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#157428 11/13/05 03:00 PM
Joined: Jul 2002
Posts: 717
M
Member
Man, things move fast for you.

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#157429 11/14/05 08:37 AM
Joined: Sep 2005
Posts: 39
M
Member
Big,

It’s always fun when you’re working with family. The problems at work just follow you right home.

Let’s start with the electrician. We’ve all seen guys like him. It’s almost as if they know they’re work is substandard and they don’t want to give you least little excuse to fire them easily. Documenting missed shifts or unexcused absences are easy. Visit the local unemployment office and tell them that your employee violated article xxx of the NEC and the examiner’s eyes tend to glaze over.

There are very few “perfect” employees so I like to look at the whole package, adding up the pluses and minuses and then make a decision. If you think you can improve his performance then you need to decide where his deficiencies lie. Pretty much it comes down to two things – training and motivation. Has he been properly trained to do the job? Have your expectations for workmanship been clearly communicated? Motivation is a little harder to gauge. A fairly simple method is to work with the guy or at least nearby so that he knows he’s being “watched”. If his work improves, then you have a motivation issue. If not, it’s training. Remember to praise in public and correct in private. You don’t call the guy an idiot in front of his co-workers.

If you decide that you’d sooner just get rid of the guy then you have a couple of options. If you’re a union shop, you’ll have to follow the union rules. If you’re in an “employment at will” state you can just outright fire him. That won’t stop him from collecting unemployment but he’ll be out of your hair. If you don’t want to pay the unemployment you’ll need to document his infractions. It must be in writing, signed by both parties. You’ll need to clearly describe his deficiencies, what steps he needs to take to correct them, in what time frame, and what steps will be taken if he doesn’t correct them. Unless his offenses are so egregious that no reasonable person would keep this guy employed, you’ll probably have to “write him up” several times.

Follow the same course of action with your sister, although you might want to check with your Mom before firing her.

While it’s great that business has increased to the point where you need to add employees you’re going to find yourself being more of a manager and less of an electrician. Unfortunately management skills aren’t taught in a lot of trade schools, apprentice programs, or even in college (for the electrical engineers). You might consider looking at your local community college for classes on management, people skills, human resources, etc. They aren’t real expensive and are often offered in the evening or on weekend for folks will a full-time job.

You might also consider consulting with a local attorney that specializes in employer labor law to come up with a set of company policies. You may also want to consider “employment practices” insurance which will cover you should an employee (or former employee) decide to sue.

Good luck!

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