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| Subject - Mandentory Weekends | |
| Ryan | I was asked if I want to bid on some H.U.D houses in the area, it is a program the goverment has to fix up older houses you are paid by the state so you dont have to worry about getting paid. I'm told they usely consist of changing the service upgrading all old wiring and adding outlets per code. My problem is I am a two man crew and as it is we are swamped with service calls and new homes so if I decide to do it I will have to make my tech work every Saturday as long as we stay this buissy. I asked him if he cares,< doesn't seem to like the idea> so my question is does anyone else make there people work on Saturday. Any advice would be great I have only been in buisness for about a year and I dont want to hire anyone else. Thanks this forum is the best stress reliver I have ever found |
| MONOLITH | I can tell you that as an employee, I have rebelled in the past against 'mandatory' overtime. But that also came with age and experience. When I was a helper I was more prone to accept it, as I progressed in the trade I was more likely to tell employers where to stick it. As an employer, I don't think I would tell an employee you MUST work Saturdays. I would express the importance of it to the company, perhaps offer some kind of incentive, and maybe go as far as indicating how favors are often returned, but if he leaves you hanging, you'll remember that as well. Generally, I think forcing weekends or overtime results in rebellion. |
| MONOLITH | I was just thinking also, you may be able to find some young kid that wants to work just part time and be trained, or even a friend in the trade or other company that would help you out just on weekends. There's also the labor force route like Romex Racer uses. |
| Ryan | I was thinking about bidding them super high and if I get them I will pay double time insted of time and a half. I would like to know more about that labor force route Romex Racer uses Thanks a bunch |
| Romex Racer | Last night I ordered a worker from labor ready, (for this morning) turned out to be a mexican woman, not bad looking either. I put her on the mighty Milwaukee right angle drill motor and she hung tough, drilled holes all day long and ran romex. You would never see a gringo chick work that hard... If you have repetitive tasks, the labor ready types are just the ticket. Whoop! Whoop! |
| Alfred | Ryan My experience with mandatory Saturdays are,most people don't like them. BE NOT DISHEARTED someone out there will be hungry enough. Alfred Johnson |
| Romex Racer | Oh, one more thing, I've done some of this HUD work, the houses were in a VERY BAD area of the city, I wouldn't work in those areas again. YMMV.. ......RR |
| MONOLITH | quote: I had the same feeling when he posted that. I also believe the bids on those have to be really low. |
| John A. Peters | ASK them if they want to work on Saturday, before you sign the bid. Some people want the extra money. What about raising prices on the service calls instead. Don't you want your Saturdays off? |
| kbsparky | We have never compelled overtime. IT is always voluntary, and that keeps the work crew happy. Some prefer to make as much $$$ as they can, while others cherish the time off. We would ask ahead of time which ones were willing to put forth the extra time and effort, and submitting a bid based on their response. I took on an out of town job a couple of times, which required us to stay in a motel for the duration. To help get the job done quicker, they all worked 10 hour days, as well as on weekends. I paid lots of overtime, and everyone was happy in the end. I asked the guys first before even taking on that job, explaining the pros and cons. Since it was limited to about 3 weeks away, they all agreed to do it. I believe if it were for much longer, they all would have said "no" 
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| nfsus | Rotate the crews. And give them mondays off to make up for saturday, or something similar. But NEVER NEVER force one guy to do it all the time |