Employing foreign staff through agencies

[Mick Dempsey]

Pay versus what employers want for that pay in the uk is terrible, I'd agree. I can't count how many times I'd come to the end of a day/job and the employer would chuck in a "while you there" little extra!!!😡 "I know it's 5:30pm but could you quickly remove that small tree? or climb that ivy covered scraggly half dead thing over the house to remove that limb, you know, the one that's level with the only anchor point!"

Why not just tell me it's there at the beginning of the day, or mention there's more than this to do?!

 

It's not the first time I've read you moaning about the money you get.

Fair enough, nothing wrong with a bit of a mither.

 

Why don't you do your own thing? It's a free market economy, nothing's stopping you.

[Marula]

It's not the first time I've read you moaning about the money you get.

 

Fair enough, nothing wrong with a bit of a mither.

 

 

 

Why don't you do your own thing? It's a free market economy, nothing's stopping you.

 

 

I do do my own thing, I own more than one company across more than one discipline.

I love tree work though especially the science side, so I suppose I wish it provided the financial reward my other company provides.

I am of the strain of thought though that feels us tree gamers are an undervalued crowd.

[Mick Dempsey]

Not many people will readily admit to getting more than they deserve.

[Marula]

Not many people will readily admit to getting more than they deserve.

 

 

🤔 What do mean?

[Mick Dempsey]

Everyone (or nearly everyone) considers themselves undervalued and deserve more.

 

In a commercial environment ie. Not public service work. You're constrained by market forces.

 

You literally get what you deserve, maybe, for the first year of learning, you're on a bit of a loser but after that if you believe you're underpaid you're either wrong or you haven't enough hutzpah to move to another employer.

 

Are you a self employed climber?

[Marula]

Everyone (or nearly everyone) considers themselves undervalued and deserve more.

 

In a commercial environment ie. Not public service work. You're constrained by market forces.

 

You literally get what you deserve, maybe, for the first year of learning, you're on a bit of a loser but after that if you believe you're underpaid you're either wrong or you haven't enough hutzpah to move to another employer.

 

Are you a self employed climber?

 

 

I'd agree with that, when you green you keep your mouth shut and learn all you can, that's what I did and I had fantastic mentors to learn from.

I no longer climb, I do surveys and I own a separate company in another profession.

When I say undervalued, I don't mean by tree work standards, I mean by professional standards. A well rounded arborist with loads of experience in various testing scenarios (removing a 20ft conifer doesn't count) plus kit is a valuable asset in my mind, yet an estate agent who classifies a stapler "kit" can earn three or four times that of what a climber earns a year.

Maybe I'm just biased toward our profession.

[Mick Dempsey]

I see where you're coming from but that reflects the money in the real estate business.

 

Off on a tangent but one of the best things about our job is that moment at a social gathering (or the wife's Christmas firm's party) when someone's says "and what do you do?"

 

If I had to say "I'm an estate agent"...

 

.

[Marula]

I see where you're coming from but that reflects the money in the real estate business.

 

Off on a tangent but one of the best things about our job is that moment at a social gathering (or the wife's Christmas firm's party) when someone's says "and what do you do?"

 

If I had to say "I'm an estate agent"...

 

.

 

 

😂yes! Very true mate, very true!

 

I'd have to say, I did love the ego stroking of having an audience taking photos when doing a big job with a crane in public, made me feel like a poorer, dirtier, less technologically advanced version of iron man.....

[john p]

Pay versus what employers want for that pay in the uk is terrible, I'd agree. I can't count how many times I'd come to the end of a day/job and the employer would chuck in a "while you there" little extra!!!😡 "I know it's 5:30pm but could you quickly remove that small tree? or climb that ivy covered scraggly half dead thing over the house to remove that limb, you know, the one that's level with the only anchor point!"

Why not just tell me it's there at the beginning of the day, or mention there's more than this to do?!

 

 

That was/is one of my pet hates as a subby climber, I like to know exactly what's expected/needs to be done that day so I can work hardest to easiest, that said if it's extra cash for doing an unexpected extra I can cope!

[Mick Dempsey]

To be fair to your bosses, often it's the client who suggests the add ons, they ask the boss who can't refuse (as long as it's reasonable) and he puts it to you.

 

Beware the client who is walking around looking up while you're having you teabreak!

 

It usually goes like this....

 

Husband and wife walk around pointing at stuff while you're having a cuppa.

 

Wife walks indoors leaving husband to approach you saying something along the lines of "we were wondering if you thought that branch should come off the oak tree"

 

Me, getting increasingly grumpy "no I don't believe it should"

 

Husband retires indoors for a pep talk from the missus.

 

Later..."could you take the branch off that oak tree?"

 

Me, resigned to the fact I'm going to have to do it anyway "yeah sure, no bother"

Edited January 12, 2017 by Mick Dempsey