Spying on subcontractors

[Notbadself]

Ground control use trackers on you, if you complete a job too fast they will reduce your price that you was given for a job. 

How can a competent,  experienced, efficient team be compared to a relatively inexperienced team who may take twice as long to complete a job but get paid the full amount, yet the more efficient teams money is docked. One team may have a smaller chipper, theres too many variables with this kind of work. Hows it beneficial to anybody just sat around doing nothing but clock watching? 

Sub contractors should not treat as employees. 

Unfortunately theres not much you can do, either go along with it or walk away.

 

 

 

[Stubby]

Its a bit like in some companys  if you don't spend your budget they reduce it .

[felixthelogchopper]

4 hours ago, Mark Bolam said:

They better not put a tracker on me.

 

I reckon some days an ambulance would rock up after getting a report that I must have died.

That would explain some of the smells.

[simonm]

Crazy way things are going in the world nowadays...the MD WILL be abusing it, sorry using it to track whereabouts of their own staff as well as subbies as he is well known to not trust anyone or let anyone do their job without micromanaging to the point nothing gets done. Same man insisted on sending 2 lads to rake weeds out of a 3500sqm piece of mowed grass, also knocking the top out of a line of beautiful magnolia trees as it would stop them growing any taller in the future!

As it's still not ready to be rolled out to us numptys yet I suppose it's a case of cross that bridge if and when we come to it.

This I do know if they want us to use it they can supply it to us and pay for it, right or wrong it's a matter of principle. Plenty more work out there if you're prepared to graft.

[monkeybusiness]

I think you need to go and do all that other work you have available and leave this current set-up. It’s not beneficial to you or your employer to continue with such animosity on your part.

Sometimes it might be worth reflecting on who is out there finding/providing the work that puts food on your table though - they aren’t necessarily out to make your life hard/totally useless/coming up with apparently ridiculous suggestions for the sake of it.

This (and pretty much every other) industry is full of hoops that need jumping through, and it’s not likely that there will be fewer hoops any time soon IMO. 

[Chris Day]

I would have no issue with a system like this, however we categorically do not work for day rate as every time I have agreed to do so in the past it has ended badly despite the work being done to specification.

[Steven P]

take it, turn it on, take the photos, turn it off "saving the batteries and I don't want to leave it charging in the van while i'm up a tree"

[Jonny69]

On 22/03/2019 at 19:39, simonm said:

Crazy way things are going in the world nowadays...the MD WILL be abusing it, sorry using it to track whereabouts of their own staff as well as subbies as he is well known to not trust anyone or let anyone do their job without micromanaging to the point nothing gets done. Same man insisted on sending 2 lads to rake weeds out of a 3500sqm piece of mowed grass, also knocking the top out of a line of beautiful magnolia trees as it would stop them growing any taller in the future!

As it's still not ready to be rolled out to us numptys yet I suppose it's a case of cross that bridge if and when we come to it.

This I do know if they want us to use it they can supply it to us and pay for it, right or wrong it's a matter of principle. Plenty more work out there if you're prepared to graft.

The question is. Does your dislike for the person wanting to implement the trackers supersede your will to take his money? If it were me I'd be doing as little as possible for as much as possible and milking it till I got sacked off. Also, if you need an ipad to get this sofware I wouldn't be paying for it (out of principle)

 

Sounds bad, but I also don't work for people I don't like or trust so this issue should never arise. 

[josharb87]

My first reaction was Screw that! 

 

But then reading a bit, it seems like you've had it pretty cushty for a while, knocking a job out quick, working (example) 5 hours, billing for 8 "because you worked really hard/are worth it" then possibly onto your own job too? Sounds like they want to pay for the hours you actually worked/on their site, fair enough really.

 

Bring your laptop and do some paperwork, get the lads to service the saws, change chipper blades, do kit inspections etc whilst killing time and getting paid on their site, you don't have to be sleeping or twiddling thumbs in the van. 

[Ian C]

On 21/03/2019 at 20:52, simonm said:

Just not prepared to bend over to this one. especially when we will be sat in the van killing time for nothing.

You have just answered you own question, don't work for them! simples.

 

We work for many big firms and don't really do "day rates" price per job only and never had any problems however if there paying you by time then yes they have every right to moan.