Part time hired help unreliable

Winchester1 · Jul 4, 2015

My part time hired helper has been promising to come to work for weeks. He finally arrived this week while I was out of town. I told him by phone to paint the deck and mow/trim the lawn next.

He managed to get the riding mower portion of lawn mowing done but little string trimming and no deck painting.

Guess what my 4th activities consisted of? Painting the deck and additional yard work.

Everybody I talk to has this problem.

Good luck with hired hands folks and happy 4th.

larry@stinescorner · Jul 4, 2015

That reminds me of years ago when my moms ms was starting to get worse,,I Ccalled an agency for a few hrs help during the day,to help her,I came home from work,the agency sent a pregnant girl,,my mom had her sit in the chair with her feet up...my mom was making her hot chocolate and a sandwich,,I said ,,mom,,this is not what I had in mind,,,,,lol

Animal · Jul 4, 2015

This is my second year with full time hired help. Last year was a junior in high school, this year a 42 year old. When it comes right down to it, they both suck! It is my honest opinion that they neither one had any kind of work ethic taught at home. This will be my last year with hired help. If I can't do it myself, or contract it out its not going to get done, I am sick of being a baby sitter...

Steve@Advance · Jul 4, 2015

I know exactly what you're talking about!

Been trying to get some remodel work done at the church. Trying to get some "professional" work done for a change... Ain't happening! Between no show contractors, sloppy, late, unacceptable work, having to fire contractors, contractors wanting to be paid up front!

That's where I've spent my holiday, undoing their messes!

David G · Jul 4, 2015

I have that problem with full time help, have to be REAL SPECIFIC, list what you wanted mowed, and what you want trimmed.

Billy Shafer · Jul 4, 2015

Have the same problem at the feed store. Three guys that do their job as far as loading the customers trucks.But any thing else and they have to be told what to do. Owner told me one day even with my health problems. I do more work in one hour. Than the three do all day.

Spudm · Jul 4, 2015

It's tough, no question about it.
Just do what you can when you are younger, so you don't have to mess with it when you are older....hopefully.

David G · Jul 4, 2015

I have learned to go over a check list with each employee, no detail to small to ask about.

730virgil · Jul 4, 2015

i know a man who used to have hired help on a dairy farm.
one day he told me there are 3 things i look for when hiring someone new 1. if they don't have their own phone as in call my m-i-l she will get a hold of me.2 my b-i-l brought me my car is broke down 3. they live with other family members or they need part of their wages in cash as their wages have been garnished.
these jokers turn out to be bad news.
he once had a man that have worked for him for a while one day the man asked him if he could have some money in advance.
so the boss said okay things went well for a while and the man came to him again for some money in advance the next day day the guy was a no show. the boss went to the house man lived in and it was empty he and his family left during the night.
a few days later the sheriff showed up looking for him.

mj · Jul 4, 2015

(quoted from post at 17:09:45 07/04/15) My part time hired helper has been promising to come to work for weeks. He finally arrived this week while I was out of town. I told him by phone to paint the deck and mow/trim the lawn next.

He managed to get the riding mower portion of lawn mowing done but little string trimming and no deck painting.

Guess what my 4th activities consisted of? Painting the deck and additional yard work.

Everybody I talk to has this problem.

Good luck with hired hands folks and happy 4th.

I have a neighbor in his 60s whose last name is Gomez, he has 4 boys; 20 -28 years old. When I need help I go see him and tell him what my latest 'plan' is and he tells me when it can get done (the 'boys' are never still for long. They are hard workers and can do about anything) Soon, he will call and we set up the deal. All of them, including 'Grandpa' as they call him, are the most honest, resourceful and hard-working bunch that I've come across in the last 20 years or so. Mr. Gomez is a third-generation resident of the United States and 'knows how to work' which trait he has passed on to his kids ........ I am proud to know him. 8)

kyplowboy · Jul 4, 2015

This is the main reason I gave up rasing tobacco. Didn't have enough to justify H2A workers, just enough to learn why some people just can't seem to keep a job.
Dave

37chief · Jul 4, 2015

Sounds like the family living at my place. The Dad is in his late 50's, has a landscaping business. Mom about the same age. He has three suns they are mid 20's. They all have good jobs, drive good trucks. Just a good family, with good work ethic. Stan

LAA · Jul 4, 2015

I found you have to keep weeding them out until you find someone who has to work because they do not have a wife or girlfriend bringing home the bacon and or they are not drawing anything from the government. I do not know how full grown, able bodied men are eligible to draw various benefits, outside of unemployment for a specified time but apparently many of them have it figured out.

K Effective · Jul 4, 2015

One of the bosses in charge of hiring in my department recently told me that the industry has now decided that current/former farmers and farm workers are a better hire than most any other group. We have 5-6 that fit that mold, including myself, I would list them with only one exception as the best employees we have, knowledge, trainability and gumption.

Don-Wi · Jul 4, 2015

I've got the same problem here. Ended up getting my wife's older niece, my wife, and another niece's boyfriend. Put my wife and her niece on the wagon to unload, myself, dad and the boyfriend in the mow. He had some prior experience with hayoso he wasn't too bad, and with the 2 women on the wagon it was a fair pace. Got 3 1/2 loads done before they had to go to another appointment they had.

