Facebook On the Job?

cory said:
This is the part I didn't understand
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Cory I don't know how else to word it. If you become a person that gets off on terminating people, your company is also in trouble. You think a healthy and vibrant company can be sustained by someone on a power trip that gets their rocks off on flexing their muscles and constantly sacking people?
 
Don't know anyone like that but ok.
 
cory said:
Don't know anyone like that but ok.
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Rather then contest everything about it, give it some thought. He doesn't know everything about business and leadership. But enough that in semi retirement he sits on the board for 5 large companies, and is strongly recommended on Wall Street as a consultant to bring in for medium sized companies looking to go big and get backed by the investors, such as the current project, Integra Telecom. I do know someone like that and have worked for that individual. The kind that threatened to fire guys constantly and laughed about how many guys he kicked off the job.

It was broad spectrum advice, stating that being too far to one side or the other is bad for business.
 
It's good advice. Hard to comprehend at first, but... I could use a financial backer,but I'm not quite multiple million yet.
 
I had a hard time firing my first bad employee. He was bad news. I remember making up my mind about it many times but feeling guilty about doing it. It wasn't about courage, it was about how terrible I would feel inside by taking someones job away. Plus I was nervous about how to replace him, for whatever he was worth. That's where the topic came up between him and I. I still hate doing it. Such a terrible feeling inside. Its a relief when its over and done though. I don't just sack guys for small things. It takes a good bit to get me there and by the time I get there, I've tried several angles to remedy the problem, and have no choice.

This guy I worked for once used to laugh telling us about making so and so walk to where there was cell service, and canning so and so for this and that. I can remember him telling me when I was just starting to get the hang of climbing "You aren't shit kid. Youre book smart, but that's about it. We are oaying you more then you are worth. I might fire you. I don't know, we will see what kind of mood Im in later". Or shit like "I might fire someone today, so I better see serious production if you fuckers want me to change my mind". It was a small line clearance company, and he was the owners father. Guy was with Asplundh for 30 years or so and was a nasty drunk.
 
Part of our casual selling strategy is in conversation with clients we state that we don't look at phones every five minutes, it helps them realize they'll be getting solid work for the price they are going to be paying.
 
All I was saying is I never knew anyone like that or that kinda attitude so I didn't get the saying/advice. I would advocate chipping him out there in the middle of line clearance nowhere land, call it an accident, then toast his memory.
 
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  • #62
Man, that was a cool post Tucker. I feel like I know you. Funny too: the way you explained your reticence to fire that guy sounds REALLY familiar. The guy in question worked his tail off for me today, cause we had another big Fir, and he was having fun playing the man in front of the flagger chicks. I feel like if I let him go, I'd be losing someone who is basically a good employee, and a really good guy, but who wastes a lot of time that our company is paying him to make good use of. :(
 
Possibly dock him a half hours wage each time he is on the phone? Don't know if its legal, but it will either straighten him out or help your bottom line.
 
cory said:
All I was saying is I never knew anyone like that or that kinda attitude so I didn't get the saying/advice. I would advocate chipping him out there in the middle of line clearance nowhere land, call it an accident, then toast his memory.
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Maybe I was a little hard headed about the matter. My apologies buddy.
 
Agreed, Jed.

Address the safety, productivity, appropriateness of checking out of work all the time to go off into a virtual world. I have to suspect Walmart doesn't allow cashiers to stop working when their phone dings.

You have to set the standard for him to live up to. He will decide what to do. Across the crew (the company doesn't have a policy?????), no phone, X is the across the board disciplinary action for the first offense, Y for second offense, Z for third offense. Tell the crew what and why.

Jed you aren't firing the grown man, well past old enough to go to war and kill and die, the grown man is firing himself.


If it does come to it, and he goes, you're opening an opportunity for someone who does want to work and take the job seriously.

Absence makes the heart grow fonder. Imagine how much he'll get out of FB, if he has to wait three hours between starting work and break time.
 
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Yup. I did Justin, and then, three months later: out came the stupid phone again. So I fired his phone again saying, "It's not gonna work." And all he said in response to this was, "Nough said," and he meant it. Since that time, he's been about another three weeks clean and sober. :lol:
 
Imagine if these phone junkies found something truly addictive like heroin? Theyd be dead by noon.
 
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Tucker943 said:
Possibly dock him a half hours wage each time he is on the phone? Don't know if its legal, but it will either straighten him out or help your bottom line.
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Tucker: Perfect advice. What I should have said to you before was that when I said should I "fire him," all I meant was to fire him off of my crew. I work for a huge multi-national tree company centered in Ohio, but one which has a very small, and very tight-knit shop way over here in WA. If I boost him from my crew, over his stupid media addiction issues, it will almost certainly have really huge negative ramifications regarding his future with our company, or, at least, his future in our shop. :(

I dunno... maybe I'm the one with the issues (:drink:). He's basically a really good dude. MY issue is: when that damned phone comes out on the job... I just see red. :X:X:X:X:X:X

Hypocrite that I am: I'M addicted to social media (the House, that is). Only difference is: I'M NOT GETTING PAID FOR IT. :X Come on Butch: give me a cut man...
 
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  • #71
Tucker943 said:
Imagine if these phone junkies found something truly addictive like heroin? Theyd be dead by noon.
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Yup, sex and smart phones... the only "safe" addictions... Curious how often they go together eh?
 
Jed, lets go back to the drawing board now that I know you are part of a bigger web then an independent small tree co. Let me think and have a nicotine lozenge on this.....
 
Here's my take on it. You are responsible to manage a crew. Would you want to lose your job if it ever came to light that you weren't in charge of your men? If someone said "It's your job or his?" would you say "Fire me"?

That said, handle it according to company policy. frig him. If he loved his job and career so much, he would leave the phone alone except for at lunch time. If he cant understand that, shame on him. You wouldn't want to be pinned and unable to breathe and scream in a tree while he was busy checking in on Facebook, would you? This aint pouring concrete. Its serious stuff. He obeys you, or you let the big bosses sack him, or whatever they do.

Be a strong leader. Strong leaders have strong followers.
 
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