Stolen Tools

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ike5547

Senior Member
Location
Chico, CA
Occupation
Electrician
There is another aspect to this, IMO.

If someone were to borrow, or even rent, your tool entirely for their own use, on their own project, entirely for their own profit, then I can see them paying out 100% of the value of the lost tool.

But if your employee, who never had even the possibility of ownership of the tool themselves to begin with, should, in the performance for a wage on one of your jobs, for your profit, through neglect or otherwise lose your tool on that job, then I don't think they should be forced to pay 100% of its value for your continued ownership of the tool.

It's a cost of doing business.
 

satcom

Senior Member
I just had a guy leave a $700 circuit tracer on top of his van and he forgot to put it back and he drove away. Needless to say it was never found. He was trying to call around to the supply houses to replace it himself.

I told him not to worry and I would pay for the replacement as long as he remembered to take more care in the future.

He's a great guy and I am certain he did not mean to lose it.

Point is that you need to hire and train employees that you can build a solid trust factor with and support them through their mistakes.

Just another cost of doing business. Lost and/or stolen tools should be an item in your overhead for the year anyhow.:)

Today it's a circuit tracer on top of his van, another day it may be a safety step he forgets, the real issue is his mind was somewhere else, your lucky to discover his faults, before a more serious problem comes along.
 

nhfire77

Senior Member
Location
NH
Today it's a circuit tracer on top of his van, another day it may be a safety step he forgets, the real issue is his mind was somewhere else, your lucky to discover his faults, before a more serious problem comes along.

That's harsh. You have trust issues. I don't know the details but, everyone deserves the benefit of doubt, occasionally, if you trust them. Again, you have to have a history to trust them.

I bring this up because occasionally I break things. Expensive things, becuase I'm an oaf, but when I do no one is looking to fire me. I earn my keep as it were.
 
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growler

Senior Member
Location
Atlanta,GA
He remembered that night and called to let me know.

I don't know the details but, everyone deserves the benefit of doubt, occasionally, if you trust them.


The fact that the guy called and told him the tool was forgotten that night would let you know he wasn't a total dead head. A lot of guys wouldn't have said anything and maybe no one would notice for days and then they could say that maybe it was stollen. A person that admits his/her mistakes is normally on the right track to learning better.

I sure as heck wouldn't be happy about it but the saying goes that it's human to error and divine to forgive.
 

MAK

Senior Member
I just had an employee forget to load my Fien Multi Master back onto the van after he used it. He remembered that night and called to let me know, but the next day when we returned it was gone. The job site was filled with other trades but nobody saw anything. I am not expecting to find the tool but how should I handle the employee? Does anyone hold the employee financially responsible?

I had something similar happen to me. I was on a job with a coworker doing some maintenance and we were both sharing this company meter. We or I forgot to pack it up. This was on a Friday. Saturday morning I remembered called my contact at the site asked him to look out for it and he basically said no one has seen it. I called the boss and told him the bad news. I offered to pay for it and he declined. His reasoning was that if I bought the company a new one that I would not feel bad if I forgot it again and I would not learn to keep better track of company tools. He also said trust and reliability are what he values in a employee, that fact that I admitted to him that I screwed up instead of blaming it on the coworker showed him that he can trust me to be honest with him especially when the news is unpleasant.
The ironic part of it is two years later I went back to the same job site and had mentioned this story of losing a meter to one of the maintenance guys and he says wait here disappears into the next room and comes back with the missing meter all dusty but perfectly fine.
It turns out that the maintenance guys found it and put it in a locker of lost tools waiting for someone to claim it. I lucked out on both fronts, I recovered the tool (although a few years late), and I had the fortune of having a boss that did not hang me for losing the tool. I have not lost anything since that time ( about six years ago), it taught me a valuable lesson.
 

jwjrw

Senior Member
Today it's a circuit tracer on top of his van, another day it may be a safety step he forgets, the real issue is his mind was somewhere else, your lucky to discover his faults, before a more serious problem comes along.



