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#155168 12/08/04 12:05 AM
Joined: Jul 2004
Posts: 272
A
Member
Everyone makes mistakes. If you keep making the same mistake over and over again I would not classify this as a mistake anymore but a habit that needs to be corrected.

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#155169 12/08/04 12:49 AM
Joined: Aug 2004
Posts: 186
N
Member
You leaglly can not remove any funds from your employee's pay that is not authorized in writing by both the employeer and employee. Plain and simple the hours you work is the hours you get paid for. you want ot dock the employee, no raise that year, no ot for him, etc but you touch his pay and you'll land yourself in a lawsuit. And dont try to hold it either that also not legal!!!!! THis is not a game when it comes to money there should be no well i feel this and he feels that. MY pay is my bread and butter mess with that and be ready to face the consequences plain and simple

#155170 12/08/04 01:20 AM
Joined: Jul 2004
Posts: 272
A
Member
NJ Wireman,

I agree docking their pay or withholding it is a bad idea even if it were legal. I worked for a contractor that provided no health insurance, no retirement plan, no vacation or sickleave and no holiday pay. Sometimes you would go weeks without a paycheck and then sometimes it would not clear. Imagine if he started docking my pay when I made mistakes. Most electricians in my opinion are underpaid and undercompensated and docking their pay isn't going to motivate them more. I believe most contractors don't charge enough for their services so that they can offer the proper incentives to their employees. If you want to attract the best employees you need to offer the best in compensation. Charge enough to compensate your employees well and they will take care of you and your customers. Employees could recieve a bonus at the end of the year based on their performance. The better their performance the bigger the bonus. Poor performance no bonus.
I believe positive insentives is the way to go. Start docking their pay and it may cost you more than you will ever know. If you have an employee on a service call and he has a chance to sell more work to the customer while there do you think he will when his pay has been docked. How do you think he will treat the customer? You may start loosing your customers.

[This message has been edited by A-Line (edited 12-08-2004).]

[This message has been edited by A-Line (edited 12-08-2004).]

[This message has been edited by A-Line (edited 12-08-2004).]

#155171 12/08/04 01:45 AM
Joined: Jul 2004
Posts: 272
A
Member
This company would be nice to work for. Go to www.google.com and type The Red Carpet Treatment By Antoinette Ursitti into the search window and read the article.

#155172 12/08/04 03:14 AM
Joined: May 2003
Posts: 2,876
E
e57 Offline
Member
If he's gonna treat you like a sub.... Raise your rates! Otherwise, contact your state labor board.


Mark Heller
"Well - I oughta....." -Jackie Gleason
#155173 12/08/04 04:37 AM
Joined: Jan 2003
Posts: 4,391
I
Moderator
I would find a new job immediately.

Sorry, but paying for your employees mistakes is one of the bad parts of being an owner.

I agree with the others you can not make people work for free, you can not make them pay for wasted matrial, you can not withhold or delay pay.

If an employee is a constant source of loss let them go, the message will get through to the remaining employees.

Bob


Bob Badger
Construction & Maintenance Electrician
Massachusetts
#155174 12/08/04 07:01 AM
Joined: Jan 2003
Posts: 4,391
I
Moderator
Quote
Fact Sheet 17P: Construction Workers and the Part 541 Exemptions under the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA)

The FLSA requires that most employees in the United States be paid at least the federal minimum wage for all hour worked and overtime pay at time and one-half the regular rate of pay for all hours worked over 40 in a workweek. However, Section 13(a)(1) of the FLSA provides an exemption from both minimum wage and overtime pay for employees employed as bona fide executive, administrative, professional and outside sales employees. Section 13(a)(1) and Section 13(a)(17) also exempts certain computer employees. To qualify for exemption, employees must meet certain tests regarding their job duties and be paid on a salary basis at not less than $455 per week.


http://www.dol.gov/esa/regs/compliance/whd/fairpay/fs17p_construction.htm

You can not be forced to work for free, go here for more info.

http://www.wagehour.dol.gov/

Bob


Bob Badger
Construction & Maintenance Electrician
Massachusetts
#155175 12/08/04 08:51 AM
Joined: Dec 2000
Posts: 4,294
Member
bot540
Your boss is an idiot with his head in a guillotine.
1) Save the check stubs-with the deduction shown.
2) Find another company to work for.
3) File a claim with the Labor Board
4) Collect your money.
5) Don't look back

I worked for a company that had an "office manager" (flunky secretary) that would withhold paychecks if she didn't get "her" paperwork (not time cards) back on time, or filled out properly.
Mine was always in on time anyway. I mentioned to her that if she ever withheld my pay, I would stay home for up to 30 days, or until I was paid, and expect to be paid for the additional time spent waiting..
That is the law here in CA.
The practice was curtailed.

#155176 12/08/04 12:19 PM
Joined: Dec 2002
Posts: 337
S
Member
Interesting discussion.

Let's look at it from a third perspective. In Federal jobs the Contracting Officer (CO), COR (representative) and Inspector in finding this out will withhold payments until the situation of pay is corrected along with withholding final payment until the job is completed. Another way to state this is the contractor who does this will lose if discovered. Not a good way of doing business on this end either.

Personally I like the reward method. Give regular bonuses to the employees based on correct installations completed. You want to keep the best, so reward the best (this coming from the government who rewards to the lowest bidder, but are trying to get away from that and are now struggling to look at value also).

Shane

#155177 12/08/04 12:42 PM
Joined: Feb 2004
Posts: 494
M
Member
Hi,
I will tell you that in ARKANSAS and MOST states if you MAKE over $25K in a year THE LABOR DEPT WILL NOT HELP YOU COLLECT MONEY OWED BY AN EMPLOYER!

Documentation is part of the job just like safety...the emplyer needs to find people that can do the work.

Just fire the guy after a time or two and move on! There are plenty of concientous electricians out there that would probably do the job.

I say if the employee fails to perform why lay him off for a day or two, then if his performance doesnt improve terminate the person for failure to perform. When I worked nuclear jobs, the policy was that if you left a tool out overnite and you did not follow plant policy..you got an unscheduled vacation..1,2 or 3 days. Then if it happened again..BYE BYE.

The employer\employee relationship is a give and take relationship.

As far as witholding pay and charging for mistakes that is pretty comical!

Just my two cents!

-regards

Mustang

[This message has been edited by mustangelectric (edited 12-08-2004).]

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