Unsatified customer =angry boss= crew leader getting s**t.

[truestory]

He so I've been working for this company for 5 years now, 4 of which I have been a crew leader. I've done everything from planting trees, fruit tree pruning, and hedge trimming to stump grinding and pruning or removing large complex trees. May I add to this that for 3 years I was the only guy climbing and on 2 different occasions my boss took off on vacation for 3 weeks and left me to run his company. Oh yeah first time was right after an ice storm! I think I've been a pretty darn good employee, not perfect because I have made a few mistakes ( who hasn't , it's how you learn!) but nothing truly costly or dramatic. Now last evening around 9:15 pm he calls me up to tell me we aren't working the next day cause not enough work ( 1st time this has happened) . Then he starts telling me that a customer was dissatified with this job I did. She wanted a crabapple tree reduced in heighth, width, crown cleaned and cleared from her roof. (It was quite big). So I proceeded to do that and the finished result was dissapointing to the customer. Now we have to go back and correct it. So I screwed up, but not because I intentionnally botched work, I would never do that. Anyway my boss went on and on about work ethics, and intentions ( says he who cut down the wrong tree just last week, not a large on thankfully and bids on jobs leaving no margin to maneuver and expects us to work like crazy every contract then wonders why we go over by just a little.... has happened many times. ). So, after his venting of frustration and sermon on how to work, I really felt like telling him that I could'nt care less, and that telling me I didn't know how to work after all I've done for him was really insulting. So should I be worried about losing my job, should I speak my mind, should I look for work elsewhere? What's an appropriate course of action here. I've thought about making a change but there a few decent companies around my area and my pay scale for the area is excellent. Thanks for the input and sorry for the whinning but I just wanna be diplomatic here.

 

[Babaganoosh]

Sounds like he might be blowing it out if proportion in order to get rid of you.

 

[Del_]

Well if you can make it right go back and do it. Sounds like you didn't take enough off but at the same time it sounds like you have already taken off more that what was good for the tree. Mention that to the boss. Tell your boss your goal is to please both he and his clients and to please ease off on you a bit because you are just like everyone else and have feelings, frustrations etc. enough in your life to deal with already and don't need a bunch of crap over a stupid tree!

 

[lone wolf]

Sounds like he might be blowing it out if proportion in order to get rid of you.

Not really sounds like the usual crap , no big deal why worry about it. Aint going to be no picnic no matter where the OP goes. Sounds mundane in fact why bother.

 

[truestory]

He's a perfectionist. This one time I took an allen key from a set in the garage to work with me in order to change my tether on my RW. He looked all afternoon for that one allen key and then told us that we always have to put stuff back where it belongs ( geez as if we didn't know). I think it's blown out of proportion, he's just frustrated because it affects his reputation. But geez he's surely made similar mistakes himself and yet instead of just waiting for another day of work and just going back to correct it and himself maybe indicating and educating on the proper way of doing it so it doesn't happen again, he ***** on me. Wtf kinda of leader does that. Any way, it is just a reparable mistake and no I don't need that bs in my life. That's what's making me want to give him a piece of my mind.

 

[truestory]

Babaganoosh, your theory of blowing things out of proportion in order to have me quit never occured to me. To confirm ( or reject this theory) what tell-tell signs should I look for?

 

[Marshy]

Maybe there are underlying issues he hasn't discussed with you and this is "the straw that broke the camels back" and he's venting. Maybe there are other things he's wanted to say but hasn't and they are coming to fruition through this job? I'd ask him why he's coming down so hard and explain why you felt justified leaving the end result for the customer.

 

[Babaganoosh]

That's only one possibility, I've just seen it happen a few times so I threw it out there.

As the above poster mentioned there's usually an underlying reason for that type of behavior. Usually something going on that you don't know about. Might not even concern you.

However if that's how the guy is 24/7 you just have to decide if that's acceptable to you to have as a boss. If yes, either weather the storm or ask the guy what's up, if no, well time to look for another employer.

Life's too short to have horrible bosses.

 

[lone wolf]

OP elaborate on how not costly your few mistakes were?

 

[Stihlofadeal64]

Maybe there are underlying issues he hasn't discussed with you and this is "the straw that broke the camels back" and he's venting. Maybe there are other things he's wanted to say but hasn't and they are coming to fruition through this job? I'd ask him why he's coming down so hard and explain why you felt justified leaving the end result for the customer.

Good advice. May be time when your head cools to have a heart to heart talk about your job. If things don't add up (you feel you work hard, he seems to trust you -- now the hammer falls and you just wanna know the truth) then let him lay it out for your. If you really don't WANT to hear it, then don't ask.

 

[juttree]

Personally I don't see why you keep saying you made a mistake. That kinda stuff happens all the time, the wife loves it then the husband gets home and he wanted more off. If the customer told you while you were there, then it is your mistake. As far as the bosses response goes, it sounds like he blew it out of proportion (if you didn't know that the customer wasn't happy). I does sound like he trusts you and your work though. He probably wouldn't be going on vacation and leaving you with all the responsibility if he didn't. I don't think you should be mad at him for going on vacation, what's the alternative, shut down and leave you all without work (and a paycheck)?
I think you should talk to him and let him know where your heads at but leave all that "he's got it easy and I have it hard" stuff at the door. I know you didn't say that but GENERALLY that's how employees feel. It's not easy running a company. Unless he's just a pickup truck and chainsaw kinda company, then to hell with him.

