Most employees, that stay with a company, will receive a 4-5% annual raise; most employees that move to a different employer will receive a 10-20% pay increase; either in money or benefits.
In today's market; good help is hard to find. Everyone makes mistakes, is this crew making more mistakes than money?
Tough decision; choose wisely.
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@jph managing people requires us to have tough conversations while preserving relationships. We need to be able to dispassionately quantify impacts to business without demeaning the idiot that just cost us a bazillion dollars.
Before the flames start, that last part was a joke. Sort of..lol
Legally, I don't think you have an option.?ÿ They were working, just not making the company any $.
Morally, yes, pay them.?ÿ They know they screwed up, no one is perfect.?ÿ Obviously if this is reoccurring problem you will need to have an entirely different conversation with the offender.
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Mostly agree, but how are you all planning to teach a lesson here?
For my purposes, it's all about fixing the root problem - leaving gear at the office - than inflicting punishment, if it was indeed a genuine mistake rather than an attitude problem.
I would implement a requirement to complete a checklist each time the crew is going more than an hour (or half an hour, whatever makes sense) away from the office. Doesn't have to be a lengthy or painful process, just something they can check off as they put gear in the truck and file it in the project folder with that day's date.
Have them do that for a while and turn it in with their field notes; heck, if they're smart they'll realize that they should be doing it regardless of how far they're going from the office, if for no other reason than peace of mind. It certainly helped me relax more when heading out to a high-stress or time-crunch job.
What did you do wrong?
Were you being pushy?
Hurry up and get out of here!
You're burning daylight!
What are you waiting for? We need to get this done today!
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You can always point the finger at yourself, first. Then you can begin to resolve ANY issue...
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or maybe not:
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Please explain the tough conversation that you're going to have.?ÿ They're already aware they left something behind and cost the company money.?ÿ You telling them that, doesn't make them know it any better.?ÿ And when they leave your office, they'll probably be more pissed off at you lecturing them than they will feel sorry about what they did.
If they're not adult enough to understand it already, then you're probably looking for someone else already, and no amount of talking to and/or humiliation is going to help matters.
I know less than anyone about people, but no one wants to have their mistakes shoved in their faces
@rover83?ÿ
I have no problem with that at all.?ÿ?ÿ Be aware though, that it might still happen.?ÿ I worked at a place that had a checklist, and the rod-man would just check it all off, without looking
@jph The assumption that it's a lecture or in somebodys face is all you. It is possible to explain the impact to the schedule and true cost in a productive way. If not the manager, employee, or both have other issues.
Again, they know they F'ed up.?ÿ You telling them isn't going to help.?ÿ
Make sure you listen hard to what's whispered under their breath when they leave your office
@jph?ÿ
I was going to suggest a checklist. In my experience, a well-designed checklist helps insure completion of all tasks/project elements.?ÿ
Someone treating the checklist as your rod man did is foolish.?ÿ
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I've forgotten field books, batteries, data collector, pencils, phone. Nobody to blame but myself. The real hazard I find, is going on autopilot. Easy to do when I'm preoccupied with the half dozen other jobs going on at any moment, personal issues, personnel issues. What I found helps me the most is just taking a quiet minute before pulling out of the parking lot and mentally walking through what I have planned for the day and often enough I'll hit on something I've forgotten or overlooked. Sort of become a habit now, taking a pause to think about what I'm doing and what I'm going to need. Like Bionicman said, a teaching moment. I've never found getting angry to produce much of anything of value.?ÿ
Just because I'm paranoid, doesn't mean they aren't out to get me.
What I found helps me the most is just taking a quiet minute before
Excellent advice to follow throughout every day. ?ÿI try to pause and take a breather between tasks.
Coffee break.
Smoke break.
Nap.
Shower.
It is amazing what important thoughts float to the top when I allow my monkey mind to settle and quiet.
Many have mentioned creating a checklist.?ÿ One size does not fit all, as soon they will just ignore the checklist or just rubber stamp it.?ÿ I despise checklists of all types as they force you into a checklist mentality.?ÿ north arrow - check, scale - check...I'm aware enough that i don't need a checklist to tell me I need a north arrow on my maps.?ÿ Same goes for the field, the party chief needs to be aware and make adult decisions.?ÿ If he/she needs a checklist then they can make one on there own but I'm not forcing anyone under my watch to use a checklist.?ÿ Reminds me too much of government type work as well.?ÿ It's bloated and takes twice as long when compared to being on top of things and doing it the most efficient way you know how.
It is possible to explain the impact to the schedule and true cost in a productive way.
And those are exactly the types of conversations that need to be had - not just in the instance of a forgotten piece of equipment, but throughout the course of employment.?ÿ How else do people expect to learn more about the business end.?ÿ If the employee's ego is too fragile to have a conversation that addresses the specifics of what a negative action can have on the schedule and bottom line, then they might need to grow enough to understand that a discussion about a mistake is not automatically an attack on one's overall abilities.
Now there are many employers/managers who do not know how to have this conversation in a productive way.?ÿ I'm not sure I could do so.?ÿ But I have dealt with people who had the ability to do so and it is a valuable learning experience.
Is there a chance the field crew is going to make bonus money/profit on a job efficiently handled like the business will??ÿ If not, they get paid for good days and bad days.?ÿ When I was 15 building swimming pools, I did something stupid that cost the boss money and he took it out of my paycheck.?ÿ I told him that didn't fly with me and I quit.?ÿ I got the money back in the next paycheck and we never spoke of it again.?ÿ Now, owning my own company, I cost myself money all the time forgetting stuff and would no doubt fire myself if I could but I'm too nice of a guy to do that.?ÿ Then there are days when everything goes right and I make a gob of money and all is forgiven.
I told my helper today that we at least made enough money to pay his wages for the day, even though everything seemed to go wrong with my planning.
Nobody to blame but myself
That ought to answer the OP. ?????ÿ
great book:
Checklist Manifesto.
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the quiet you're talking about is hard where I work now because I'm literally being pushed out the door the second I step through it.
checklists work
deep breaths too.
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you're doing well keep it up.
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thanks for input. I've cooled off, and appreciate the opinions.
I became enamored of checklists when a former worker told me about his new son-in-law, an airline pilot.?ÿ They don't take off without having checked every box and line item, and I'm glad they do.
You may have a checklist in your head (we all do), but I would bet you couldn't duplicate it exactly the same day after day without mixing up the order, or worse, forgetting something.