How much for a groundie... But different!

[Daniël Bos]

A little while ago I advertised a job as I needed a person, four days a week to help me clear my back-log of hedges (I lay hedges...).

Not many useful replies I got but there was one that seemed promising. The chap lived a bit far away though so decided to stay in a B&B some 35 miles from the job...

We agreed on £70/day, 8 till 5.

Main part of the job is throwing brash over the hedge. No skills, no qualifications no tools needed. (and he came with none of the above)

 

Day 1, he was late, no explanation or apology. Needed showing what to do etc so not much of an impression.

 

Day 2, late again, no explanation or apology. Seemed to get on ok? I had to rush off early to sort issues on the farm at home so left 1.5 hours early and told him to finish off (about 40 mins work).

 

Day 3, We agreed on a late (9:30) start as I had to take lambs to the abattoir in the morn first. My car broke down on the way to the job and as it was my birthday I thought: "%%% it, I'm going home!" called the boy (who told me he'd been on site for 10 minutes, it was 9:50 and paid him anyway for the whole day. (I like being generous on my birthday...)

 

Day 4, late again! I got to the job, finished the work he was supposed to do on day 2 in less than 20 minutes.

So, when he did arrive I told him about my being unsure as to tell him to *** off or not and if he wanted to work he'd better get a *** move on!

A decent bollocking it was, and it was just. It helped a bit as well as he worked harder for the rest of the day than the previous days.

 

Then followed a week of no him, as he said he couldn't find suitable accommodation. I sorted out a B&B a lot closer to the job, on my route there to save him the travel. It was £25 (£10/night more) so I offered to pay £75/day and he'd easily save the rest by not having to drive 35 miles twice a day. All good?

 

 

Day 5. On time! I collected him from the B&B, went to work.

He was rather slow I thought, but he was doing just brash and it can be a tedious task that is often more work than it looks.

 

Day 6. On time again! At break time I tried to gently express my need for a bit more speed (after having carefully enquired to his physical well-being, he said he was ok), at lunch time I tried to entice him to work a bit harder by asking what his favourite drink was.

I promised him a bottle if he'd catch up with me (which is how far I was expecting him to get.

 

Nearing the end of the day. I've finished pleaching (end of the hedge, yay!) so I spent a couple of hours throwing brash, like the boy.

In the two hours I cleared 30m.

In the two previous days (5&6) he'd not yet cleared 80m. I measured this as I was amazed, surely he'd not been that slow? I went for a little stroll to cool the head.

On the way home I asked him to calculate me this: If I take two hours to clear 30m, how many hours could I reasonably expect somebody else to need to do 90m.

We're on site for 10 hours, 2 hours of breaks etc, leaves a generous two hours extra I thought? So how were we to address this issue? I suggested I could pay him less than half, as he'd done less than half the work.

I could take it on the chin, it is unreasonable to expect people to work (i was going to add "hard" then, but don't think it fair)

 

I dropped him off at the B&B, saying "I'm not expecting you to work quite as hard as me, but a bit more effort would be great. Or do you prefer to be paid a lot less? Think about it, have a good meal, get some rest, let me know"

I thought "that went ok-ish, I've stayed calm and friendly and given him a chance to step up and be counted as a Man!"

 

Next morn. "I've decided to not work any more, I'm going home. Pay me what you think is fair"

 

So, dearly beloved member of the jury: How much?

[Jackalope]

As you sound like a generous bloke £50/day- plenty of guys I know would'n't have given him so many chances.

[david wood]

I voted other because there is nothing worse than somebody who you go well out of your way to help and get not too much in return.

 

i would work out mininum wage and offer that explaining what he could have had, what he is getting and why.

 

you never know it may wake him up and next employer gets a better employee.

[biggarlogs]

I would pay the lad full rate but let him go at the end of the job.he has had outlays in travel and b&b so needs to cover that.next time go for can older bloke who can graft.the youth of today can't graft but drive you nuts with mobile phones etc.

[Daniël Bos]

Just to clarify; he's gone and he ain't comin' back!

 

Wages are for the last two days only, the first four were paid in full.

[Gary Prentice]

Pay him what you agreed. Sorry, but I think some of this is your own doing.

 

Day 1 - late. You didn't ask. Okay, he's traveled a new route and it's taken longer than he thought, but you set the tone that it was acceptable.

 

Day 2. Late again. You don't ask - he don't tell.

 

Day 3. Late by his own admission, but you let him off again.

 

Day 4. He's late, hasn't finished Day 2's work on day 2, or on the morning of day 3 when he arrived late and got paid to go home. Now a reasonable lad would be thinking that he was behind in his job, spend the time to catch up. He's being paid for the day, so half hrs work to catch up isn't much.

 

You come across as reasonable, which some see as a weakness. Day one, I'd ask in conversation if traffic was worse than anticipated - just to see what the excuse was.

 

Day two, I'd be having a chat about the importance of timekeeping.

 

Day three would be- here's the money for the last two days - goodbye.

 

If that's how someone starts, they ain't going to improve.

[10 Bears]

Other - It has to be the legal minimum wage for his age* or you could be fined - irrespective of what he agrees to on the day ie pay my worth, you are still obliged by law. You did not agree a piece rate.

 

*21 and over - £6.50, 18 to 20 - £5.13, Under 18 - £3.79, Apprentice - £2.73

[Goaty]

Just to clarify; he's gone and he ain't comin' back!

 

Wages are for the last two days only, the first four were paid in full.

 

 

It's a real frustration, you rarely get anybody that's any good.

Everybody seems to think its them that's owed!!!!??? Or worthy of more, better job, higher income.

I rarely operate tractors unless it requires a skill im not confident of them doing or I'm sick of watching them mess up doing it. If they are doing something with a machine, it's saves me being on the machine and going blue as they watch the world go by.

Only yesterday I let the 'lad' 17 years junior to me drive the tractor whilst I pulled trees and fence up by hand.

 

 

In this case if you continue to be kind and pay full nothing is learned. Behaviour= reward.

But don't give him anything to bad mouth you. If he doesn't learn it's not your loss and you keep your name

 

Impressive hedge laying rate btw.

[daltontrees]

The lazy git! He has let you down which is not fair, yiou were fair with him, so I'd give him what I agreed but very begrudgingly. Did he make the job pay for you, or have you ended up subsidising his laziness and are going to have to put in extra unpaid work yourself so as not to lose money on the job? I,ve chahged my mind, I'd work out how much I would have paid him if he had done the whole thing at a reasonable speed minus your time at his hourly rate to finish what he didn't finish.

[Will C]

You pay him BUT.

Give him a £100 and tell him its what he is worth. stick the other £50 on the bonnet of the truck and tell him he can take it if he tells you why he hasnt got a job any more. At least you will/ should get a opology and he will realise what he needs to do to keep a job