Owners...need your thought.

I do see what your sayin Skyline, unfortunately there are so many out there that take advantage of a good thing that if you don't have many of these rules in place they can and will drive a company into the ground. I was lucky to have a core group that understood that and worked for me for well over 10 years.

I pay for the fuel in his truck and he always ends up with more fuel than he needed (that's my thank you to him). Sky I see where you are coming from and I have tried to work with him but its still failing.

What I can say....everyone who works for me...pretty much loves it or...thats what they tell me that I am relaxed but still to the point that work needs to be done.

On the paper work side of things I do have the hand books and what not so thats all there....still working on them tho.

Like I said we will see if he shows up today on time and if no..what time he does show up at. Well I am off and heading to my home (warehouse) as that's where I spend most of waking hours.

My first thought was you've already set a bad precedent by letting him be late 4 times without punishment. But he's also been a hard worker for you, so I'd want to be lenient as well.

Here's a thought - the kid's got a lot on his plate. If you can be flexible he's more likely to be loyal and committed. Can you find a position/schedule that will fit better with his home situation? Don't schedule him for early runs, let him pickup extra hours here and there. But make it mandatory that he inform you of any schedule updates - ie call ahead before being late taking brother to work, etc.

You know him better than us, so you'll have to judge whether he's the type of employee that can handle the responsibility and not just keep taking advantage of you.

Well he showed up on time on yesterday and worked good. Him and me had a long talk and he knows it cant keep going but we will see how it goes with him...I will keep you all updated.

EasyR,

Eight months later....Do you still have an employee? Just reading this old thread and wondering how it turned out.

Flathead

Maybe pay per mileage and per load. Make him think hes getting a raise without paying him more. That way you both get what you want.

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Originally Posted by wayne

My opinion:

He's young and needs guidance. He will not see the world the same way as you do, and he still has growing up to do. I would take him to one side - perhaps take him on a pickup with you, then stop for a coffee and a chat. You need to try and make him understand where you are coming from without making him feel guilty. I have found that it often works better if you tell someone younger that you really respect the hard work they do and that they are a very important part of the team. Go on to say that if they show up late things don't work as smoothly as they should and that you count on them being there to help make things work well.

Try this approach first. Praise and recognition go a long way. I certainly know when I was his age you would have gotten nowhere fast if you had simply had a go at me.

The other thing, and this is just a thought and not in any way meant to say one way or other how you run your business, but how often do you thank people for doing a great job? I ask because my first management position was a very steep learning curve for me, and when I found out I wasn't saying thank you enough or giving people enough praise, it was a complete shock to me. I thought I was being very reasonable, but everyone else thought I was really hard going.

It was a shock to me to find that out!

As I said, none of that was said to reflect on you or the way you go about your business - it was just some stuff I learned the hard way.

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Wayne, you just said everything I was about to. Well said.

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Originally Posted by Kris Kringle

I agree with Kz & Sky Jack.

But I also think If you run a so called company you would have the necessary controls in place prior to hiring any employees like.

A employee hand book of what is expected of employees yeah you can say all you want about they know what is expected of them {Try telling that to a Judge if a lawsuit is filed against you for wrongful termination} Or tey telling that to the Board of Labor Relations when said company is reported.

Also when you go on a Firing spree I hope you have all the insurances in place before you dismiss someone {Trip,Slip,Fall Lawsuit}

And also this kid using his own truck to Pick up your loads or do Business is bad Idea if he wrecks that truck why doing your companys work Guess who that may come back on?

But then again it is your company to each their own.

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For that there is insurance called for "owned and unowned" autos. At least in Michigan I'd look into it.

The world is not all black and white

heh I wouldn't use my own vehicle.

This topic really interests me. Coming from background working for Colorado Structures which solely builds Walmarts I've only been in the hauling/scrap metal business going on 3 years. I started off by forming a scrap metal company with my brother. I went off on my own last year as we had 2 different visions. What I've learned on my own is it's hard to find a good dependable worker in this line of business. It's so easy to get started on your own that when they see the money coming in they take their first check and buy a truck and all of a sudden they're your compition. I make more money now by being a MICRO-BUSINESS. If it's a job I can't do on my own-I simply don't do it!

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...it's hard to find a good dependable worker in this line of business

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I hear this all the time from service businesses, where start up costs are low. The good workers soon learn the ropes and go out on their own. The bad or incompetent workers usually end up costing you more than they're worth. I've experienced both types of employees/subs. Because of this, I also follow your approach - keep it small, maintain control and make money.