Subcontractor skill level

[Thesnarlingbadger]

This is a pain in the arse situation. I too would be asking to help out in anyway I can. What makes it worse is he was asked to slow down.

Unfortunately as Mick said the buck stops with you. I know things go wrong sometimes and mishaps happen, it's a part of life. Which is why I have taken to using my expensive equipment myself, unless it is someone I know and trust.

I know it sucks having to pay him after he has dropped you in a crap situation but pay up and don't use him again.

I am not the kind of bloke who will loose my rag with someone as I don't like confrontation if it can be avoided so I would (if he rings asking for work again) politely say sorry but unfortunately I only use people I can trust with my equipment.

I would be mortified if I did this and have always put my hands up to the odd broken fence etc in the past and offered to fix the situation in my own time. Some people just think they are more important than others unfortunately.

 

 

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[codlasher]

So true! I would let your crew grow organically. I believe this would ensure situations, as you described, to not happen. There are a lot of bullsh1tters out there who just want to play and you are their test-bed which is worse for you, not them!

Perhaps keep your very specialised machine in reserve and use an established owner operator for the next one? At least he'll look after his own machine....

codlasher

[pie eater pete]

This year has being a huge learning curve when it comes to employees and how the can add to my business, making do with the help you can get is a big difference to getting the help you need, I genuinely dont think the skills and correct work ethic is out there!

 

The hardest part of this industry is staff. Whether they are subbys or not..recently i have had 3 separate guys who all have 'the tickets' but each with really no idea.. one who is really a danger to himself and is totally unreliable, then another who having gotten their tickets last year believes they are worth top whack.. not even any rigging exp AT ALL yet expects the ££££?! And the worst part is their work ethic in general...the latest guy is not sadly shaping up much better...

[bigtreedon]

This year has being a huge learning curve when it comes to employees and how the can add to my business, making do with the help you can get is a big difference to getting the help you need, I genuinely dont think the skills and correct work ethic is out there!

I think that's a bit harsh 😉 what about me

 

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[spuddog0507]

Hi all I know where you are coming from simonm and you have my sympathy, I may just have a rant here about staff ,in 2014 I got a job felling to waist 4000 tonne of infected larch first 2 lads bothe up for it big time 1 I nethere knew whether he was to be on site the following day till 10pm ish night before the other just wanted to talk about firewood all day,first lad went got 2 more lads 1 said I was costing him money as it was not full time (told at start 2-4 days a WK) so he went, other lad OK and still with me, another came got cs 30,31,32,34,35,38,39 he felled 5 big larch one day and got 2 hung up on reasonable open ground when sorting hang ups out he got his saw stuck so many times I lost count (f------ use less I thought) when he finally supplied his tickets cs30,31 a lawn mower ticket and tree planting certificate so he went another been in army for 7 years just come out did 3 days on flat ground put about 12 trees on the floor a day got a text on 4th morn can't make it today nether heard from him since,another done this and that and every tying else he said he had driven tractors all his life 2 hours its in a ditch on a 45 degree angle another couldn't add up so not much good on a tape measure when it came to processing poles GOOD staff are very hard to come across these days how ever I have 3 top lads at the moment 1 he is only happy when his saw is revving its nutts off ,2 by fare the most efficient climber I have ever had and 3,steady climber quick on the ground and likes to be down to t shirt by 10am as you can guess I want to keep these 3 they all work well together BUT there is plenty of dreamers and lads full of bulls hit out there.

[simonm]

Not just tree surgery, i know a lad who owns coffee shops and restaurants and even he struggles to find reliable honest people that's in low skilled jobs!

1 woman fiddled 3 grand out of the till

[josharb87]

I had similar last year, first day using a guy, sloppy on the first tree, smashes a bush, then on another breaks a saw bench of the clients (dropped a branch on it, should have moved it, but out of laziness he didn't) no apology, then moaned about going to another extra job, made it clear he needed dropping off at 4 on the dot. In my world he'd have shut up and got on with the extra considering the breakage. Got the extra job done with time to spare in the end, but don't need that pessimism!

 

Full day's pay, no apology, no remorse= not using him again, simple!

[Mark Bolam]

I hated working for you anyway.

 

 

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[TheHungrySquirrel]

As a subbie I try to turn up early, work like stink and listen and learn from others.

Have seen plenty of guys that smash stuff and then expect full money.

If you break it you fix it, simples.

[gdh]

If it was me I would try and get it fixed or at least not bill you. It's obviously your risk (and reward hopefully) as a machine owner but realistically you can't do much more than tell them to slow down and hope they learn,.

 

If you fired everyone you weren't sure of without giving them a chance it would cause more problems so they should take some responsibility for getting things wrong, especially if they ignore you.