Finding Quality Employees

[urbanlt]

One of the major problems my company has is finding good employees. I was wondering

1. If anyone has tried anything besides advertising on Craigslist or in the local paper to find good help.

2. How you guys create loyalty in your guys so that they stay and don't leave for the next so called better deal or start their own tree services.

I put ads in the paper and all I get are the guys who have washed out of everywhere else. And when I hire one of those wash out guys I can't rely on them staying long. I have also carried guys through the winer and had them leave to do their own work as soon as the season hits.

We offer:

Competitive Wages
100% paid Health Insurance after 3 mo.
401K with employer match after 6mo.
2 weeks paid vaca after 1 year
Quarterly bonuses between $0-one weeks pay based on performance
Optional unlimited overtime at time and a half

We require:

A driver License
ISA Cert

 

[lxt]

whats your starting wage?

Try this I did!! Go to your local highschools & talk to the guidance counselor(s) about a career day, many schools already have this in their ciriculum, I hired some decent guys for the summer, wasnt their bag but they worked good, showed up all in all a good exp. I will do it again this year it enlightens some into trying the field & sooner or later I figure Ill find someone.

Problem with some companies is the requirements, CDL, ISA, Applicators License, x number yrs exp., etc... we are one of the few trades that wants all employees to have these credentials, but it is usually not reflected in the wage offered!!

all I can say is money, money money!!! pay em good they`ll stay, be an azz to em & pay em **** their gone!!! Good Luck.

LXT................

 

[urbanlt]

Starting Wage

I don't think it has to do with paying them ****. I think most of these guys don't think about their future they are just thinking about right now.

Grounds person no experience $10-$12 per hour
Grounds persons 1 year experience can run ropes $12-$14
Climber in training $15-$17
Climber with 1-2 years experience $15-$18 depending on speed and pruning techn.
ISA Cert climber $18-$25 depending on skill level different kinds of training and ability to lead a crew effectively
Consulting Arborists with ISA and ASCA cert $25-$32


I like your Idea about the High School kids. I have some really good guys right now who were inexperienced when I hired them. I have never trained and employee to climb for fear of mucking up my workmen’s comp but I am considering it now with these guys.

I have had an employment ad in the paper for a year straight and have not had one arborist who made it longer then 6 months. I have fired about 10 guys this year so far mostly for not showing up on a regular basis.

 

[clearance]

I don't think it has to do with paying them ****. I think most of these guys don't think about their future they are just thinking about right now.

Grounds person no experience $10-$12 per hour
Grounds persons 1 year experience can run ropes $12-$14
Climber in training $15-$17
Climber with 1-2 years experience $15-$18 depending on speed and pruning techn.
ISA Cert climber $18-$25 depending on skill level different kinds of training and ability to lead a crew effectively
Consulting Arborists with ISA and ASCA cert $25-$32


I like your Idea about the High School kids. I have some really good guys right now who were inexperienced when I hired them. I have never trained and employee to climb for fear of mucking up my workmen’s comp but I am considering it now with these guys.

I have had an employment ad in the paper for a year straight and have not had one arborist who made it longer then 6 months. I have fired about 10 guys this year so far mostly for not showing up on a regular basis.

Perhaps you could pay according to what people produce, for example, groundsmen, they are not all the same, some are culls and should be down the road, others are just awesome. A good groundsman is the key to treework. Now you say you have never trained an employee to climb before but now you are thinking of it, hence the $15-$17 range. A beginning climber does not produce profit like a good groundsman, yet you are willing to pay him more. Thats fine if he sticks around, but if he's gone, you have eaten the loss. As far as the conslutants being paid $25-$32, crazy, take a little of thier wage and give it to the guys who actually do the work.

 

[urbanlt]

A consultant is worth their weight in Gold on a large commercial job or a government job you need them their to present to boards, speak to the public and to the media. You can not cut down a tree in Portland with out their being a public outcry.

I think I would only train an already good grounds person to be a climber so I think they should get more for going out of their comfort zone and making an effort to learn new skills.

Do you think I should keep them at ground person wages while they train?

I don't think I have had a grounds person that was worth more then $14. What do you pay your grounds persons? What do you think my very good grounds people are worth considering what I pay my climbers? Have you ever trained a climber?

 

[clearance]

Some groundsmen in B.C. get paid $12-$14 an hour, some get more, like $22, in the bush windfirming it is $175 for a 61/2 hour day. You only think your groundsmen are woth $14 at the most? Either they are not that good or you do not value them that much. Yes I have trained climbers, to work around power. Its sad you need a p.r. mouthpiece to cut down trees down, its getting more and more like that here. At least doing utility, the municipal or city guys have little say, which is a good thing.

It bothers me that you refer to guys as "washouts", what exactly do you mean by that? I work hard at every job I have ever done, I have quit many jobs, a year at one is a long time for me. Many reasons, I get pizzed off, bored, I move, something better comes along. The way I see it, all the bouncing around I have done has given me more experience of work, people and this province. Not that there is anything wrong with working at the same place for your whole career, each to his own.

 

[lxt]

Urbanit, your wages paid out will depend on geographical area & what the competition is paying, $12-$14 an hr in my area is pretty good & actually $14 is what I pay my one groundie, $12.75 for the others, my climbers/ bucket operators make $25-$32 depending on their skills & what kinda job we`re doing.

crane jobs pay way more & my team gets paid well, the highschool thing I did because im not gettin any younger, some of these kids gotta see the opportunity in this field, this is what I present them with.

while at a career day one of the seniors came over & said whats it pay, what kinda benefits, pension, how longs it take, etc... I gave that boy a sample of what the larger companies provide & when I told him if you apply yourself, work hard you will make Damn good money $30+ an hr not uncommon, THIS caught his attention as well some of the teachers!! was a good exp.


