The Anomaly Worker

[AndyG]

This may be a little bit of Groundhog Day but I can’t help but want to put this into words again-

I have two workers who are faithful talented and accomplished finish carpenters and cabinet builders.

I love them. The odd thing is usually people like this are generally very together people. I’m talking clean white socks. Organized work trucks. Bills paid. Not these guys.

They’re lives are nothing short of chaos. Total chaos. Especially the son.

I don’t mean just a little bit. I’m talking about walking crap show.

Here is where I take issue- You can’t believe how it permeates the company. You would think the personality and treats of the boss would be dominant in a small business culture but not even close.

The underlying problem is he doesn’t know what he has at work and he doesn’t know what he doesn’t have so he’s constantly scrambling and he can’t even anticipate what he’s going to need which is critical to construction and moving forward.

If you want to make money in construction you have to move ahead so smoothly and part of that is you have to be good enough at what you’re doing you don’t have to think to do it so you can think about the next step and the step after that.

This guy wakes up and goes which ever way his wiener is pointing and figures it out as he goes.

No I’m telling all of this to say I am trying to figure out what I can do to counteract this and the only thing I can come up with is to hand him his supplies on an “as needed” basis.


He uses things up and/or misplaces them and we end up needing things we should have and don’t.

Hit me with ideas.

 

[Rickyd]

Some people are just simple workers. They need to work under supervision.reflect that in the pay scale of the guy who needs to wipe his ass for him.

 

[mrblaine]

Hit me with ideas.

If you could explain and have them understand, you wouldn't have to since they would already know and understand.

The only choices you have are to put up with it and work around it by babysitting endlessly, hire someone to babysit endlessly, or dump them and get someone who has their shit together. What you are not going to ever do is change how they are.

I work with a really smart guy. He is a talented automotive electrician. He is beyond skilled. Somedays his brain is fucking mush. We hooked up a stellar interior LED light. The wire routing was a bit painful since it was inside the hardtop at the rear. I take a look at the install and there is a pair of 14 gauge wires.

WTF? What's the amp draw? I look on the box and it is right at 1 amp. Yeah, no more than a pair of 18 gauge wires are needed and we're fighting the routing and BS with this comparative monster pair of 14 gauge in braided sleeve loom for a 1 amp draw.

I look at some seat heater connections and notice there is the 3 buck a foot extra large braided loom on them. Looks like ass. Again WTF? Oh, I needed something that would slide over the connector so I didn't have to remove the connector since I forgot to put the loom on before I tied it all together. Yeah, fix that shit.

Stop using those zip ties for mock up, only use them for final. This has been going on for years. Finally I send over the link where he can buy some for 52 cents each, or spend 350 for a 1000 of them. OH! Yeah oh! STOP using them for mock up. ONLY use them on the final. We're on the 3rd bag, that is over a grand, 1000 actual fucking dollars in zip ties. STOP using them for mock up.

 

[AndyG]

Some people are just simple workers. They need to work under supervision.reflect that in the pay scale of the guy who needs to wipe his ass for him.

Well said, And I have always said you are only going to make so much if I have to go to carry you...good stuff.

 

[AndyG]

If you could explain and have them understand, you wouldn't have to since they would already know and understand.

The only choices you have are to put up with it and work around it by babysitting endlessly, hire someone to babysit endlessly, or dump them and get someone who has their shit together. What you are not going to ever do is change how they are.

I work with a really smart guy. He is a talented automotive electrician. He is beyond skilled. Somedays his brain is fucking mush. We hooked up a stellar interior LED light. The wire routing was a bit painful since it was inside the hardtop at the rear. I take a look at the install and there is a pair of 14 gauge wires.

WTF? What's the amp draw? I look on the box and it is right at 1 amp. Yeah, no more than a pair of 18 gauge wires are needed and we're fighting the routing and BS with this comparative monster pair of 14 gauge in braided sleeve loom for a 1 amp draw.

I look at some seat heater connections and notice there is the 3 buck a foot extra large braided loom on them. Looks like ass. Again WTF? Oh, I needed something that would slide over the connector so I didn't have to remove the connector since I forgot to put the loom on before I tied it all together. Yeah, fix that shit.

Stop using those zip ties for mock up, only use them for final. This has been going on for years. Finally I send over the link where he can buy some for 52 cents each, or spend 350 for a 1000 of them. OH! Yeah oh! STOP using them for mock up. ONLY use them on the final. We're on the 3rd bag, that is over a grand, 1000 actual fucking dollars in zip ties. STOP using them for mock up.

Amen. Some folks are so hard headed- I declare some things are unlearnable with some folks.

 

[mrblaine]

Amen. Some folks are so hard headed- I declare some things are unlearnable with some folks.

