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How many would you hire?

H

Hay hay hay

Well-known Member
We have been hearing a lot about bringing jobs back to America. Let me ask you an honest question.
Of all the people that you contact on a daily basis, at the feedmill, at the garage, at the dealership, at work, at the grocery store, at the bank, at the factory....what percentage would you hire for your own business? What percentage could learn your business, show up every day and do the job?
 
Quite a few, but then again most of the people I know are from Mexico lol. I have hired some people, mostly part time. I prefer people my age for several reasons, the biggest being their life experiences so I don't have to explain every little thing. Kids drive me nuts because they don't know squat, but then again they have to learn somehow, however I typically lack the patience to be a good teacher. I don't know too many that are not hirable. Good question
 
Well in today's Government controlled crazy world I would hire ZERO!!!! We got rid of the last non family employee over the winter. The responsibility you take on paperwork wise is just not worth it to us. The cost to be legal was eating up the profit they were making for us. Simpler to cut back and not hire anyone.

Now to the real intent of your post. There are good workers out there of all ages. The younger ones may need more training in some hands on areas when compared to those of the past but they can easily have more technical skills than the prior generations. The ones that are unemployed usually are for a reason. If some one has not worked for a time period of more than a few weeks then they may not be someone you want to hire. Your very limited in what you can asked to really gauge someone's skill level. References are about worthless too. Most companies will only verify bare bone things about a prior employee. Usually just the time they worked there and that is about it. They are not going to tell you anything that may get them sued by the prior employee. So the employer is blind at times.
 
I know very few that i worked with . when i tell them i went 15 years without missing chores very few get what that means. The closest i could get to someone understanding was a women and compare it to raising a child.But a lot of those don't understand the lifestyle of a farmer especially one milking. After all grandmother and babysitting was available.
 
I have the same percentage of inept workers aged 60 plus as the younger ones. Sadly the older group just draws SS now instead of looking for work.
 
When I worked at the block and concrete plant I was one of the people that did the hiring,and we got some very good people,dependable and hard working to drive trucks,forklifts,plant work etc.What was the key? Our boss paid better than other similar places so we got good people and they were paid accordingly.I know a lot of people I'd hire now and they'd do a good job.Treat people with respect and pay them fairly they'll respond in a good way,pay them poorly, treat the poorly and you turn a good worker into a bad one that doesn't give a rats a..
 
Might add too that despite the stereotypes our work force was about evenly split between White and Black workers most of which became my friends as we were a close knit organization.
Sad to say I've had to go to several funerals in the last few years they're slowly dying off.
 
I actually know quite a few, in fact nearly everyone that I come in contact with, that is employed, would make a good employee. If the question was who would I employ out of the people that you typically see loitering in Walmart in the middle of the day then the percentage would go down considerably.
 
Just like probably everyone else, I've seen some bad and I've seen some real good guys. I know a few very hard working young men. The young guys my age at my place of employment, are for the most part, hard working people. At my previous job, I trained a few young guys that were good workers, but just didn't "get" the job they were trying to accomplish. I trained some bad attitude workers, that didn't want to learn, or listen, luckily only a few. One younger gentleman, came from a family that didn't have much money. He was a VERY hard worker, and would do anything I told him to. After only a couple weeks, he didn't have to ask how to do something, he knew what needed to be done and how to get there. He never went ahead with something he didn't know how to do without asking first. And he listened very carefully, and rarely ever had to ask again what I needed him to do exactly. He was trying to help provide for his family that didn't have a lot. I hope he has an easier path in life now, he is one that deserves it.

Ross
 
On the other hand, how would you like to work at the places you mentioned and deal with the (hopefully a small percentage) customers that are BTO's (or act like they are) and expect preferential treatment and having their posterior kissed? Just say'in!

It works both ways.
 
I'm on the outside looking in with a small employer. It's really hit and miss and yes, he will hire teens. it's about 50/50, some work out and some don't. This is a convenience store, light auto repair and outdoor power equipment place. He's got a teen girl working there now who didn't even know how to wash dishes when she applied to work in the deli. She has worked out well! Another was just let go and was worthless. And her family is good people. Just that one bad apple I guess. Now he's had a lot of trouble keeping good help in the back. He likes things done his way and older guys who know it all like to cut corners. They don't stay.

There are lot of good people out there that if a job was available they would take it. Many of them are working but are underemployed.

Then you got the guys like the 17 year old here. He was offered a job at 11 an hour helping get boats ready for storage. He told Jason the owner that it "wasn't worth the effort of leaving his house for less than 22 an hour".

Rick
 
a man i know once told me if a person doesn't have their own car,a telephone, and as a married man lives with family or in-laws you don't want to hire them as their will make bad employee.
he was a disable man himself but still ran a fairly large farm and milked over 100 cows that was 20 years ago.
he still farms and feeds cattle yes he does have help as there are things he can't do.
 