LXT.....................

 

[urbanlt]

Nothing wrong with getting youth excited about our trade. Maybe if more companies did this there would not be a shortage of guys. I have looked into this based on your advise and there are lots of programs here to help youth learn a trade. There is even a $500 tax credit if you hire someone under 25 for jobs that are upwardly mobile.

 

[lxt]

Glad to hear it, The training thing is the hard part, not so much in the field but in being competitive, training slows ya down some, but I figure down the road is where I will reap the benefit!! hopefully.

LXT...........

 

[(WLL)]

Perhaps you could pay according to what people produce, for example, groundsmen, they are not all the same, some are culls and should be down the road, others are just awesome. A good groundsman is the key to treework. Now you say you have never trained an employee to climb before but now you are thinking of it, hence the $15-$17 range. A beginning climber does not produce profit like a good groundsman, yet you are willing to pay him more. Thats fine if he sticks around, but if he's gone, you have eaten the loss. As far as the conslutants being paid $25-$32, crazy, take a little of thier wage and give it to the guys who actually do the work.

man thats a good post!!!!

 

[mjellison]

weeding out the crackheads

I think drug testing is helpful to weed out less desireable tree workers. especially with the meth epidemic. I will never work for another company that doesn't. the last one I worked at that didn't I found a crack pipe under the seat! I was out of there pretty quick!

 

[Canyonbc]

I think drug testing is helpful to weed out less desireable tree workers. especially with the meth epidemic. I will never work for another company that doesn't. the last one I worked at that didn't I found a crack pipe under the seat! I was out of there pretty quick!

Smart move.

Its not even the matter of the illegal part...but if some guy is high on meth...i wouldnt want him running ropes for me (an example)

Safety.

 

[clearance]

I think drug testing is helpful to weed out less desireable tree workers. especially with the meth epidemic. I will never work for another company that doesn't. the last one I worked at that didn't I found a crack pipe under the seat! I was out of there pretty quick!

Pot as well? How did you know it was a crack pipe, experienced using them?

 

[Canyonbc]

Pot as well? How did you know it was a crack pipe, experienced using them?

Anything. In my mind.

Lol about the pipe.

 

[NORTREE]

I think drug testing is helpful to weed out less desireable tree workers. especially with the meth epidemic. I will never work for another company that doesn't. the last one I worked at that didn't I found a crack pipe under the seat! I was out of there pretty quick!

My experience over the last couple of years has been as soon as I tell them they need to pass a DOT physical and drug test they are no longer interested in the job...which is why I have been working short handed.My old truck insurancce stated "No drivers under 21" which hurt! I just had a young kid that started his own tree service last spring ask for a job to get through the winter but he doesn't want to follow Z133 standards or take a drug test...seems sad to me.I'll take a 40+ year old thats slower but safer and doesn't have a problem with taking a drug test any day. A week after I bought the crane last March my son came home from college and told me he joined the Marines...that was a downer...he was getting good at pruning and bucket work but the Marines have guns and stuff to blow up...

 

[mjellison]

Pot as well? How did you know it was a crack pipe, experienced using them?

Pretty easy to tell the difference. I don't use drugs period, I think anybody with half a brain could tell the difference between the two. Just trying to give my two cents. How about trying to give advice instead of insulting people.

 

[Slvrmple72]

mjellison, dont mind clearence hes just ornery! Good for you steering clear of trouble. For every 60 worthless workers you go through you will get about 5 that are pure gold, 15 that are so so, and a few I wouldnt even want taking my order at mickyds.

 

[tree MDS]

The problem with drug testing is there are alot of really friggin good tree guys that smoke pot, its just a fact. So I dont bother putting that in my help wanted adds, I figure the phone will never ring !

 

[ropensaddle]

Urbanit, your wages paid out will depend on geographical area & what the competition is paying, $12-$14 an hr in my area is pretty good & actually $14 is what I pay my one groundie, $12.75 for the others, my climbers/ bucket operators make $25-$32 depending on their skills & what kinda job we`re doing.

crane jobs pay way more & my team gets paid well, the highschool thing I did because im not gettin any younger, some of these kids gotta see the opportunity in this field, this is what I present them with.

while at a career day one of the seniors came over & said whats it pay, what kinda benefits, pension, how longs it take, etc... I gave that boy a sample of what the larger companies provide & when I told him if you apply yourself, work hard you will make Damn good money $30+ an hr not uncommon, THIS caught his attention as well some of the teachers!! was a good exp.


LXT.....................

This is what has kept wages ****, the going rate malarcky, I think
pay should be able to be based on ability, and the sky should be the
limit! It is what all the big employers do is pay what or just a little
more than the other! The main thing I want in any employee is honesty,
and loyalty,paying the going rate is one way to get the status
quoe employee. Paying his true worth is how you get a great employee
that will bless you and your company. I myself feel persons of this profession like many other ie accountants,doctors etc should make similar wages, and I am more than worth 100 per hour. If my wages are met I show up early,pinch it off until break and work late. It is true!

 

[OLD CHIPMONK]

Around here it's the Men's Transition Center ( from prison to the workplace ). The men are allowed to call local business people & apply for work. I would imagine some would make excellent employees , show up for work on time & not complain too much. They are pre-screened, drug free & given the alternative option, probably good workers. I have never hired, even on a daily basis, because you are not allowed to discuss their reason for incarsuration or time they served. It's an option best left open.