[WGB]

So how long do you employers give employees before deciding there either good at there work or not? I have just sent 2 employees out on there own last week but got a complaint today where Windows were missed by the newest guy. He's been with me from 6 weeks before Christmas and its not the first time he's missed Windows and there is some things I have to keep telling him over and over again when using poles. I'm about 85% wfp by the way so hes getting a good run at it? 

Wayne

[Marc Whitbread]

 I would sit him down and explain  that his standard is not what you expect tell him what he's doing right as well but make jt crystal clear he needs to improve I've always also said to anyone I've employed if you get a complaint down to your poor work you go back and rectify in your own time this includes missed windows as smudger said to me tell them exactly what you expect and see how they take it. if they don't like it they're free to leave!  Have you had a proper discussion about it?

Hth
Marc

[WGB]

That's the thing in the first day back after the new year I printed out a list of expectations and handed it to them so they know exactly what has to be done. After a couple of months in the poles you would think he would have jist of it now.

[bobplum]

if he cant get it after 6 weeks............then when will he get it?..............let go

[duncan h]

Get shut mate. Hes lazy and wants to cut corners so he can finish or have longer breaks etc. If you told him you had complaints prior. Send him packing

[tonycarr]

Were the windows missed, or just not up to the customers expectation? Have you visited the said property yourself and checked,  customers can be quite fussy with a new guy

how many houses has he cleaned without complaint?

If you have to keep telling him over and over again how to use the poles and he still hasn't got it why did you send him out on his own?

So he's been with you around 2 months, is he punctual,  trustworthy, reliable,  honest? Those things you cant teach someone

perhaps he just needs a bit more confidence , now that he's been on his own for a bit why  dont you take him out again with you for a day or two and work on any issues he may have

sometimes its not so much the training received but the training given?

Tony

P/S of course he could just be a lazy good for nothing little oik in which case get rid of im

[Walter Mitty]

I'm a sole trader.  Complaints are rare.  I've not had one for ages about quality of work.  However, when I was subcontracting a quantity of residential work from another company, there were some complaints.  My cleaning method was no different.
Of course, there are a number of possible reasons for this so it's not necessarily just about the customer being wrong.
It is easier to complain about someone than it is to complain to someone.

My hunch is that if the OP did his work himself, he would not get a complaint - or at least a miniscule amount.
However, if the OP worked, as a new employee, for someone else for a while, there is a greater likelihood of complaints.
Perhaps bear that in mind when making a decision that could have difficult repercussions for someone else's life; i.e. it might not be the employee that is the problem.
Of course, it may also be that he doesn't take sufficient care with his work.  I think it should be investigated personally rather than relying on a customer's word as a few of them can be quite fickle.

[Window Lickers]

One of the joys of employing effectively.

Don't you just love the ifs and the buts, the second guessing, the doubts and brain storms 

[Matt.]

Staff don't care about anything other than getting home, it's so hard to find go staff,

I had a lad start with me on MONDAY we had a lovely job on in the afternoon, after the job I asks him if there was anything he had missed or couldn't get to he replied no so I walked round and pointed to what I thought May have not been done this was from about 30 yards about and regarding insides, no no all done I done myself was his reply. So packs swag away and off we went, I then returned on my own to the job and walked round to check, only to find none of the window and more had been touched, 3 monthly so enough crap on window ledge and clouded windows,
This lad has done window cleaning for 15 years
TUESDAY 3.40am lad gets in van
Ok mate, see that job yesterday ye........ Which one Matt, ? don't pi$$ about lad, the one were you told me you had done them windows that I stood there an pointed to, swears blind he done them, so starts day an goes back at 8am to job stands in front of windows with lad and sends other lad inside, I says wipe your finger on that sill and then wipe your finger down the window, lad realises ow that he's been had so says ..... Should I go do them now, hahaha I says no mate go to the van and get ur self £3 off the dash and go find ur self a bus that will take you home. 