I used to help train "apprentices" This was in both large and small shops. I told them "If you don't make the boss money, he doesn't need you". joe
 
I know exactly what your saying. Americans have not only gotten soft, but they have also gotten stupid in a common sense sort of way. Only they have also gotten smart on how to receive free government handouts. Its the product of a system that has been in place for to long.
Another huge problem where I am at, is any sizeable employer around here has severe problems within their work force. If they have more than say 5 employees, they turn the control of the work force over to someone else. And the problems begin. The wrong people get promoted, people that should be fired do not, pay raises not given to the right people. It all becomes a buddy system, and has nothing to do with good or bad employees. And the business owner has no idea what's going on with their own work force. All the bad things of coarse either get covered up, or gets blamed on the wrong person. Obviously blamed on someone who is not part of the buddy system.
 
I closed a business about 25 years ago because I couldn't get dependable help. I wouldn't even think about it the way people are today.
 
So your an inept worker if you draw Social Security??? Looking for work? I'm glad I'm retired, got old working for inept bosses. gobble
 
A good employee's primary goal should be to do a good enough job that it will get his boss promoted. Then, guess who gets promoted to the boss's job?
 
I needed help last week, and hired two folks, one about 28 yrs, and one 18yrs, and had to tell them both, to leave their social networking, smart phones, in the car! Just trying to talk to them, to explain the job, I had to compete with social networking, so I cut that out, right then. On the other hand, I can drive thru the Home Depot parking lot, hold up 2 fingers, to a group of Hispanics, and have two hard working guys, in my truck immediately. The only catch is that I can't understand a darned thing , they say!
 
My problem is to get what I want, I would be stuck finding someone who is young, willing to work hard, and most importantly willing to learn a trade.

On the other hand, what I need is someone who is young, can troubleshoot and do mechanic work, do electrical work, weld, do machine work, work on hydraulics, fabricate, etc, etc, etc, etc.

Unless I could find someone like that, I'd spend so much time looking over their shoulder and teaching them that I'd go out of business because not only would I be paying them for that time, I also wouldn't be getting paid for mine while doing it.

As for percentages, I'd say 90% of the ones I know would we worthy of being hired, and fall somewhere between my two examples. Unfortunately for me, those guys already have good paying jobs.

The other 10%, I would almost be willing to pay them not to work for me.....it would probably cost me less that way...LOL
 
In my humble opinion, NCWayne demonstrates what is more the problem than anything else. He has unrealistic expectations. Young experienced is an oxymoron. The problem is older people forget where they came from, and think they came out of the womb knowing what they know and being able to do what they do.

I'm right in the middle, halfway between the green kid just out of school that doesn't know which end of the hammer to use, and the grizzly old timer who can fix or build anything just by waving his hand. I've learned a lot and have a lot to learn, but I can see both ends clearly as I go "over the hill." The young people don't know anything because they need to be taught. There are a lot of them willing to learn if some of the old timers would just take the time to teach instead of immediately discounting them as "worthless know-nothings."

There is one thing that modern society has caused everyone, and I mean EVERYONE to fall victim to, and that is giving up too quickly.
 
My friend was looking for someone to help with stonework,to mix cement,move stone around,run the skidsteer etc. Wasnt having much luck.I helped him for quite a while.He has a small patch of grass ,maybe 4 or 5 acres in front of his house,he brush hogged it occasionally. A young man with an old pickup with a homemade flatbed on it stopped to see him one day. He asked my friend if he could have the grass patch to bale the hay.my friend said,,you can have it for sure.Then they started talking.This young fellow worked at a big dairy farm during and after high school.The dairy went out of business.The young man decided he liked farming,so he got a few pieces of old equipment and was going to spend some time baling little patches of hay all around the neighborhood. So ,my friend said to him,,how about you work for me and when you have hay down to bale,,I let you go early on those days? That was 3 years ago,,and the young man still works for him,a very good and polite young man.A story like this is rare,,but it is a true story,believe me.
 
Thanks for your great replys. I asked the question because we all need to hire help on occasion.

I got to thinking about the people I deal with, and their competency and focus on doing their job well.

For example the 2 guys from the feed company that deliver my feed every week. One does it well. The only way that I know that he came to the farm is that the feed is neatly stacked in the feed room of the barn. The other guy's visit is obvious, the barn door is left open, the barn lights are on, there is mud all over the floor, he drive through the grass leaving ruts and the feed is in a random pile with 2 bags torn open. I would hire one, but not the other.

