We saw our tools become more complex and became weary of the lack of respect. The solution was a 4 year degree requirement. At some point we may figure out that demanding that level of education commitment will require pay that doesn't qualify workers for food stamps and medicaid. Along those lines we should also consider that without investing in practical education and mentoring these kids won't become Surveyors. We need to can the excuses and start charging what it takes to maintain our businesses AND our Profession...
Look at your business model
> Nobody wants a job now.
Look at your business model. Is there room for a responsible position in your organization? When I say "room" I mean responsibility and pay.
If you're just getting tired of popping MH lids yourself don't get irritated because you can't find a bonehead that wants to pop MH lids all day. That's not much of a job.
What I trying to relate is that a "position" within a survey organization should reflect a specific set of responsibilities. And responsibilities commensurate pay. I do not maintain the financial wherewithal to afford the luxury of hiring pack mules or shovel operators. Each one of my employees has specific duties for which they are responsible. Each responsibility ultimately winds up as part of the finished product. The final cost of a survey should include all of these duties plus overhead plus profit. I know a lot of folks nowadays prefer not to place an hourly value on their staff. I personally couldn't do it any other way. I know how much something costs my company to produce. This makes the computation of real profit fairly simple.
Now if there is only 'chump change' in your business model for an employee, don't expect that person to shoulder any more responsibility than you pay.
If you're wanting to "home grow" an assistant (that possibly could eventually work unsupervised) be prepared to eat billing until that person can be brought up to speed and efficiency. And I agree, good employees that are interested in surveying are hard to find. But on the other hand, poor performers make it fairly simple to separate the wheat from the chaff. If you find a hand that has an interest and can be responsible, you have to pay to keep them around. Plain and simple.
7-11 pays 10 bucks an hour for numbskulls and mouth-breathers. If you want more than that, pay more. If you can't afford to pay more you're stuck with either doing it yourself or charging more. Hired hands should be paid by the client, not out of your pocket. Alter your business model to reflect this concept.
Hey, we have guys who are the same way around these parts.
Thank you, your post made me laugh...
Inquiring Minds Wanna Know
I was starting him at $12 per/hr. This is in a rural county where my daughter who has a BS in nursing makes $22 per/hr
What job would a recent 4-year surveying degree start out in? It seems that they combine a great deal of book knowledge with very little experience. Does that cause issues in your workplace?
> What job would a recent 4-year surveying degree start out in? It seems that they combine a great deal of book knowledge with very little experience. Does that cause issues in your workplace?
That's not an issue isolated to surveying, recent graduates in any field have little or no experience. We start out recent graduates as a third man on a two man crew for a few weeks to a month then take the training wheels off. Next they get paired with crew chiefs that have proven themselves to be good (and patient) trainers. The hardest part is finding chiefs who understand that their job description includes manager/trainer/mentor.
Our problem is we can't hire anyone with prior training. We've decided the only way to get party chiefs is to train them.
Just went through this and it was grim. I needed to hire a party chief to assist me with this year's season. I just don't have time to train someone in the basics. For a two man shop, we cover an area bigger than some east coast states and do it all from start to finish. I put a post on here and ran one on craigslist for two months. Mind you this is a pretty sweet gig in the IBEW that pays near $40/hr plus full benefits. I made it clear I needed someone with a decent grounding in field work and drafting, preferably at least an LSIT or someone on track to get licensed eventually.
One resume and he wasn't qualified. One. I eventually found my guy but only by going through the grapevine. Either there's a real shortage of party chiefs out there or they're just real happy where they're at. o.O
Just because I'm paranoid, doesn't mean they aren't out to get me.
These are definitely strange times in uncharted waters.