycle of his depression. im not sure if it worked but it provided me with a bit of amusement and he sure started sqwarking a lot !
one of my current workers does have a slowness problem . he just cant seem to leave a window quickly,but in other respects acts normal
i havent got to the root of this problem yet , he keeps mentioning his "zen- like trances " that he is prone to
Well today he was a bit better. Still really slow on the glass though. I dont think you want to hear what Anita has to say Larry. She’s ready to throw a fit over this guy!
Tomorrow hes going out with my other guy. I’ll get the report and make a decision.
I tell my guys that there’s a difference between “slow” and “lack of hustle.”
Slow, I can tolerate… for a little while.
Lack of hustle, I can tolerate… unless you want to work for me.
(actually, that’s a lie. I still can’t really tolerate it.)
Hey Mike,
I hear ya. I grew up just north of NYC where the culture is fast paced and intense. We took a vacation to a way more mellow part of America. Everybody there was nice… but slow. They took their time. I was on vacation and wanted kill everybody. Haha
I thought I was the only one with these problems. These group therapy sessions are really helping me. I have been afraid to hire this year. I have had 2 people leave,(1 retired, 1 moved away) and I haven’t replaced them. I am OK through the summer because my daughters are working with us, but when school starts, it is decision time. I am seriously considering a “holding pattern” on any kind of expansion.
I have been looking through applications and talking to some people, but I am alarmed at what I am seeing. I can’t find anyone under 40 who wants to work. Everyone I talk to wants a paycheck, but they don’t want to work. As was posted earlier, window cleaning can be tough work. I am just not seeing much work ethic.
I should also clarify my earlier posts, I didn’t know quite the phrasing I wanted to use but here it is:
There is a difference between someone who is ready to roll and just needs to know how to clean a window
vs
perhaps a younger or mismatched person to the job where you find yourself just about saying in baby talk:
“this is a J O B, job, now this is how we work at a J O B, we are here to get things done, we have lunch and we finish the day, our goal is to finish what’s on the schedule today, that’s what a J O B is all about. When we are working, W O R K . . .”
let McDonald’s or something teach these people what a job is all about and means, be a 2nd or 3rd hire instead of a 1st.
I had a guy who cleaned pools before, he was GREAT!
FISH was just recogonized as military friendly. FISH is smart, who can read between the lines there? They have a bunch of “slacker” franchisees sucking up territories and doing nothing with them.
Read the article on Robinson Blog or in AWC magazine just came in mail.
THey want military because tey know how to work, know physical work and aren’t “whiners”, and know how to manage others and get results from others
FISH is smart on this one, I see it plain as day now that they let the cat out of the bag.
True. My full time guy did 7 years as an Army Ranger, then got married an got out after finding out how hard it is to deploy and leave a wife behind.
Hard worker. Results focused. No nonsense. Punctual. Clean cut. Leadership ability.
I will be hiring someone to work under him in the fall. He’s the piece I’m building around for now, and he knows it and is paid accordingly.
Thats too funny cause I totally understand. We took a vacation up in Maine about 15 years ago. We went to by lobsters at a local fishery. When we saw they were $1.00 per pound (compaired to here, like $5.00 per). My brother decided to buy 100 lobsters for the whole week. The guy behind the counter was stunned. Took him almost 1 hour to get the things in a bag. He kept asking us, “You want 100 lobsters? Are you sure?” My brother finnally hit the roof and yelled at him. “Can you count to 10? Then count to 10, 10 times and that’s how many lobsters you should put in the bag!!!” We then went to eat at a local resturant and it took 30 minutes just for drinks. There was maybe 5 people in the place. We left after the drinks, hit the cabin and never left. Maine is the slowest place I have ever been to in my life. But I love it there.
I thik next year I am going to let my wife or mom do the hiring. They seem to be more ruthless in regards to handling the employees. I tend to have a soft heart. All it takes is the violin and I’m giving 2nd chances. My mom and wife on the other hand tell the helpers right out. You screw up and your fired lol.