Same at the hardware store. One guy knows where everything is and is willing to help me find it. The other guy is there everyday but knows less about the inventory and where to find it than I do. I would hire one but not the other.

Same at the parts store. One guy can find any part, but the other is still looking in the computer after 30 minutes.
I would hire one but not the other.
 
You nailed it really the employer has to be willing to train the workers too as well as the workers need to want to learn.When I went to work at the concrete block/ready mix plant
it was as yardman and truck driver,that Fall I helped do some repairs on the equipment in the block plant never been in one in my life.The owner called me up to the office and wanted to know if I'd be interested in learning how to operate the plant.Sure what do I do? He sent me to 3 different schools on the equipment and its operation,paid for me to take welding classes,electrical
classes and I was the manager of the plant in a year.Worked at a couple of their plants doing that job for about 15 years then went into the ready mix side got state certified and worked there for another 10 years I was willing to learn but wouldn't have been able to do what I did without the help of the company.
 
Have you ever called the feed company to discuss the situation? When we had drivers delivering concrete and building materials the only way we knew who was doing a good or bad job most of the time was when a customer would let us know and then we could correct the situation or reward the employee to a great job.
 
For 14 years I operated a small welding shop with 10 workers. I hired the workers with problems other employers could not use because of the problems such as drunks, druggies and felons. With only 10 welders I could supervise them and get something done. I am aware I could not have handled 40 or 60 such people. Many had their pay garnisheed for child support. One had child support garnishees in two judicial circuits. The kind of work I was doing could not justify the higher quality workers. Hiring cheap labor is like buying cheap tools or defective materials. I could train them to be proficient in their jobs, but I could not correct their social problems. There is (was) a potential for profit in bargain basement labor, but can be a supervisory nightmare.
 
You will be amazed how fast people will learn decent work habits if they have to. And they won't have to until the last government subsidized meal is digested.
 
maybe 5 percent, these would be older guys 40 plus who know how to work and are responsible, [ show up to work or call and give a good reason why they cant be there], im not a hard man, usually ,if your sick, i dont want it, but call and tell me that, dont just leave me hanging and waiting! but while im 100 percent for bringing jobs back to America, it wont help unless we have people who can do those jobs my wife works in a college, administrative area, its terrible to see what shows up to take classes, while a few are just after the financial aid to add to their welfare, [ they dont get it] the rest are wanting to be something, its double hard for them because they arnt prepared for the college level, i dont know what there doing in grades 1 to 12 these days but it isnt enough , plus no shop classes, and for some shop is the only skill class they get, its not much but it gives them something they can build on
 
Management is a large part of the equation. It's been my experience and observation that employees respond to management's style.

Some 30 years ago, Robert Townsend took Avis Rental Cars out of their financial doldrums and put Avis second to Hertz in the car rental business. His predecessor as president of Avis had nothing good to say about the staff at corporate headquarters. "Incompetent bums" was one of the more polite comments he made about them.

After Townsend had been president for some six months, the Chairman of the Board of Directors paid a visit. After his visit, he openly gushed about the quality of the personnel, saying he had even seen several potential CEO's. Townsend said, "Guess what? Same people, different management".

I've hired and fired my share of employees over the years, and, with a few notable exceptions, whenever I've had to fire someone I've always wondered what I could have done differently to have saved the situation. Did I, myself, miss the boat somehow?
 
Americans have gotten stupid or soft? Well, you are an American, so that makes YOU stupid and soft as well.

For too long there have been too many government handouts. Heaven forbid that there be any checks and balances on that system. How dare a case worker question the eligibility of an applicant.
 
My take on my job has always been that I was hired for 2 reasons and 2 reasons only:
1. I am to do what the boss doesn't want to do.
2. I am to do what the boss can't do for whatever reason.

That makes it real simple.
 
On the not work because of SS thing. I worked my arse off all my life knowing that one day I wouldn't be capable of earning a living. The day has come and I am aware that I don't have the physical stamina that I once had, even if it entailed a desk job.

Next it's time to do things for which I had neither the time nor finances.

Finally, I don't like getting penalized for added income while drawing the SS which I earned, along with my MC which amounts to an insurance policy requiring monthly premiums deducted from my SS check and having to provide 20% copay of the medical bill after the annual 100% deductible requirement is met; plus the drug insurance policy you have to buy separately ......before anybody goes off on a tyrage rant, I am thrilled that I have SS and these medical facilities available. Point is they aren't "pro gratis".
 
