BigWrench55
Senior Member
I'm that guy. I just don't tell anyone.
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Rules For Being an Employee
- Thread starter John C.
- Start date
I'm that guy. I just don't tell anyone.
Truck Shop
Senior Member
And your better off for it.
BigWrench55
Senior Member
It doesn't pay to be the man who can do it all.
You are better off being self employed with that kind of skill set. And like I said on other threads. I have been riding the fence of being self employed or just employed. I just haven't found the balls to go for it.
BigWrench55
Senior Member
He didn't quit. He died from the work load because he had to do it all. 
Truck Shop
Senior Member
I got to laugh-out of everybody on here I have been employed at the same place for 18 years. Except for my time off with back surgery I have
only missed one Saturday and Sunday in 18 years. I've been on call 24hrs a day for 18 years. I have never had a sick day off in 18 years. 24/7
all year long. I suppose if I didn't like it I would have left years ago but I have worked like that for the last 30 years. I decided I would have
no children when I started because this life I have doesn't have room for family. I got 'a like what I do.
I did take a vacation one Monday in 2010.
only missed one Saturday and Sunday in 18 years. I've been on call 24hrs a day for 18 years. I have never had a sick day off in 18 years. 24/7
all year long. I suppose if I didn't like it I would have left years ago but I have worked like that for the last 30 years. I decided I would have
no children when I started because this life I have doesn't have room for family. I got 'a like what I do.
I did take a vacation one Monday in 2010.
petepilot
Senior Member
interesting
Truck Shop
Senior Member
You are a special man
That's his problem-he wanted to be a business owner
Your right it is interesting-I enjoy discussions about employers and other peoples so called work ethics.
CM1995
Administrator
- Joined
- Jan 21, 2007
- Messages
- 13,860
- Location
- Alabama
- Occupation
- Running what I brung and taking what I win
Funny side note...
Our last laborer we hired was green as grass but a good kid that showed up on time everyday for over a month. He was tasked with cutting a 20"x20" hole in a round knockout manhole where the knockout is about 2" thick, then brick and mud the hole. He wrapped this up around lunch, took lunch break and never showed back up. Didn't answer his phone for the next work week.
Yesterday received his unemployment claim from the State where he stated the reason WE let HIM GO was lack of work. We have a long backlog of work and need 2 laborers right now. This claim will be fun to dispute which we will.
Our last laborer we hired was green as grass but a good kid that showed up on time everyday for over a month. He was tasked with cutting a 20"x20" hole in a round knockout manhole where the knockout is about 2" thick, then brick and mud the hole. He wrapped this up around lunch, took lunch break and never showed back up. Didn't answer his phone for the next work week.
Yesterday received his unemployment claim from the State where he stated the reason WE let HIM GO was lack of work.
We have a long backlog of work and need 2 laborers right now. This claim will be fun to dispute which we will.
Come on up to Okieland! .......just go around the weigh stations.
kshansen
Senior Member
- Joined
- Mar 11, 2012
- Messages
- 11,289
- Location
- Central New York, USA
- Occupation
- Retired Mechanic in Stone Quarry
He wrapped this up around lunch, took lunch break and never showed back up. Didn't answer his phone for the next work week.
Yesterday received his unemployment claim from the State where he stated the reason WE let HIM GO was lack of work.
Would be interesting to hear how that works out for both of you! I'm sure it might have not been a "fun job" but unless someone was bitching at him for taking too long I'm sure it beats other jobs that one could be tasked with in your business!
JPV
Senior Member
This thread is a good read for me, it makes me appreciate who I am working for. I break most of these rules and they make it worth my while. It is a small outfit and I do it all for them. I run the shop truck, lowbed, dump truck, grader, and all the other equipment as needed and am pretty good at all of it. I never have to worry about having something to keep me busy and never have to worry about getting time off when I want it. They take care of me the best they can and I take care of them as best I can. Some days it seems like too much but the next day comes and I don't mind getting up early and starting over. I take Sunday off though, that is important to me. Thanks for giving me a reminder of the real world!
kshansen
Senior Member
- Joined
- Mar 11, 2012
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- 11,289
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- Central New York, USA
- Occupation
- Retired Mechanic in Stone Quarry
Kind of like the place I retired from back when I first started there in late 1960's. Not exactly a small outfit but still had the family type attitude from top management on down. They had quarries in three or four states in the northeast but when top management did their annual tour of the plants they made it a point of personally meeting just about every single person who worked there and knew many by name or who their father was, lots of two or three generation employees.
If an employee needed a load of stone for driveway no problem take what you need as long as it was for your own use. Need to borrow a stake rack truck to get a load of hay for wife's horses, no problem. Heating oil tank low and need some the fuel oil tank is over there take enough to get you through till the delivery guy can get to your house. Burn fire wood? We're going to start stripping to the west of the pit next winter cut this area and we both win! Need a wood splitter? See if there is anything in the bone yard that you can make one out of.
