New Groundie: You're Fired!!

[Czlowiek Drzewo]

Just taken on a couple of new guy's, to help on the ground.

One young lad has done a year at college, and on his C.V. he says he has good excellent key skills, and works well unsupervised.

Well we were doing a Macrocarpa take down on the A12 slip road, lots of traffic etc, and we got the tipper full of chip, so I shoot off to tip leaving the guys to log up trunk etc, and guard the gear (we had every chancer in the district cruise by, several of them twice).

I get back and there is all wood chip over the road?

So I ask around, and nobody knows anything about it. Strange that!

Anyway get back and I grill the new guy's, one doesn't know at all how it got there, so on final interegation, he admits that he turned on the chipper, but the branches went through themselves, well we all know thats not going to happen. They are both trained on the TW190TR that we operate, so it transpired that he fed them through and then realised there was no van there!!

Was I too harsh in firing him

I don't think so it was a health and safety issue, but the other groundie thought that he should have been given another chance.

Wot u think:thumbdown:

mmm...I don't think its a matter of mistake..I think it is that some people need to .....WAKE UP!!!!

[skyhuck]

while sacking him clearly gets rid of him as a problem, am wondering why none of the other staff noticed wht had happened ? Not suggesting they should have grassed him up but... could they have told him to stop being a knob and then tell him to clear it up asap?

 

Yes! And as you had left site who had you left in charge?

[Zenfordinner]

That was rather bold of you, perhaps you were simply cutting the wheat from the chaff, as the saying goes; perhaps you are impetuous- I do not know.

 

I admire boldness in many respects, as often people are inhibited to act of their own accord, and make excuses or compromises that are not at one with their inclinations. That said, hasty actions are sometimes regretted. Although, it does not sound as though you have any real regrets, but, perhaps are aware that you may have made a hasty decision based upon an emotional response to a situation for which you are ultimately responsible- in the sense that it is your business and everything comes down to you- and that is why you have requested feedback upon your actions.

 

Personally, I think it shows strength of character to own up to one's mistakes. If the groundie had owned up to the incident, had at least begun to clean up the mess before you arrived, and apologised for being witless, then perhaps (another perhaps) you would have acted differently. Would you have still sacked him?

 

It may be that you have acted on an intelligence that was correct for you and your business. Sometimes, you have to be bold. Sometimes, you have to make difficult choices. Sometimes you have to go with your instincts. Sometimes it works out well, sometimes it does not.

 

I say it is done now. The groundie you kept on ought to be spoken with regarding keeping an eye out on what is going on.

 

As to the sacked groundie- perhaps he needed a strong wake up call. May serve him well in the future, as sometimes the more dramatic the lesson the better it is learnt.

 

Are you hot headed? Unforgiving in regards to imperfections within others and yourself? Quick to act without engaging your mind first? If the answer to any of these questions is yes, then you probably will benefit from having a bit of a chat with yourself about such matters

[Billy Goat Gruff]

 

 

Are you hot headed? Unforgiving in regards to imperfections within others and yourself? Quick to act without engaging your mind first? If the answer to any of these questions is yes, then you probably will benefit from having a bit of a chat with yourself about such matters

 

At 50 years old, and being widely travelled, and worked in many difficult situations, and in different parts of the world, I would say that I am more tolerant than most, fairly easy going in my attitude, and have a good eye for potential in people. I also consider my self to be a reasonable good judge of character.

I find it always preferable to engage ones brain before ones mouth, as historically this has gotten me into some awkward situations.

I am a perfectionist though, My opinion is " If a job is worth doing it is worth doing well", and this lad had been with me for nearly three months, in which time he showed:

No potential for improvement,

No initive to work well when left on his own, to do the simplest of tasks.

Consitently denied making mistakes, like the chipper episode.

Could not grasp the simplest of tasks, e.g how to file a chain, after being shown numerous times.

Forgot what you told him to do 10mins later.

