Polishing the Pile

[sgreanbeans]

So I have a new phrase, it should be used to describe those guys you all hire, that start off like a ball of fire and then fizzle to the point that they grab a rake and clean up a area that is very small, but they remain there, trying to look busy in front of the boss, raking endlessly a small little pile of junk until it is perfect, trying to make it last as long as possible, as to avoid picking up anything heavy our doing ANYTHING at all that would make them sweat, You guys know who/what I am talking about. I now dub the description of this practice as "POLISHING THE PILE"
U can also use this as a description for a individual who displays this skill, in other words, u can call a guy a "PILE POLISHER", to describe the weakness of such said individual.
I can call him a new name now, "unemployed"!

 

[derwoodii]

Workin with a large grounds garden crew one bloke some how could get though the whole day with out a mark or stain on his pants, his hands always smooth and clean. What you described was just how he operated kept a nice high profile doing nuthin.

I heard last hes is now the boss, go figure that.

 

[treevet]

Workin with a large grounds garden crew one bloke some how could get though the whole day with out a mark or stain on his pants, his hands always smooth and clean. What you described was just how he operated kept a nice high profile doing nuthin.

I heard last hes is now the boss, go figure that.

Jeff Lovstrom? :kilt:

 

[Grace Tree]

Jeff Lovstrom? :kilt:

Hah hah -A guy who never met a mirror he didn't like.
Phil

 

[Sunrise Guy]

So I have a new phrase, it should be used to describe those guys you all hire, that start off like a ball of fire and then fizzle to the point that they grab a rake and clean up a area that is very small, but they remain there, trying to look busy in front of the boss, raking endlessly a small little pile of junk until it is perfect, trying to make it last as long as possible, as to avoid picking up anything heavy our doing ANYTHING at all that would make them sweat, You guys know who/what I am talking about. I now dub the description of this practice as "POLISHING THE PILE"
U can also use this as a description for a individual who displays this skill, in other words, u can call a guy a "PILE POLISHER", to describe the weakness of such said individual.
I can call him a new name now, "unemployed"!

I kind of like that.

We used to have this guy who would dig in when we told him exactly what to do but, after completing that one task, would go sit his butt down, literally, and watch us work until we gave him another thing to do. While I don't expect my ground guys to be Einsteins, I do expect them to have enough smarts to stay busy with things needing to be done.

 

[Goober]

Jeff Lovstrom? :kilt:

:agree2:

 

[treemandan]

:agree2:

DAM GOOB! yer first post and you are bustin on old man Lovstrom? Oh Hell, that just ain't right! Dam!

And please, everybody, please please please don't get started on the rake thing. Just the other night my wife told my I was hollering in my sleep about it. I blame the rake manufactuers, they don't put the directions on the dam things.

 

[Goober]

DAM GOOB! yer first post and you are bustin on old man Lovstrom? Oh Hell, that just ain't right! Dam!

I've read his posts, they speak for themselves!

 

[tree md]

Jeff Lovstrom? :kilt:

Too funny!

I also got a name for the guys who like to avoid dragging brush and loading logs. I call them the rope rollers. You know, the ones who always start rolling up the ropes instead of digging in with the rest of the guys and getting the wood to the truck. I've got one rule on my crew; no one rolls the ropes except for me. I actually flake my rope into bags these days but I still call them rope rollers.

I had a boss ask me one time why I hadn't raked an area back when I worked the ground. He was just giving me #### because I had already worked my ass off getting the brush and logs loaded. I told him that I had looked the rake over and couldn't find an on/off switch anywhere on the dam thing.

 

[ForTheArborist]

This is a funny #### thread.

There is just something about those rakes. I can do the trees, and load the trucks no problem, but once it's down to the rakes and brooms, I'm spitting curse words etc like I'm cursed for having to pull rake/push broom. And I think I am cursed.

