[colley614]

Hi Guys,

Monday I offered a young lad a job told him he would start Wednesday anyway on his first day he was fifteen minutes late, when we started the first job ( office block) I said watch what I'm doing, when I turned around he was sat on the floor facing the other way spitting in front of the customers so he got a mouth full. After which he switched on for the rest of the day. Second day five minutes late went to do a newsagents so I gets the lad out to do the old boys flat above and when I comes down the ladder he is stood in the doorway reading the daily star. So I says to him " You gonna buy that?" "No" He replied so I said " Well put it back!" After that he was ok for the rest of the day. Friday doesn't turn up. Twenty minutes after he was supposed to be there gets a text supposedly from his mum saying he had been up all night ill. So I carries on down to my shops in the town centre and does them. As I finished them I seen him waiting for a shop to open so I turned the car round and parked up to confront him but by the time I got round he'd gone. Rang him, no answer. So I took his wages in to the careers place and said you phone him tell him he's fired and with that I phoned another lad who was really shy and really interested which my instinct told me to take on in the first place but this guy that had been with me had been recommended by the careers place. NEVER AGAIN WILL I TAKE HEED OF THEIR ADVICE. This lad starting on Monday seems a real nice kid and seems really enthusiastic.

[Neil Williams]

Get used to it mate.
We must be on employee number 15 in just over 2 years!
Everyone from 50 year olds down to 18 year olds just don't get the idea of work to be paid.
As much as it pains me we're now down to employing Polish because they at least turn up 20 minutes early and want to work.

Pro rata Alan Sugar has nothing on me for getting rid of people

[colley614]

Its a hard life when you can't even find somebody who wants to earn an honest days wage. Hopefully this young lad that I took on Friday seems a really nice kid and I can really see him going far. Hopefully he does that and I'll think about rewarding him for it if he does.

[Helen]

just a mention on rewards....... keep stum about them and make them a surprise. Not too many, but enough to keep standards up. do not go soft and think "ah it was only a few mistakes" and still give reward, only reward if all standards have been reached, from turning up on time to cleaning well.

[geefree]

Good topic,

Im nowhere near taking anyone on for a long while yet,

but i have read all the posts with interest, most tend to say the same as you guys, that employing is a massive headache.,

Can you not set someone on , on a self employed basis, taking the pressure off you regarding paying the guys tax and nat. ins.?...

That way any bonus you pay could be around the guys holiday time... as he wont get holiday pay either...

Just a thought.

Gary.

[Helen]

tried both ways and both have pro's and cons. you can sub contract on a self employed basis, but (can't remember the exact figure)you cannot supply ALL the subbies work for him as this will be classed as employed and even years after you could be held responsoble for back payment on tax ni etc. The onus is on the subbie to find his own work too and declare it....so a possible minefield there. So many things to take into account on both sides

[colley614]

Good topic,

Im nowhere near taking anyone on for a long while yet,

but i have read all the posts with interest, most tend to say the same as you guys, that employing is a massive headache.,

Can you not set someone on , on a self employed basis, taking the pressure off you regarding paying the guys tax and nat. ins.?...

That way any bonus you pay could be around the guys holiday time... as he wont get holiday pay either...

Just a thought.

Gary.

Hi Gazza,

You may take on sooner than you think. I wasn't planning on it for years but getting my round together was like a snow ball effect. I started grinding in new customers but then one day it was like I reached the top of a hill and it snowballed in. I must say I haven't got a full round now I've taken someone on but I found 1 in 20 houses I needed someone to foot a window for me or something I couldn't do alone do I did it rather than risking it.

Its nice to have someone to moan at all day as well! j/k I enjoy being able to talk to someone in work also. Window cleanings a funny old game some days I hate and others I love it but at the end of the day I really enjoy what I'm doing and I wouldn't give up. I got offered £10000 for my round and a job from my old boss the other week and he was talking about dropping my domestic or I could keep doing that as long as he had my commercial work. I just laughed at him. I love what I'm doing and I'm flattered that someone turning over about £500000 a year is jealous of me!

[Majestic]

I have found that if you tell them that you are not making as much with them as you was without them , and you cant keep that up for long it has the desired efect

[NWH]

I have found that over the years having a run of the mill worker with me on the whole was a waste of time,as said before holiday pay,sick pay to name just a few,work out over the course of just 1 year what they cost you in the above but mainly with the hassle.On the other hand if you have someone that is keen shows initiative and can work alone it`s a whole new ball game,but there like rockin hrse s***.

[colley614]

Think I've got a good lad with me now. He started this morning and he really did impress. I've seen about 100 window cleaners come and go through my old firm and I'd say this guy I've got would be in the top 10% of my old firms new boys. He was getting on with work by himself ( supervised) at noon. I think he will be a good asset to my business before to long.

[supernova77]

Neil / Willclean,

Did you used to have a customer in Lower Bourne (near Farnham)?

Andy

[Neil Williams]

Neil / Willclean,
Did you used to have a customer in Lower Bourne (near Farnham)?
Andy

Is it Cricket Wood or Crinklewood or something like that. If so yes, but that was the carpet cleaning side of the business. Nice people (!) but you will have to be the strong side of the relationship (if you know what i mean).