co-workers frustrate me...

So since our family bought our shop, iv asked the other mechanics to please save and set asside certain things, such as ecm's, pcm's, O2 sensors, dirty aluminum, wiring, etc. Still to this day I go through the shred bin and constantly find the stuff I asked them to leave out of shred. Iv repeatedly asked to please try and saperate stuff, iv gone to bossman and asked to just remind them to save/seperate some stuff, because he also agreed that it should be left seperate. But they STILL just toss everything in shred. Its almost like they purposely do it and make it very clear that they dont care.

One example, theres a 6.7L power stroke diesel engine we have thats scrap. The one mechanic comes up and says we are gonna load it up in my truck to haul it away to the scrap yard. Its loaded with easy to grab aluminum. So I say ok yeah just let me grab the alum off it. He goes "Pffft No way just load it up and get it out of here. Dont waste your time." Sure glad hes not my boss.



Anyone else have to deal with this sort of thing?

Originally Posted by bigburtchino

Maybe they should be getting a little bit of the proceeds. Might surprise you on their willingness to cooperate with the recycling program. I bet your return will even get better if there was something in it for all!

Bossman does. He gives everyone little kickbacks once in a while. We recently loaded a bin full of rotors, came out to 900 bucks and he gave everyone a $50 bill. But hes beginning to wonder why he does. Every time we buy a scrap car or save stuff, somebody bit*hes about it!

As a friend of mine says, "They call it going to work, not going to fun."

That being said, either crack down on the employees or just get used to the fact that you have a bit of extra work to do before going to the scrap yard. I'm not there so I can't see what is happening, but as for me personally, I don't mind separating the scrap myself for the return it generates. Also I never really like educating employees as to the value of scrap. I don't need them getting ideas.

Originally Posted by jord0690

So since our family bought our shop, iv asked the other mechanics to please save and set asside certain things, such as ecm's, pcm's, O2 sensors, dirty aluminum, wiring, etc. Still to this day I go through the shred bin and constantly find the stuff I asked them to leave out of shred. Iv repeatedly asked to please try and saperate stuff, iv gone to bossman and asked to just remind them to save/seperate some stuff, because he also agreed that it should be left seperate. But they STILL just toss everything in shred. Its almost like they purposely do it and make it very clear that they dont care.

One example, theres a 6.7L power stroke diesel engine we have thats scrap. The one mechanic comes up and says we are gonna load it up in my truck to haul it away to the scrap yard. Its loaded with easy to grab aluminum. So I say ok yeah just let me grab the alum off it. He goes "Pffft No way just load it up and get it out of here. Dont waste your time." Sure glad hes not my boss.

Anyone else have to deal with this sort of thing?

I work construction and have asked the same of the guys on site- every time I go to the dump-trailer I pull out pounds of steel, aluminum cans, gang boxes with switches and wire still in them, hvac grills and floor registers.. on and on. I wonder how much stuff goes in there that I never get too.. since I have work to do and not time to stalk the trailer. I figure "Well I get what I get" but I've asked and asked.. they just keep tossing it on in.. guess it is better than them being smart enough to take it home with them!

Well bossmans first priority is repairing cars. Scrap comes second for him. I dont mind seperating it, but it frustrates me sometimes. Just sharing/venting here really. Not much I can do about it other than to deal with it!

When I'm trying to land a new customer, one angle is to convince them that their employees need to worry about what their being paid to do and let me worry about getting the recyclables out of the way.

Some of the the guys I work with are lazy and resentful. They throw things in the trash that they know I will dig out. I have also found 35 pound piece of aluminum, from a semi u bolt saddle, in my truck, someone was trying to make it look like I was dipping in my bosses cool aid. Its funny how laziness,jealousy and resentment manifests its self. You can try and motivate sheep, and sometimes it works, and sometimes they just resent you for being a wolf.

Not sure what kind of shop you have. But like Burly, I would rather get a pile of mixed and sort through it myself. Are the items too heavy? Is there too much? In my current arrangement, no one really cares if something is cast aluminum, stainless steel, tin, or plated brass, and most don't know how to tell the difference. It all goes into a pile. I scrap, they think I'm a little nuts with my magnets, grinder and tubs.

In every profession, a person gets paid because they can do something others can't or won't, or know things that other's don't. It sounds like you know what you need to make some money. So do it.