i’m at my wit’s end!….i’m a lead carpenter doing high end work.
currently in 20th month on project for wealthy and picky clients.
the lady of the house sits in the house observing all that goes on outside
my job is to make smooth…for the company
some fellow employee’s tend to spend 5-10 minutes in the morning yakking…quit working 5-10 minutes early for lunch and same for quitting time….
i’ve done the buddy approach…and the azzhole approach….nothing seems to work.
i don’t have the authority to fire them….but my bosses will listen to my input…
problem complicated by the fact that there are not many people out there that want to work!!!!????
coonie
Replies
Provide a distraction for her.
I've got client who once asked why her own employees couldn't just work a little harder. There's not a good answer. In that case, always change the subject.
You won't get anywhere with the "they work harder when they have some time to shoot the breeze" argument. If you have help who are getting the job done, which sounds reasonable at the 20th month of the project, your problem is with the client.
PAHS Designer/Builder- Bury it!
man thats easy
you get a total of 45min breaktime for each workday... you can use it for lunch... start'n late or quit'n early... it's your time to use... any more than that and it's not clocked time
p
"some fellow employee's tend to spend 5-10 minutes in the morning yakking...quit working 5-10 minutes early for lunch and same for quitting time...."
So, a max of 30 minutes?? For the day??
Do they get any other breaks??
Seems like most people get a couple of breaks in the course of a day. Right at the beginning, just before lunch, and quitting times seem like strange times to take a break, but...
if they are productive the rest of the time, it might be better to leave well enough alone.
Use the time they are standing around in the AM to have a crew meeting. Discuss what you expect to get done today. Remind them of the problem that was left to sleep overnight last night. Talk about safety. Once your done with the meeting..."Let's get to work!" (with enthusiasm).
Rich Beckman
Another day, another tool.
the only thing that will keep mankind in line is fear. fear god, fear war, fear unemployment, fear this, fear that, fear hurricanes. fear keep man in line . BUT. is your crew, basically doing a good job, are you on schedule. do you feel like training another crew to do the same.
just think of it as a bonus plan. Man cannot live on fear alone, They much be happy at work.
That like people who work ten hours days. do they really produce two hours extra work over eight. most do not. so do they really produce 45 minutes extra work. Hey think of it as a daily safety meeting.
fire 'em and hire some Mexicans.
Make an expamle out of someone. If this is a huge problem for you, as it seems to be, you've got to lay down the law.
Arrange a meeting with one of them and the boss and get down to business. These guys are walking all over you and you're letting them. The only way to get these guys to remember you call the shots is to let 'em have it with both barrels. Let the boss do the firing, but everyone needs to know why and form where the decision was made. The best lead carpies aren't just the guys who can nail up the most wood. In fact, as i'm sure you already know, the lead seldom gets the most work done.
Neither cold, nor darkness will deter good people from hastening to the dreadful place to quench the flame. They do it not for the sake of reward or fame; but they have a reward in themselves, and they love one another.
-Benjamin Franklin
I don't see that there is too much a problem here. This is very typical on a jobsite. Do they get a 15 minute break at mid morning? A real 5-10 minute thing is not that big a deal, the big deal is when it starts to eek beyond that, and most of the time it does, it's very easy to happen. A meeting with the guys? There's no harm in yaking while you are slowly doing something like carrying tools in or hooking up hoses, just to get the day started. I would watch the knocking off the end of work early though. You're the lead and you have to tell them. They need to log in 8 full hours
of true work time. Nothing wrong with "yak" time as long as it's not too much and it is made up for.
As for the owner, so what? Let her watch. As long as you're getting the job done, it's not her business. She needs to keep her nose out of where it don't belong and stay out of the way. I would have no problem going to my bosses and saying to them if they don't have a talk with her, you will. I was a forman for many years and I have done that very thing. Luckily I had bosses who were not wimps even though I had to be unpleasent more than once with a client.
Good luck.
I agree with the others who say lighten up. You're concerned about a few minutes -- if the job is way behind schedule, you're more justified to push, but you didn't say that.
First, if it's not T&M, the HO has nothing, NOTHING to say about a few minutes talking or anything else for that matter. Don't let a HO manage your crew. You're designated as manager 'cause you know what you're doing. The HO is clueless. If the HO becomes a problem, part of your job becomes educating the HO, not whipping your crew.
Second, you're running a crew of skilled tradesmen, not a factory machine. The crew is getting the job done. That's the goal. Keep your eye on the ball, not on the clock.
Your job is to manage the crew to get the job done on time and on budget. If that's happening, you are doing your job.
You can pizz them off and do it alone. Or you can manage the crew and have some help. ;-)
Don't treat people like machines. Follow the "golden rule," always try to look at things from the other point of view before you act, and things will likely work real well for you.
"Let's get crack-a-lackin" --- Adam Carolla
Unlike some of the other posters here I'll assume this is time besides their breaks that you speak of.
I think a weekly meeting is in order. Especially if its a nice sized crew. Seems as though you need weekly or bi monthly meetings. Have one of the higher ups sit in on these meetings so you're not always the bad guy.
I don't mind at all when my guys talk but when I see one of my guys stop working so he can explain what he's talking about better it drives me up the wall. It always ends up with the "two "of them wagging the tongue and not swinging the hammer and it goes on A LOT! I spoke to this kid about it last week,,,gave him a serious warning. I told him that if he can't talk and work at the same time than obviously what he's talking about he considers more import than the work and I don't wanna pay him to solve his personal problems. He told me that all the crews he's been on (he's 21) people always shoot the breeze and drink coffee before work..AND GET PAID FOR IT. I told him to back to work for them then cause I ain't payin' for breaks before you even start work...he just doesn't get it. When I fire him and I'm guessing it'll be soon I'll do it in front of my other guys!
My small crew is only a month old now but its better to set an example than to let things spiral out of hand. I've given this kid more warnings than anyone deserves. And guess what...I'm NOT the bad guy.
I want done for me whats reasonable. No one's easier to work for than me so when you take advantage...you're history.
If Blodgett says, Tipi tipi tipi it must be so!
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cut about 5 hrs out of their weekly paycheck....nothing gets someones attention like a short paycheck