first employee may leave me....so sad

[huggytree]

It took 8 years to finally hire someone....its been great.......now after 3 months he got a better/different offer and says he's considering leaving

he's a part time helper/laborer i pay $15....i havent given him steady hours....some weeks 18 hours, some 30+

he originally told me he wanted part time because he is starting his own web design company and wants the free time to do his own business.....his new job is full time, $22 a hour(pretty good for unskilled eh?)...the negative is he is going to work in IL and we live in WI...so this adds 2-3 hours of driving a day...

i spent time explaining the negatives of his new job to him....the 2-3 hour drive extra making the $15 vs $22 an hour not being so far apart.....now it seems he wants full time

part of it may be my fault for not guaranteeing him 30 hours no matter what......i could tell when we had some slow weeks in a row he wasnt happy about it.

my work outlook is great for the future.....he was great, never needed training........i dont think ill get lucky enough to find that again

is $15 an hour too little?

ive considered offering him $17....but figure why bother....if he's looking for another job 3 months into doing his current job its probably a hopeless situation

id like him to stay, but cant/wont pay $22 an hour to someone to cut holes and sweep the floor

[Freelancier]

$15 is probably still the right rate for what you're having him do, but I can see his point of wanting more consistent hours. I don't see the point in him driving 2-3 hours per day for the additional pay.

I think if you guaranteed 30 hours for as long as you can, then that would probably be in your best interest (including having him work on your web site as needed :) ). I would not raise his rate now, but do figure out a way to increase his value to you so that you CAN raise his rate.

[MyITGuy]

I'd say give the guy steady/consistent hours.

What he had was an idea (start a business) so Part Time hours were good...now that realization has set in and starting a business is not a part time gig or is not as easy as expected, he falls back to his existing job in order to get his income to be consistent/steady.

Once you can provide this, then you can explain the negatives of the new job.
Huggy - 18 hours - Gross $270 (Net $202?)
Huggy - 30 hours - Gross $450 (Net $378?)
New Guy - 40 Hours - Gross $880 (Net $660?), but then requires 10-15 hours/week of unpaid travel for approximately 650-975 miles (Costing 115-175 in fuel per week, plus increased frequency in oil changes)

Even with this, the new guy would still be netting him $100 more a week...does he not value his personal time and the time he would loose out on?

[Paul]

It’s not an unusual situation. Entry level employees, if they are good, usually are looking to improve their situations. Clearly he is ambitious if he was thinking about starting a business. You would have lost him anyway if his business worked out. The increase in pay isn’t necessarily only about the “net” it’s also about moving up. It’s a stepping stone to $ 25 an hour and then $ 30 an hour etc.

I know when I was young I wanted jobs that had advancement opportunities. I think even if you matched the pay and hours he may still always be looking to advance somehow.

The old adage “good help is hard to find” may be true. “Good help is hard to keep” may be even more true.

[Brian Altenhofel]

I don't see the point in him driving 2-3 hours per day for the additional pay.

Unfortunately, most people who work as employees focus too much on the top line and not enough on the bottom line. Some people are willing to pay $15/day in fuel for $8/day gross in pay simply because the other job pays $1/hr more, and that's not even factoring in the time of the commute.

It sounds to me like the inconsistent hours are suppressing his morale. As said above - perhaps a guarantee of a certain amount of hours, maybe filled with "filler" work. I know some plumbers and HVAC guys around here often have their employees putting together commonly used assemblies during slow periods so that the jobs get done just that much faster when they're busy.

[huggytree]

i think i will offer him 30 hours guaranteed....should have done that from the start

Dave
WP

[Steve B]

Are you allowed to have him work around your home during a slow week? I got my grass cut today and I've had my deck painted by my employees in the last few days. It's a win/win - they get hours and I keep good employees (and get work done).

[chrismarklee]

You both seem like nice people with integrity. You both tell the truth. I would think he would want a guarantee of more hours and being paid for drive time if he is not. This person is worth more than 15.00 an hour in my opinion.

[J from Michigan]

He probably hears you talking about 'not willing to work for cheapskates.'
While at the same time, telling him "I'm not really sure that I can give you the hours you'd like."

[huggytree]

He probably hears you talking about 'not willing to work for cheapskates.'
While at the same time, telling him "I'm not really sure that I can give you the hours you'd like."

this is most likely true

i offered him 30 hours guaranteed......he is still leaving....his web design business is not taking off well, so he wants full time.....if his web business was doing better i think it would be a perfect match.....he works 4-5 hours a day for me and 4-5 for himself

i am realizing 50% of the time i dont need a helper....he serves no purpose....i cant change out a kitchen faucet w/ 2 people...he just stands there....i cant bill them for a guy to stand there....ive been saving the small jobs for the afternoon and letting him go at noon.....i get 8-9 hours and he gets 5

i think we are a very good team.....it upsets me to see him go....we are a lot alike and have many of the same interests....he's nice to work with

i need a helper occasionally.....not daily though....i am considering hiring another plumber as a subcontractor...there are plumbers out there who work for other plumbers....someone i could hire 1 or days a week....im trying to line up a couple of them, so if ones busy i have another i can trust too

i have a ad on craigs list too....seeing who's out there...got a reply from a kid right out of high school in my hometown....it has some advantages, but i dont think i can trust a kid who knows nothing.....when your only offering 20-30 hours a week who wants the job???

ive tried to get more hours....i cant seem to pick up any more builders.....my new website is getting me tons more calls, but its all 1 hour jobs that doesnt need a helper for...

i had my current helper working on my yard....we spent a whole week re landscaping my front yard...and there's more to do

[J from Michigan]

Yeah, I know how that works, giving the guy "keep ya busy work" around the house.
We're very seasonal, so in the winter, my house gets a lot of 'upkeep' done, to give them some hours.

It a tough transition when adding another body. You don't want them just standing there, but you also want someone to be there when you need another hand.
I really try to bid and get jobs as if I were always 'hungry.'

Meaning, even if we're slammed I still try to actively take on more work.

But I realize that it's different for you and I. My jobs come in randomly in different sizes, so one call could be a huge job, the next a small job.

[huggytree]

im starting the interviews this week....none of them really pop out at me like this guy did.......i am guaranteeing 20 hours a week for whoever the new guy will be.....

work is suddenly sloooooww.....im wondering if i need to hire anyone at all for a while.....its hard!....take the slow period for training or wait a month and hire when its busier

the new hire will be doing yard work for me on week 1.....

[Freelancier]

If you're slow now and this is likely the busy building season, I'd wait to hire.

[huggytree]

If you're slow now and this is likely the busy building season, I'd wait to hire.

sometimes its slow in the summer, some years its busy...July can be hot or cold

busy times are typically 2 spikes...late Spring and all of Fall

had a guy that sounded great on paper.....had an appointment for an interview....i called him 2x that day w/ no response...got home and saw an email saying 'family emergency', so we rescheduled for the next day.....got an email today saying his dad is still in the hospital and he wants to reschedule again......

Nope....2 tries and im moving on to someone else....he needs to be calling me and explaining things, not just emailing

trying to line up 2 more guys for this friday.......next week looks like a good week for manual labor, so id love to have a grunt...

[CallBettie]

If the employee is good guarantee the hours. You will save yourself the money when it comes time to training. I recently had to make a similar decision and I promised my wonderful team member that she could move from PT to FT and also take on some additional responsibilities so that she can learn more and grow within the company. A good employee is worth the save.

[webdesignphx]

I remember when my first great employee left. Moved back to his home town. It is really tough because you compare everyone to him that you hire from there on. Good luck, hope its worked out...