Then they were bought out by one large company after another and now if they think you grabbed a hand full of 1/4 nuts and bolts to put the license plate your boat trailer they would act like you stole a 988H and sold it on Ebay!
BigWrench55
Senior Member
KShansen,
That’s exactly what I am talking about. Some of you guys had the pleasure of working in a time when the company you worked for valued their employees. It’s not like that now and it’s a shame. I have had the pleasure of working for a company like that twice. One I left for greener pastures. I would still be working with the other if their health insurance was affordable. I payed out of pocket for the birth of my child and the fine for not carrying health insurance. All for less than what I would’ve paid in premiums and deductibles. Companies like that just don’t exist anymore. They care more about making shareholders happy than employees.
That’s exactly what I am talking about. Some of you guys had the pleasure of working in a time when the company you worked for valued their employees. It’s not like that now and it’s a shame. I have had the pleasure of working for a company like that twice. One I left for greener pastures. I would still be working with the other if their health insurance was affordable. I payed out of pocket for the birth of my child and the fine for not carrying health insurance. All for less than what I would’ve paid in premiums and deductibles. Companies like that just don’t exist anymore. They care more about making shareholders happy than employees.
Truck Shop
Senior Member
I will use my brothers approach to employees when was still a practicing physician.
The women he hired to work in his clinic-90% worked there till he retired.
#1 He automictically gave raises.
#2 At the end of each year all got bonuses, not meager either. Plus for each year they stayed it was increased 10%.
#3 Naturally full medical and reference to the best specialists in that area.
What he received for taking care of the staff.
A clinic that operated like a watch, staff was happy in the office, correct and on time billing, patients got the best of care, patients were happy
they had a clinic like that. He wasted very little on retraining, the staff was always there.
The women he hired to work in his clinic-90% worked there till he retired.
#1 He automictically gave raises.
#2 At the end of each year all got bonuses, not meager either. Plus for each year they stayed it was increased 10%.
#3 Naturally full medical and reference to the best specialists in that area.
What he received for taking care of the staff.
A clinic that operated like a watch, staff was happy in the office, correct and on time billing, patients got the best of care, patients were happy
they had a clinic like that. He wasted very little on retraining, the staff was always there.
kshansen
Senior Member
- Joined
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- Central New York, USA
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- Retired Mechanic in Stone Quarry
And I left out the fact that when the shop part of the quarry was active just about every year 1/3 to 1/2 the mechanics went to factory schools for around a week at a time. Then at least once or twice a year the shop boss brought in a trainer from one of the local dealers or sometime the factory, like Mack Trucks, to give one or two day classes to everyone. And this was back in the day when things were nowhere as complicated with electronics like today!
The last time I went to anything close to a class was about three years before I retired. It was billed as being a class on Cat ET. It was more of a half day sales pitch on Cat ET with only a few minutes actual hands on with one "instructor/salesman" for over 25 people some of them mechanics and some just bosses looking for time away from work.
To be honest the majority of what I ever learned about ET was from stumbling around on my own with a major amount of help from Nige here on Heavy Equipment Forum!
The last time I went to anything close to a class was about three years before I retired. It was billed as being a class on Cat ET. It was more of a half day sales pitch on Cat ET with only a few minutes actual hands on with one "instructor/salesman" for over 25 people some of them mechanics and some just bosses looking for time away from work.
To be honest the majority of what I ever learned about ET was from stumbling around on my own with a major amount of help from Nige here on Heavy Equipment Forum!
kshansen
Senior Member
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- Central New York, USA
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- Retired Mechanic in Stone Quarry
No! I was just using that as about the only reason he would have for giving up and walking away. Some jobs in this line of work are just plain boring at times!
The more I think of it if taken by themselves just about every step of a project could be a little boring. Be it putting studs in a wall, running wires or torqueing the head bolts on a V-16!
I often recall when one guy at the shop wanted to work with Norm and myself rebuilding engines. Then when he was given the chance he got upset when he spent a couple days just washing parts. Not sure how he figured those parts were getting cleaned when it was just Norm and me doing the rebuild!
Dat kennels
Member
Never have I heard truer word spoken than Paul Council contribution to this thread , I spent years working for the boss man and at one point offshore they rung me up to ask how much longer the complex job was going to take (sole machinist ) as they want me to get off one helicopter and get on another helicopter straight back out to another rig to machine the well head ! asked about a small pay rise and this was immediately refused , this when I realised about people getting rich off their employees ( backs ) hard work , firm could not machine the skin off a rice pudding . Been self employed 20 years now , yes its been hard graft , yes we had sleepless nights , would we do it again YES