After supper my wife drove tractor so we got another 1 1/2 loads and a small field done. Tomorrow we'll start up again and atleast load up everything we've got A's what isn't finished will be turned into big squares. Then I just gotta modify the old bale spear to fit the new loader.

Donovan from Wisconsin

Billy Shafer · Jul 5, 2015

I would agree. But these guys are just flat lazy. Just the other day there was a pallet laying in the yard. One of them was coming back from the post section of the yard. Instead of picking it up with the fork lift he was driving.He left it in the yard. I had to tell him to go back and pick it up. Boss would fire them but help is very hard to find around here.

Hay hay hay · Jul 5, 2015

We all have the same problems with hired help. It is almost impossible to hire someone (citizens) that will show up,
not steal everything on the place and not need to be retrained after every coffee break.

No one wants to hire illegals (at least I don't) but they are in demand simply because they
1) show up, 2) most don't steal (much) 3) surprisingly (although uneducated) they are pretty smart and learn fast.

Basic economics.

Try hiring someone to come to your place to work on a tractor...many commit...few show up.

MarkB_MI · Jul 5, 2015

Aren't part-time workers unreliable by definition? You're going to get unreliable workers for unreliable work. Reliable workers have full-time jobs, so who does that leave? You might be spoiled by the high unemployment rates a few years back.

JML755 · Jul 5, 2015

I've got a guy at work who I'll line up in the AM with what needs to be done that day. When I get done, I'll say "ok, let's do this first" and he'll stand there and just look around. Several times I've just started doing what I wanted him to do and then he gets uppity and says "I'll do it" or "I was just getting ready to start". It's not bad enough that I want to fire him but I've become more and more direct about it. I think he's starting to get the message but it's a shame that I even have to remind him that he's getting paid to WORK not stand around. Like others have said, it's a work ethic thing.

SDE · Jul 5, 2015

I sent an e-mail to a coworker who is working in my work area. I CC it to my supervisor. My Supervisor then came by and told me that he had deleted the e-mail and that it was inappropriate. That it would just start a fight. In other words, I am not allowed to help him do his job better or teach him the things that I have learned doing this job for 25 years. He is being allowed to learn at his own pace. He is making the same mistakes that I made at that point of my career. And I have to learn to be tolerant of his in-experience. I am now making changes to how we do the job in order in insure that he can do the job with a minimum amount of thinking.
Sucks
Time to quit, but I am really making money now.
SDE

RobCons · Jul 5, 2015

I have the best luck with retired folks. They are more reliable and most seem to only want a few days of work per week. Only trouble is since we are older things move slower. Have to use machines to pick up stuff more often rather then just grab it and go, more breaks when it is hot, etc. Schedules are worked around grandchildren activities, doctor visits and the like.

Hay hay hay · Jul 5, 2015

Training employees is a historical concept....now obsolete.

You can see it everyday and in every business.

People answer the phones and do not know how to transfer a call, don't know who works there.

Fast food where the newbie can't run the cash register and don't know the menu.

Stores where I know the inventory and locations better than the staff.

Basic management is a lost art.

How can a business spend $500,000 on building and inventory and then turn it over to

a bunch of untrained dropouts......owner....gone fishing.

NCWayne · Jul 5, 2015

I just read an article in one of the trade magazines I get the other night that hinted at the death of the very concept of OJT your talking about. Seems that for years companies have been expecting the knowledge to be 'educated' into the folks they hire because they went to college and had a degree, but are finding out that isn't the case.

Now they are discussing things like having mentors, etc, etc to pass on the knowledge to the new hires, as well as having them work at lower positions to learn more about the way things work,before putting them in management positions.

In other words they have finally figured out that the old way was actually the best way, but now have to figure out how to put a new twist on it so it seems more modern and progressive so they can justify implementing the concept into their progressive business plan.

Traditional Farmer · Jul 5, 2015

Just wondering how much you fellows are paying your help that's no good?Poor wages draws poor workers.

kyhayman · Jul 5, 2015

Best help I've found after YEARS of searching are felons. Tats on their faces, long stints inside for stupid stuff they did as kids, guys who are trying to find a way and a place in the world and they really don't know how. I pay $10 an hour cash.

Got two guys who've been with me a while, both of them did long stints inside. They get $10 an hour base, a van or truck (1500 beater, but I pay the insurance and repairs), and I pay their rent (they work and I guarantee 10 hrs a week that's for rent). They find me the other guys, and they keep them on task and in line. Its really been rather amazing.

Only guy I've got that doesn't have a record is my manager, he gets the same deal as everyone else plus 10 percent commission on his sales and accounts he manages. Since I went to this system its been truly amazing how much lower my stress is on recruiting and retaining employees.

Hay hay hay · Jul 5, 2015

Very commendable.How can we expect felons to go straight if they have no way to make a living?
Glad it is working out for you and for them.
Not sure I have the guts to try it.

Part time hired help unreliable

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