Has zero to do with being hard headed. If you run across folks that care about the company, the customer, and applied a similar work ethic as yours to getting the job done, they won't work for you because they are running their own companies. The ones that can't do that are who you get to hire and now you get to deal with all the problems of them that can't figure it out.

 

[AndyG]

Has zero to do with being hard headed. If you run across folks that care about the company, the customer, and applied a similar work ethic as yours to getting the job done, they won't work for you because they are running their own companies. The ones that can't do that are who you get to hire and now you get to deal with all the problems of them that can't figure it out.

That is exactly right. Anybody that is as good as we want them to be is able to bounce their own ball.

Every now and then you find somebody that was in business for them self that understands a little bit more but when you hire them you also find out what limitations they had that held them back as owners.

In my mind and I know I am including myself in the group but it is the owners who really stand out- The people who are willing to do whatever it takes. All the time. They know what will fly and they know what will not. They know when to make it better and when to call it good.

 

[steelhd]

Hit me with ideas.

As a person diagnosed late in life with ADHD, and who raised a daughter with ADHD, that sounds like classic severe ADHD. Both father and son having it is normally how it goes. There isn't a thing you can do to "fix" them because they didn't pick up enough life hacks and tricks on their own already. Do they make you money? If so learn all you can about ADHD to decide for yourself if that is the problem and then do your best to understand and accommodate their situation and harness their abilities. If they cost you money then they are in the wrong place and have to go.

 

[AndyG]

As a person diagnosed late in life with ADHD, and who raised a daughter ADHD, that sounds like classic severe ADHD. Both father and son having it is normally how it goes. There isn't a thing you can do to "fix" them because they didn't pick up the enough life hacks and tricks on their own already. Do they make you money? If so learn all you can about ADHD to decide for yourself if that is the problem and then do your best to understand and accommodate their situation.

Oh yes I agree 100% fixing people is not part of my life strategy

Either work with things or avoid them are the best two strategies

I’m just thinking of how to appropriate materials since he can’t seem to keep up with anything-

I’d like to see some improvement but he is exactly where he was at 30 years of age when he came to work here over a decade ago if not a little further behind....

No car, broke, addicted...you name it


I thought about getting a trailer and setting it up with supplies in taking it from job to job but anything you do he just absolutely ransacks it-

Then wonders why he doesn’t have anything to work with.

 

[steelhd]

Oh yes I agree 100% fixing people is not part of my life strategy

Sure it is. Coaching, mentoring, etc are ways to "fix" peoples performance issues at work. You obviously do it and do it well.

 

[ColoJeep]

That is exactly right. Anybody that is as good as we want them to be is able to bounce their own ball.

Every now and then you find somebody that was in business for them self that understands a little bit more but when you hire them you also find out what limitations they had that held them back as owners.

In my mind and I know I am including myself in the group but it is the owners who really stand out- The people who are willing to do whatever it takes. All the time. They know what will fly and they know what will not. They know when to make it better and when to call it good.

What is difficult is you want / need folks to have the same drive and prospective as you. Realistically that will not happen . I had a guy that was very talented and well versed in many different areas. However , he would get side tracked or hung up on the smallest detail and paralyze whatever project he was working on.
He would get focused on something and then argue with me that his way was the only way . Too many times I had to burst that bubble. Projects are schedule and cost driven , plus providing great customer satisfaction. I was sick with type A flu for 2 days and this guy got into it with my director who fired him. It solved the directors problem , but increased mine 10 fold since we couldn't attract the skillset required for the wage scale offered. It sucks but there are no easy paths forward . You seem to deal with damaged , talented people , or you have nice responsible people who can only install drawer pulls if you pre.- drill the holes.
I have lived this and hope God sends some good guys your direction.

 

[AndyG]

Sure it is. Coaching, mentoring, etc are ways to "fix" peoples performance issues at work. You obviously do it and do it well.

Well let me say it a little bit better- We can change people’s knowledge, skills and approach to things.... but we can’t fix character or things that mom and dad should have instilled into them ...

 

[AndyG]

What is difficult is you want / need folks to have the same drive and prospective as you. Realistically that will not happen . I had a guy that was very talented and well versed in many different areas. However , he would get side tracked or hung up on the smallest detail and paralyze whatever project he was working on.
He would get focused on something and then argue with me that his way was the only way . Too many times I had to burst that bubble. Projects are schedule and cost driven , plus providing great customer satisfaction. I was sick with type A flu for 2 days and this guy got into it with my director who fired him. It solved the directors problem , but increased mine 10 fold since we couldn't attract the skillset required for the wage scale offered. It sucks but there are no easy paths forward . You seem to deal with damaged , talented people , or you have nice responsible people who can only install drawer pulls if you pre.- drill the holes.
I have lived this and hope God sends some good guys your direction.

I have a buddy who says in business you have to succeed with people that have failed at most everything....