Hello?ÿ
I recently took over a Field Management position at a new company. I havent worked for many different firms nor was a field manager, so I wanted to ask what some of the norms were in the industry. I am in the PNW.?ÿ
Specifically, most of our jobs are relatively local, a couple hours drivetime at the most. Our guys take their rigs home and often either go straight to the site and/or go straight home. In situations like this is your company paying for your drive time from the site back to your home or are you off the clock when you leave the site??ÿ
We have never had any hard standards in place but as we are getting bigger these situations have to be more clear so its fair for everyone.?ÿ
Thank you!
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Of course....it depends and many factors.?ÿ Some are more beneficial to the employee than the employer and client and vice versa.?ÿ Whatever you do, be clear and put it in writing.?ÿ?ÿ
Our party chiefs don't typically take the trucks home so this isn't an issue.?ÿ But, when they do, they are on the clock the second they leave their house (consider it a temporary branch office).
My feelings on this have always remained the same:?ÿ If an employee is in a work vehicle for a work purpose, regardless of what location they start or end from, then they are on the clock.
If you can't trust your field guys to be honest about start/stop times, then why bother keeping them as employees?
If they're taking trucks home, they're charging batteries and drying out equipment on their dime so drive time from the house isn't unreasonable.?ÿ
In addition to the above comments, consider the fact that the crews don't have to detour out of the way to go to the office before driving to the job site. Saves the client and the firm time & money every single day.
You do realize the employees who use trucks for transportation to and from work is considered taxable income by the IRS, plus you as an employer have to report it and pay taxes on that income as well. ?????ÿ
FWIW -- and this is 40-year-old information -- when I was in the union (OE Local 3) the rule was that you're on the clock from the time you leave the office in the morning (7:00 a.m.) until the time you leave the jobsite (3:30 p.m.), minus a half-hour lunch break.?ÿ The PCs all took the trucks home.
It appears to me that there is already a de-facto policy regarding travel time pay in place, and messing with it first thing is probably the worst thing, politically, that you could choose to mess with. Unless upper management has identified this as something that needs to be dealt with immediately I'd leave it alone for several months at least.
First thing I'd be looking how to make the field crews life easier. Like how calcs and plans are supplied. Then I'd be looking at how data comes back from the field in the form of raw data and notes.?ÿ
I should ad that I never feel comfortable taking the work rig home. And I try not to because I don't want to assume the responsibility. I like to go to happy hour after work and sometimes I like to have one too many and I'm not going to leave a work truck full of "stuff" in the True Value parking lot over night?????ÿ
Work hard, play hard, die hard
@jed?ÿ
I know of many examples of this going badly.?ÿ And one of them was on a travel job, where the idiot parked at the bar which was maybe 300 yards from the hotel, instead of parking at the hotel and walking to the bar.?ÿ Then hit a couple cars when he left the bar to drive to the hotel.
First thing I'd be looking how to make the field crews life easier. Like how calcs and plans are supplied. Then I'd be looking at how data comes back from the field in the form of raw data and notes.
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Amen.
Also, doing this - and actually following through on improvements - would put you ahead of 98% of firms I have worked for, or with, or heard about in my entire career.
It's all about the moderate, incremental gains. I was at a recent conference where a very well-known tech guru told the crowd that all of his work was not trying to find the Next Big Thing, or hit it out of the park, but solving small problems and making minor improvements that make the average person's life easier. Those small things are also easier to swallow financially.
One of the first lessons I learned when dealing with field crews and work vehicles is that many of the party chiefs care a heck of a lot more than I do about the particular make and size and the rules in general.?ÿ If you find yourself saying things to yourself like, "What's the big deal, it's just a truck", use this to remind yourself that you're not a lifetime party chief and you need to consider things from the perspective of someone who is.?ÿ Bad management is that which cannot relate to those being managed.?ÿ You may want to have some private discussion with some of the PCs to explore their thoughts on the matter.
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@flga-2-2 Screw the IRS.?ÿ Whatever mileage to/from a private residence gets added to the client's chargeable mileage, no different than charging mileage direct from the office.?ÿ Uncle Sam gets enough of business's and employee's hard earned money, their is no reason to give them more. /end rant.
I have learned not to fear receiving mail from the IRS.?ÿ Generally, it is a good thing.
Received a letter from them this past Saturday.?ÿ It was a reminder that we had received some interest from them for taking so long to send us our refund and that we should report that interest in the appropriate location on the 2022 form I will get around to filling out about April 16 or 17 this year.
In situations like this is your company paying for your drive time from the site back to your home or are you off the clock when you leave the site??ÿ
If I'm not getting paid to bring the truck back, then what obligation am I under to bring the truck back? That's my time I'm not getting back and so deserves compensation. Marching and fighting pay the same.