I think it goes back to when my pops always burnt mine and my brothers ### about hauling his brush and raking non-stop for years and years. Our weekends, time off after school, and vacations from school were sole his labor pool. The guy would never even utter the words thank you, pay us, or anything at all if we were on time and finished up, but he sure would end our livelihoods as much as he possibly could for anything but quality performance. So these were hard times.

Once we sugared his chainsaw carburetor. He never proved it, but assumed it. It wasn't long before we were out of jobs because he sent us out of state to a military school. It didn't get any easier from there I tell you.

...and it all leads back to those ###### rakes.

lol

 

[treemandan]

This is a funny #### thread.

There is just something about those rakes. I can do the trees, and load the trucks no problem, but once it's down to the rakes and brooms, I'm spitting curse words etc like I'm cursed for having to pull rake/push broom. And I think I am cursed.

I think it goes back to when my pops always burnt mine and my brothers ### about hauling his brush and raking non-stop for years and years. Our weekends, time off after school, and vacations from school were sole his labor pool. The guy would never even utter the words thank you, pay us, or anything at all if we were on time and finished up, but he sure would end our livelihoods as much as he possibly could for anything but quality performance. So these were hard times.

Once we sugared his chainsaw carburetor. He never proved it, but assumed it. It wasn't long before we were out of jobs because he sent us out of state to a military school. It didn't get any easier from there I tell you.

...and it all leads back to those ###### rakes.

lol

You , ONCE AGAIN, sound like a true piece of work.

 

[tree MDS]

Its friday, don't even get me started. I'm too sick from it to laugh.

 

[treemandan]

Its friday, don't even get me started. I'm too sick from it to laugh.

Yeah, you had better just cool off, have a few beers and try to forget this rake thing. You can give a guy a yard implement but for crying out loud you can't make him use it.

 

[ForTheArborist]

yeah, you had better just cool off, have a few beers and try to forget this rake thing. You can give a guy a yard implement but for crying out loud you can't make him use it.

lol

 

[tree MDS]

Yeah, you had better just cool off, have a few beers and try to forget this rake thing. You can give a guy a yard implement but for crying out loud you can't make him use it.

Its not so much the rake, as the thing attached to the other end of the rake that I'm trying to forget.

I will take you up on the beer deal though!

 

[cassandrasdaddy]

we called guys like that wheeelbarrows

a wheelbarrow is an awesome tool can get a lot done but you gotta grab ir by the handles and push it. some guys are like that. and some have no shame either.

 

[911crash]

there are 3 types of workers, you have workers who just work, then you have cutters, who love to cut so he doesnt have to drag brush or logs. then you have the hiders, their the ones who put their coolers just outside the view of the boss (usually by the side of the garage close to the chipper) so they can eat and drink out of view. that tells me they havent worked hard enough to warrant a break. the guys who eat and drink in front of the boss usually dont need to justify their breaks, they are the workers

 

[sgreanbeans]

At one point, this kid was "Polishing" and he stops, puts his head down on the handle, I ask him what he is doing, he looks at me with this really weird look, puff gasp, puff gasp "I'm catching my breath"
My crew all wear safety orange shirts, they get dirty and soaked with sweat, his shirt however, was clean and dry.
"WHAT DO YOU MEAN YOUR OUT OF BREATH"
The pile was perfect, but about enough to fill half a scoop shovel!

 

[Tree Machine]

The longer it takes to finish, the more they get paid.

The less work they do, the more you will end up doing.

The more helpless they act, the more likely you are to help them.

If the end of the job can be delayed long enough, you are less likely to move on to another job and may go home early.


Kinda brilliant in a pathetic way.

 

[sgreanbeans]

Touche!
I will not tolerate Milkers (sp?) My wife is on the job alot, helping with clean up or running a porta wrap, 100lbs soaking wet, will out work most men and will light your but up if your not performing (even me!)
She said, almost verbatim, what you just said.
"He's milking the clock, hes gotta go"