They even talk slow in Maine!
I have two part-timers that I hired last year. When they were hired I handed them a list of all tasks which listed all tools needed to complete the job and told them they had 2 weeks to learn them and get fast. After that they go straight pay-per-job. Before each job we walk around they house (once) and they are assigned like the upstairs, interior, etc. And I tell them we have X number of hours to complete the job. If at the end of the week we completed more jobs on time then not, then they get a bonus.
I suppose it struck a chord with me when I read the article since I had a young man raised by a military dad from a very large family - he was meticulous and quick from day one, sure a little bit of training on the hows and then step back. He was a powerhouse, a great year and then he himself joined the military.
BIIIIIIIIGGGGG difference vs “this is my first job and my hobbies are lying on the couch playing video games eating chips”
yes there’s a time for that for everyone, but I 'm talking J O B experience or L I F E experience contrasts
I have the same problem, and have experienced this problem many times. Its not easy to find hard working efficient, mechanically minded, nice, honest, personable employees…ok, nearly impossible. Nobody works like I do.
With my current employee that I’m on the fence with was technically fired 3 weeks ago, but he talked me into letting him stay. He really wants to make it work. He asked me for feedback on why it wasnt working and I told him he lacks the hustle, and service industry job experience (this is one of his first physical labor jobs…he is taking a year off from college). I constantly have to remind him to hustle, but when I do, he tends to forget things.
To help your employee: Make him some laminated cheat sheets of your processes (for instance 1. wash window, wipe sill, wipe screen etc…) Also, make cards of his most asked about problems he runs into. Make them small so he can carry them around. Secondly, give him some equipment, and tell him if he wants to keep his job, he needs to clean his windows, his parents windows, his friends windows etc… this is how he will learn to problem solve. If your like me, you solve the problems because its quicker than him figuring it out for himself. He will start to understand why you do things the way you do them when he has to do it on his own. If he really isn’t doing well, tell him he has a week to improve, and be very specific about what improvements you want to see. My employee had no clue what I was looking for until I told him…
The reason I keep him though, is because I was him 17 years ago. So I know there is hope for him, i’m just not sure I want to spend my whole year training him to be a good worker for his next employer.
As others have mentioned It is important to take a look at your management skills (or lack thereof). I am a great entrepreneur, but not a great manager. Totally different set of skills. If i had the money I’d hire a manager. I am 100% A.D.D. and it takes every part of me to focus in on my own tasks to accomplish them. If I am interrupted constantly by an employee who is not self motivated or independent I end up being slow, and eventually lose my drive.
I also tend to micromanage employees when I think there is a more efficient way of doing a task. in the end the task takes longer, and I have confused employees with low self esteem who don’t feel empowered to do things on their own. That is why they are constantly asking what to do next, because I change the game all the time! Even though we say the routine is the same, its not always. You may always start inside upstairs, but what about when the customer asks you to start downstairs? You or I can roll with that, new employees usually cant. There are always exceptions to the way we do our work, and some employees (especially those who have worked in the service industry before) just understand how to be efficient and problem solve, and others need to be taught. I do believe most people can be taught…its just do we want to make that kind of investment? I have learned and continue to learn to Back OFF! I try to give them space to make simple mistakes, try different ways of doing things even if i know why it wont work already. Some people have to learn by doing.
Nice point Melody,
It’s hard to hustle when you’re unsure of yourself because you don’t know what to do next. Some people are not auditory learners and need stuff written down. I have to see everything in writing.
the guy is getting the axe. Hes been with my other employee the last few days.
The report: fail
Hes still not getting the order of things.
Doesnt know that we take the screens out first after 3 weeks? FAIL
Tough decision, I know but now you can re-hire and move forward.
Matt,
That is an excellent test!! Also a sure indicator of what type of employee he is going to be. If he can’t get in a hurry when the boss needs something quick, then he doesn’t have it.
Charlie