When I was a young man I lived near Kansas City and had occasion to apply to a few places for work. I always applied at places that were known to pay well. I found out early on that they preferred people like me that had been farm kids because we had been taught how to work when we were at home growing up. At that time about half of Americans were on the farm. Now 10% or less of our kids are farm raised. It's pretty difficult to build a work ethic in a kid that only has to mow the yard once per week and shovel snow off the drive once or twice per year. That being said, there seem to be Scandinavian countries and a few others that are successful in that area. It might be a good amateur research project. gm
 
Someone brings up a good point in that we now provide way too much government help these days to those who "should be working" these days. I have always believed that government assistance of any type should be temporary only, and should be for those who fall on hard times, and only until you can get back to work, and there is work out there if you look......and it may not be what you necessarily feel is what you "want". Dad always said...."It is not always what you want that makes you fat, it is what you get". I overheard a co-worker once that made a comment "When I get MY DISABILITY".......bla bla...., so when does disability become a desirable or something you have some sort of right to? Everyone has a "disability" of some sort, but often it is possible to overcome those disabilities, and find a way to be useful and support yourself anyhow. I have worked doing everything from cleaning toilets to IT management, and have no desire to go back to cleaning toilets, but never have drawn a dime of unemployment, or government assistance to support myself or my family. I guess I grew up that way, and pulled my own way. I feel the same with this supposed "affordable health care" that is killing those that pay for it......If you cannot afford to pay, or have your own insurance to cover, you do without - period. It should not be on the backs of the taxpayer to permanently support the ones that freeload. Now, I guess I got a bit off topic, but everyone deserves a chance, but for the most part, if you look, you can find good people in this country that are willing to work. Today, I would drug test ever one prior and during employment (also should be a condition of drawing assistance of any kind). Everyone makes mistakes, it is how one learns or deals with the mistakes that make the difference. Sometimes the bitter pill is the one that cures you.
 
Ron-MO I agree with you 100%. We should do away with all those entitlements i.e. Foodstamps, Section 8, EITC, Social Security, Mediacaid, Medicare, Pell Grants, WIC, etc.

What a great idea.
 
No I got your point but why are you continuing to put up with the poor driver? The other situations you have almost no control over but the driver situation the ball is in your court.
 
Social Security disability is the new federal welfare system. "Welfare Reform" limited recipients of federal welfare to two years. That pretty much dumped the whole thing in to the laps of the states. Since that "reform",the number of people on SSI has increased by over 400%. Most states even hire private firms to comb through their welfare roles and find people they think they can move over from state welfare to SSI. Those private companies get paid a pretty hefty bounty for every person they get switched over.
 
So, in this discussion, is the "hire American" part of "Buy American and hire American" is being called dead from the start?

What would help make Americans more attractive to hire and also make working more attractive to Americans: more co-op (on-the job training) programs in high schools; tax credits for (new?) employee training; lower minimum wages; higher minimum wages; reduced employee benefits; improved employee benefits?
 
There has to be some incentive to work to make it attractive. If everyone can sit home, still eat, buy beer, lottery tickets, get healthcare, still afford to get their "tats", raise kids, then there is no real incentive to work (at least for far too many).
 
I am the customer. It is the feed company's job to train and monitor their employees. It is not my job to train their staff. I handled the situation....I switched feed companies. That is what business competition is all about. No surprise...the feed company never called to ask why I had quit buying their feed after 10 years. Huh. The drivers training and the lack of a call both say a lot about their management practices
 
I would only hire Myself First & Good WILLING to Work Family + Some Good Willing CLOSE Friends ONLY ! You know the ones your can Count on Your Fingers & Toes !
 
(quoted from post at 11:53:18 03/01/17)
What would help make Americans more attractive to hire and also make working more attractive to Americans: more co-op (on-the job training) programs in high schools; tax credits for (new?) employee training; lower minimum wages; higher minimum wages; reduced employee benefits; improved employee benefits?
Click to expand...

I believe if you were to ask the typical employer, they would want someone young who already knew how to do the job perfectly, and would work for the lowest possible compensation. In other words, a migrant worker.
 
"The drivers training and the lack of a call both say a lot about their management practices "

That's the key, the management is a a bigger problem than the worthless employees. It wouldn't surprise me if the useless driver is related to someone in management.
 
NC Wayne,

If you got one that knew some of it and patiently taught them the rest your earnings would increase i.e. pay them $30 per hour charge $75 per hour. That's quite a bit of money you are leaving on the table plus you could increase your workload. I'm sure somebody taught you.
I work alone now and sure do miss the extra I used to make.
JMHO

Vito
 
Questions: Doesn't some medical professional have to sign off on the disability documents?
Then, does't someone in authority (like a judge) have to approve it? And just because one can't
lift 50lb. sacks of feed, doesn't mean they can not find other jobs, like working in a hardware store
or as an administrator in an insurance office. Are the alternatives to disability fully explored?
How much of this is mental "my job makes me nervous!!!!"?

As taxpayers we have a right to know the facts. Thanks for bringing it up.
 
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