[duncan h]

Staff don't care about anything other than getting home, it's so hard to find go staff,

I had a lad start with me on MONDAY we had a lovely job on in the afternoon, after the job I asks him if there was anything he had missed or couldn't get to he replied no so I walked round and pointed to what I thought May have not been done this was from about 30 yards about and regarding insides, no no all done I done myself was his reply. So packs swag away and off we went, I then returned on my own to the job and walked round to check, only to find none of the window and more had been touched, 3 monthly so enough crap on window ledge and clouded windows,
This lad has done window cleaning for 15 years
TUESDAY 3.40am lad gets in van
Ok mate, see that job yesterday ye........ Which one Matt, ? don't pi$$ about lad, the one were you told me you had done them windows that I stood there an pointed to, swears blind he done them, so starts day an goes back at 8am to job stands in front of windows with lad and sends other lad inside, I says wipe your finger on that sill and then wipe your finger down the window, lad realises ow that he's been had so says ..... Should I go do them now, hahaha I says no mate go to the van and get ur self £3 off the dash and go find ur self a bus that will take you home. 

Too right mate. They know if they screw up you loose £ and reputation. As long as you pay them a honest days £. If they earn good money and screw you over, tell them to get a factory job and see if they like that

[Smudger]

This is quite a complex question to answer,

Firstly, are you sure you have trained and explained everything you should have?

Sometimes as the "boss" it's easy to assume people have fully understood you, when in reality you have taken it for granted they have understood.

Are these windows difficault to see from the ground, at the moment the new guy will not know any of the properties so is bound to make the odd mistake.

Why is your more experienced guy not checking everything has been cleaned ?

From experience anyone who's regularly missing, getting complaints after this amount of time requires you to retrain them, spend the day out checking how they work, if this fails then it's bye bye.

We have a quality bonus in the pay structure, 3 customer complaints in a 12 week period costs them in the region of £225

Darran

[Matt.]

I don't think you can train someone who has been doin it 15 years, I find it really hard to trust staff, and when you see what I mentioned on there first day it's a no go for me.
There has been times I have taken people out and took them back home after first job, I have high standards and won't accept crap, a fair days pay for a fairs days work

I would 100% much prefer to train my staff from never cleaning windows, people who think they can clean windows coz they have managed to float from 1 company to the next over there working time are shocking.

I had a girl ring me up on Thursday, explained to her what I want and she sounded very confident............... Looking forward to taking her out for the day this week - work that is 👍😄

[WGB]

First of all this lad is a good lad and seems keen to work, not lazy or anything he's just out of a 4 year stint in the army, one of the reasons I employed him. The property in question had 2 downstairs Windows missed and a few spots on others (I went back to check it). I don't think he's done this on purpose as he has missed Windows while I have been standing watching him before. The things I have to tell him over is to do with cleaning top frames and rinsing it properly. Going to go back out with them this week again and give him another few weeks at it. This is first complaint I've had over bad work from him because have been with him before last Monday, just a bit frustrating that's all.

[Smudger]

Never employed anyone who's been a windy before, employee or self employed, too many bad habits.

Wayne, all I can say is we had a similar situation, took a guy on been in low skilled job for 7 years same thing day in day out. Great bloke, but just couldn't get his head around working on different properties and different locations every day, sadly after several atempts to retrain and help etc he was let go.

As simple as we think window cleaning is, some just can't do it

Darran

[Danny F]

Think its a bit harsh people saying get rid of him. If hes training from scratch, it may take more than 6 weeks to get the level required. I took on a new fella, he was crap for about 2 months, then it just seemed to click and now its hard to fault him...

Ive missed windows myself of occasion. Dont let him go just yet, spend a bit of time with him and work on his technique.

[Arnold Palmer]

If they can't do it right it's your fault not theirs. Unless of course they're doing it on purpose which seems unlikely.

Anyone can be trained to clean windows, some need very little training some need lots.

[WGB]

Thanks for advice guys much appreciated.

Don't think I'm ready to let them on there own full time yet, a couple of days a week should keep them in check

Wayne

[Bart Olin]

1 month is long enough

[jimiwindows]

WFP 2 HOURS

TRAD  3 MONTHS