 

[capetrees]

Make sure you have a discussion with the owner and find out what she really said to him. His version may be way off base. I've gone back many times to the job after the boss says the job is screwed up only to find the owner just wanted to change some minor detail, nothing big.

And make sure you cut every branch and twig she wants you too so when it comes out hideous and lopsided, you can blame her for the mess.

"Just doing what I was told maam ...."

 

[Pelorus]

Juttree: "It's not easy running a company"

X2!!!
I wonder if the quotation for the crabapple pruning wasn't communicated properly from the get go.
Client / co. owner who did estimate / you.
Anyway, be greatful that you have been able to learn and make mistakes on someone else's dime.
I think there might be a disconnect in how valuable you perceive your contributions to be, vs how wonderful the company owner views your worth to him....just sayin'

 

[juttree]

Juttree: "It's not easy running a company"

X2!!!
I wonder if the quotation for the crabapple pruning wasn't communicated properly from the get go.
Client / co. owner who did estimate / you.
Anyway, be greatful that you have been able to learn and make mistakes on someone else's dime.
I think there might be a disconnect in how valuable you perceive your contributions to be, vs how wonderful the company owner views your worth to him....just sayin'

Well said. My brother is the owner of the company that I work for and it's a very very rare occasion that I hear any type of praise, but it's not because he doesn't think I do good work. He's just not that type of guy. Maybe your boss is the same way. I know it's not right and it doesn't make it easy but just remember, we're usually hardest on the ones we care about the most. He probably expects the most out of you.

 

[treebilly]

Your boss could've had a real bad day and then the custy calls to complain. Sets him off on you. It happens. My boss does it occasionally to me. I snap on him occasionally too. After heads cool, just ask what's going on. You could get an apology, or another ear full.

 

[BC WetCoast]

Sometimes the boss needs to vent, so it's either you or he kicks the dog. If he has some OCD tendencies then a missing Allen key will drive him nuts. We all have idiosyncrasies, bosses have to put up with those of their crews and the crews have to put up with the boss'.

Some days I'm told I'm the top foreman, some days I get yelled at. I was talking to a former colleague who quit and moved to a competitor. His comment "Tree companies are all the same, we're all the same workers and the bosses are pretty much all the same". I just let the yelling slide on by. If he wants to fire me, he can. In BC, you can be fired for any reason at any time, the only thing that changes is your severance (minimum 2 weeks for 'no cause' and nothing for 'cause' and the courts have shown that short of killing someone, there is no 'cause').

 

[weedkilla]

My point of view is that of a business owner, if you are having to take a day off because there isn't enough work -your boss is stressed. You say its never happened before, he's probably ******** bricks. The bills keep coming, but the work has slowed. You would be his biggest wage, he expects the most from you.
I have no doubt he is poor at communicating these things to you, but stick by him. Try and think of some ways to bring in some more work. Try and think of some ways to cut costs. Anything that shows you realise things are tight (that you think he might take on board, some people just get pissy).

Mistakes happen, we all know that, this doesn't sound like a biggy. Take it on the chin, learn the lesson of how not to treat staff and move on.
Do you want to work for yourself one day? Then keep filing away all the times he acts like a **** and vow to be a better employer one day, all my best lessons came from bosses I learned to really dislīke.

 

[Wayne Wilkinson]

Well, im not going to say your not an awesome employee. Running a job site takes skill, climbing, pruning, running a bucket, chipper, bobcat, all that takes skill and to be able to do all of them while managing guys and trying to stay under budget is deserving of praise. Or at least a paycheck, didnt you say he pays pretty well for your area? 4 years of service, longest employee right hand man? good awesome. Have you ever set up advertising? how many of these jobs have you bid? how many other companies are there in the area who preform the same quality of work your company does. that will determine weather or not he has much wiggle room for YOUR and your other employees mistakes. didnt you say you guys work pretty regular? thats tuff in its self. taxes, insurance, equipment repairs. i can go on and on. running the job site is less then half the battle. By now he should be able to let you "run the show" and stand in the back round playing puppet master. someone has to. let him vent, say your sorry and you wont let it happen again. fix it if you can. its not your money your losing when you or another employee makes a mistake. you are getting paid to mess up essentially, then fix your mistake. never know after you apoligize he may shake his head and say the same thing and give you a raise next week. maybe the tree wasnt that bad and it was just a crappy client. Be glad you work for a company with a good rep and does clean work. you could be working for someone who doesnt care for your or your other employees safety, always late with the checks, shoddy equipment. Getting yelled at every now and then humbles you and we all need that every now and then.

 

[lone wolf]

Wow I'm just happy if they show up do their best and dont break anything or get hurt! Oh and nothing worse then a know it all that cant shut up.

 

[BC WetCoast]

Did he throw his hard hat?

Hard hat throwers are the worst to work for