Always looked for the easiest task, when we were all working our nuts off, and didn't take note of any of the verbal warnings that he was issued.

Like the ideas of making him clean the mesh up with a tooth brush,

but I don't think it right to humiliate a person in front of the rest of the staff. That only alienates yourself from your work force in my humble opinion.

I would never have guessed that my little post would have sparked such an interesting debate.

Thanks guy's

But I have absolutely no regret on dismissing him.

I have now employed another young lad, who is keen, showing potential, has an opinion doesn't lie and arrives for work before I'm up in the morning.:thumbup1:

[Zenfordinner]

Three months is plenty of time to tell, if one is paying attention.

Don't you love how things work out in the wash?

[skyhuck]

lad had been with me for nearly three months, in which time he showed:

No potential for improvement,

No unitive to work well when left on his own, to do the simplest of tasks.

Consistently denied making mistakes, like the chipper episode.

Could not grasp the simplest of tasks, e.g how to file a chain, after being shown numerous times.

Forgot what you told him to do Min's later.

Always looked for the easiest task, when we were all working our nuts off, and didn't take note of any of the verbal warnings that he was issued.

 

 

This paints a very different picture to your original post!!!!!!!!!

 

And it could even point to YOU being at fault for putting others at risk by leaving such a worker insufficiently supervised.

 

I also think it would have been better to have let him go sooner, as now he may feel that this incident is the main reason he has been let go and could feel hard done by and not mend his ways.

 

Just my thoughts.

[Mesterh]

At 50 years old, and being widely travelled, and worked in many difficult situations, and in different parts of the world, I would say that I am more tolerant than most, fairly easy going in my attitude, and have a good eye for potential in people. I also consider my self to be a reasonable good judge of character.

I find it always preferable to engage ones brain before ones mouth, as historically this has gotten me into some awkward situations.

I am a perfectionist though, My opinion is " If a job is worth doing it is worth doing well", and this lad had been with me for nearly three months, in which time he showed:

No potential for improvement,

No initive to work well when left on his own, to do the simplest of tasks.

Consitently denied making mistakes, like the chipper episode.

Could not grasp the simplest of tasks, e.g how to file a chain, after being shown numerous times.

Forgot what you told him to do 10mins later.

Always looked for the easiest task, when we were all working our nuts off, and didn't take note of any of the verbal warnings that he was issued.

Like the ideas of making him clean the mesh up with a tooth brush,

but I don't think it right to humiliate a person in front of the rest of the staff. That only alienates yourself from your work force in my humble opinion.

I would never have guessed that my little post would have sparked such an interesting debate.

Thanks guy's

But I have absolutely no regret on dismissing him.

I have now employed another young lad, who is keen, showing potential, has an opinion doesn't lie and arrives for work before I'm up in the morning.:thumbup1:

 

 

I think you should have said this in the begining.

 

Everyone (I assume) thought it was more or less his first day and it was his first mistake.

 

I would have sacked him ages ago!

[Alasdair]

am i right in saying you said this guy went to college and done a course? or was that the other guy? if this guy went to college and done the course how did he manage to pass since colleges are so H&S? if not hes a muppet with no common sence. as for the other dude if he done a course at college he should have been more H&S since again the main thing the college bang in to your head is H&S towards yourself and your work mates. i cant get my head round they the other dude never said anything to him.

[josharb87]

am i right in saying you said this guy went to college and done a course? or was that the other guy? if this guy went to college and done the course how did he manage to pass since colleges are so H&S? if not hes a muppet with no common sence. as for the other dude if he done a course at college he should have been more H&S since again the main thing the college bang in to your head is H&S towards yourself and your work mates. i cant get my head round they the other dude never said anything to him.

 

 

college doesnt teach you common sence, or to work hard though!

[Leyburn Lad]

college doesnt teach you common sence, or to work hard though!

 

 

you can't mearure common sense:001_tongue: