leadmen help

[DDIXON]

where can i get lead men to run my trucks all i have is helpers who i have to baby sit which takes twice as long to get anthing done?I have four trucks my lead men i had retired and moved out of the area.Should i try skilled labor? temp help? My helpers won't even go to school to get ahead i having trouble being in five places at once

[bradleyelectric]

try posting an add in the local paper stating what you are looking for. Call the apprenticeship office in the area asking if they have a hiring list that you can be put on.

[satcom]

where can i get lead men to run my trucks all i have is helpers who i have to baby sit which takes twice as long to get anthing done?I have four trucks my lead men i had retired and moved out of the area.Should i try skilled labor? temp help? My helpers won't even go to school to get ahead i having trouble being in five places at once

As long as your paying a good wage, you should have no problem, finding a good man, your helpers should all be in an approved labor department app program, from the day they are hired, this way you have guys that can move up, to make your company valuable.

[Minuteman]

Are your helpers that are not in school working unsupervised? :confused:

[LarryFine]

DD, where are you?

[iwire]

your helpers should all be in an approved labor department app program, from the day they are hired,

If the area he is in has such programs, not all states do.


DD, where are you?

That is the important question. :smile:

[iwire]

Folks, before coming down on DDIXON keep in mind that the rules are very different across the country, there are still many areas that do not require much if anything about licensing and apprenticing.

[pgordon]

welcome to the club. try and see if they will work a sturday,( Ya, right) the helpers are very diffrent these days.And the temp agents are very expensive.
All the good guys are spoken for, unless your very lucky. It seems that almost every body has some kind of baggage. I find 1 out of 10 are a keeper.and thats a conservative number.

[Minuteman]

DDIXION, one thing that might help you, would be for you to join some sort of trade organization. NECA, IEC, IBEW, The Building Trade Association, or whatever they have in your area. Through it you can find classes for your guys. One of the best things ever is to send a guy that shows some promise to a Foreman's Class.

[DAWGS]

We dont have helpers only apprentices, and they all go through apprenticeship courses. This is part of it when we hire a greenee, if their not willing to learn they can work for someone else. Post adds at the supply houses bulletin board, usually the guys their getting material are decent and all the riff raff are on the job site. Keep hiring until you find the right people, sometimes its not the best electrician but they may be trust worthy, responsible, and with good work ethic, you can teach them the rest.

[BryanMD]

where can i get lead men to run my trucks all i have is helpers who i have to baby sit which takes twice as long to get anthing done?I have four trucks my lead men i had retired and moved out of the area.Should i try skilled labor? temp help? My helpers won't even go to school to get ahead i having trouble being in five places at once


There are really only two ways to get (good) help of any sort.
1) Grow your own.
2) Hire them away from some other company.

(Anyone who can actually do the work is likely already doing it.)

Hopefully Helpful Hint:
Get one of those pay as you go cell phones and then post an ad at the supply houses with that cell number on it. Don't use your company phone number or your regular every day cell number.

Short Term:
Are your "helpers" capable of doing the day to day work?
Pick the best of the bunch and sit him down. Talk turkey.

Do you really just need a baby sitter to keep them moving?
Get a retired/available relative or friend to be a baby sitter for a while.

Do you need a real Journeyman on site to do the work with the helpers?
See above. You'll have to hire him from somewhere else but don't count on a 100% fit right off the bat.

Good Luck.

[e57]

If the area he is in has such programs, not all states do.



Not all areas of the states that do require them do either.... (CA)

[satcom]

Just about every state, has some form of apprentice trainning, licensing has nothing to do with apprentice programs, in some states, different agencies may run the programs in some states, the labor department is active in most of the states. even North Dakota offers both IBEW and NECA programs.

[Rewire]

ABC,IEC,IBEW are availkable in almost every area the benefit to rhese programs are on prevailing wage jobs you can pay apprentice scale

[Pierre C Belarge]

NYS now has a 1 year moratorium on starting new apprentiship programs.
Even without the moratorium, getting an apprentiship program off the ground in NYS is almost as hard as getting a rocket off the ground and also very expensive to start and run - let alone thinking of the continuing paperwork involved.

[KP2]

this may seem extream but if helpers are a dime a dozen then one by one replace the worst one with a new one. you may either get a good one or will scare the others into working harder. like bryanmd posted hire from your compition.

[growler]

1) Grow your own.
2) Hire them away from some other company.

(Anyone who can actually do the work is likely already doing it.)


That's why I belive it's a good invest to purchase a clone. I hear the Iwire2000 is a good model if you can keep it away from a computer ( tends to spend a lot of time on-line ).

By the way, you guys didn't think there was just one Bob did you? Come on, with 18000 post on this site alone it would be impossible. The Bobs that you have grown to know and love are actually demonstration models. :grin: :grin: :grin:

[iwire]

Iwire2000 is a good model if you can keep it away from a computer ( tends to spend a lot of time on-line

That model is a slacker and is drawn to an intenet connection like a bee to honey. :wink:

[khixxx]

I agree that the supply house would be the best bet.

Keep in mind not everyone wants to babysit. I have seen a foreman tell a younger guy to go home or sweep a dirt road. If you hire a new guy he might just walk if the moral is bad at the shop.

Have you asked one of your guys if he can step up and be your go to guy? I have seen guys do a 180 when they are the lead.

[HighWirey]

"There are really only two ways to get (good) help of any sort.
1) Grow your own.
2) Hire them away from some other company"

BrianMD,

Your item 1 is good advice
Your item 2 really sucks

My former employer and great mentor advised that "we never hire away from a competitor"

Maybe I am living in the dark ages, but I think not? Any takers here?

Happy New Year Everyone and Best Wishes

[satcom]

NYS now has a 1 year moratorium on starting new apprentiship programs.
Even without the moratorium, getting an apprentiship program off the ground in NYS is almost as hard as getting a rocket off the ground and also very expensive to start and run - let alone thinking of the continuing paperwork involved.

Are you talking about Union programs, or non Union Labor Department programs?

Train your own, put them in a labor department, or equal program, so they have something of value to work for. Many EC's just don't want the men to improve for fear they will ask for more money, you can blame these guys for some of the lost intrest in the trades.

[BryanMD]

Are you talking about Union programs, or non Union Labor Department programs?


I didn't go deeper but if in NYS...
http://www.abcnys.org/education.cfm

[crossman]

My former employer and great mentor advised that "we never hire away from a competitor"

Maybe I am living in the dark ages, but I think not? Any takers here?

From an electrician's standpoint, that would really suck. If every EC had a rule like that, the homegrown electrician's wage would be stagnant and in total control of the EC who originally gave the guy a job... because no one else would ever hire him.

Homegrown Electrician: "Hey boss, I have been working here for 17 years now, do you think I could get a raise from $13/hour to $14?"

Boss: "Nah, I'm only paying you $13. And if you quit, ain't any other contractor gonna hire you, so I suggest you go back to work and never ask for a raise again."

Competition for labor is a wonderful thing. But I guess it depends on which side of the fence you are on.

[mdshunk]

Your item 2 really sucks

My former employer and great mentor advised that "we never hire away from a competitor"

Maybe I am living in the dark ages, but I think not? Any takers here?

Happy New Year Everyone and Best Wishes
In my labor market, lead men that are unemployed simply don't exist. If you're not growing your own, your only option is to pirate one from another contractor. It's just part of how the game is played in some markets. We're competitors, after all, not buddies. Business is business.

[jrannis]

Folks, before coming down on DDIXON keep in mind that the rules are very different across the country, there are still many areas that do not require much if anything about licensing and apprenticing.

Sorry,
I dont think it is safe or ethical to send poorly trained people out to do electrical work.

[andinator]

Sorry,
I dont think it is safe or ethical to send poorly trained people out to do electrical work.

Come on down to the ATL...:grin:

[dduffee260]

where can i get lead men to run my trucks all i have is helpers who i have to baby sit which takes twice as long to get anthing done?I have four trucks my lead men i had retired and moved out of the area.Should i try skilled labor? temp help? My helpers won't even go to school to get ahead i having trouble being in five places at once

DD you are saying you have four trucks. How did you get to the point where you acquired four trucks? You had to be doing something right to go from one truck to four. What happened to the helpers that were under the lead guys that retired? In our shop they are the ones that moved up.

I used to ask the same thing about help. I once told a mentor of mine that I needed a guy who can do it all. He answered back, those kind of guys are out there, they are known as your competition.

[Minuteman]

I used to ask the same thing about help. I once told a mentor of mine that I needed a guy who can do it all. He answered back, those kind of guys are out there, they are known as your competition.
That's kinda what happened to me. I was contracting on my own, and doing fairly well, till I hit bottom (Long story - sad ending). A guy that had been my general foreman, when I was foreman at a large contractor, had went out on his own and needed a lead man. We ran into each other at the parts house. He called me and now I am top hand and WELL paid.

[LarryFine]

D-Day sure got a lot of responses. It would be a shame if he never comes back.

[tyha]

most of my foreman came from other companies. try Craigslist say electrical foreman needed good pay and truck for quailified canadites. There are alot of good foreman that are with companies that arent taking care of them for whatever reason. Show them that your the one to be with. A good foreman will do wonders for your company when you can show him some respect and security. Thats all they want.

[markabbottjr]

DAWGS hit the nail on the head. I believe my company is good as my worst employee. I went through 8 men before i found one that showed up everyday,wanting to learn and doesnt hide his foul-ups.

[DDIXON]

The help I need is on my trucks this shop is a family run business which lost some key poeple. When I asked the helpers to step up they did knowing I would clean up the loose ends but I am having trouble being in the field and inside getting paper work done and getting jobs to be profitable. I am loking for leadman so I can do my own work done. I in the Tampa/Clearwater area in fla. Thanks for the input DDixon

[jrannis]

True,
If you have an EC license in Florida you can hire and work as many unlicensed people as you want thanks to the Latin Builders Association lobby.

I still dont think its safe or ethical.