I once left my dads klein pouch he had for over 20 years (full of his tools) on the back of his truck when I did an emergency service call one night. I realized it when I got home. Went back but no use. Things happen. I try to keep up with everything and usually do not lose anything. If it can happen to me I know it could happen to one of my employees. I gave myself another chance so I will give the employee another chance as well.
 

big john

Senior Member
Location
Portland, ME
Today it's a circuit tracer on top of his van, another day it may be a safety step he forgets, the real issue is his mind was somewhere else, your lucky to discover his faults, before a more serious problem comes along.
It must be great working in your shop, where you get to be surrounded by a bunch of people who have never once made a mistake. :roll:

To the OP, if this is the first time, then it's forgivable, and you make it clear that you won't be as forgiving in the future.

If it's part of an ongoing series of problems, then you need to weigh those against the worth of the employee, and decide whether he's worth keeping.

-John
 

satcom

Senior Member
That's harsh. You have trust issues. I don't know the details but, everyone deserves the benefit of doubt, occasionally, if you trust them. Again, you have to have a history to trust them.

I bring this up because occasionally I break things. Expensive things, becuase I'm an oaf, but when I do no one is looking to fire me. I earn my keep as it were.


Harsh you say, if that employee has drug problems, and has a serious accident on company time you will learn the meaning of harsh.
 

satcom

Senior Member
It must be great working in your shop, where you get to be surrounded by a bunch of people who have never once made a mistake. :roll:

To the OP, if this is the first time, then it's forgivable, and you make it clear that you won't be as forgiving in the future.

If it's part of an ongoing series of problems, then you need to weigh those against the worth of the employee, and decide whether he's worth keeping.

-John

I never said to get rid of the employee, but indicated you will need to be aware, there may be something going on.
 

kwired

Electron manager
Location
NE Nebraska
...

Point is that you need to hire and train employees that you can build a solid trust factor with and support them through their mistakes.

Just another cost of doing business. Lost and/or stolen tools should be an item in your overhead for the year anyhow.:)


Exactly, owners sometimes they were inexperienced at one time and they made some of the same mistakes that they get all bent out of shape about. That doesn't mean the guy who made a mistake shouldn't know this is upsetting to the owner, or at least what the cost of his mistake is, but constantly pissing off your employees does not ever make your relationship with them any better and they will not care if they ever make you happy. They need rewarded for the good deeds they do also, doesn't always need to be much of an physical award just an occasional thank you will make a big difference in employee attitudes.
 

hurk27

Senior Member
Guess I need to fire myself, left my dewalt snake like in a drop ceiling about 35' in the air, oh well rented a scissor lift to change a ballast, had a brand new battery in it too:mad:

Oh well, I'll get it next time I have to do ballast changes at the theater, I'll just hire me back monday:grin:
 

nhfire77

Senior Member
Location
NH
Harsh you say, if that employee has drug problems, and has a serious accident on company time you will learn the meaning of harsh.

Ok yes that would be true if that is the case. The OP did not say this guy was a druggie.

You have generalized, most likely due to a poor experience in the past. Generalizations do no apply to everything.

I've seen a guy fall to his death from another guys fault, that doesn't mean I cannot trust anyone else ever on the other end of the rope. You infer you cannot.
 

nhfire77

Senior Member
Location
NH
Guess I need to fire myself, left my dewalt snake like in a drop ceiling about 35' in the air, oh well rented a scissor lift to change a ballast, had a brand new battery in it too:mad:

Oh well, I'll get it next time I have to do ballast changes at the theater, I'll just hire me back monday:grin:

Don't bother. Thanks for the light ;)
 

satcom

Senior Member
Ok yes that would be true if that is the case. The OP did not say this guy was a druggie.

You have generalized, most likely due to a poor experience in the past. Generalizations do no apply to everything.

I've seen a guy fall to his death from another guys fault, that doesn't mean I cannot trust anyone else ever on the other end of the rope. You infer you cannot.

Trust has nothing to do with it, when you are in business and have employees, you need to take care in every employee issue, the touch e' feel e' bit goes out the window, when your company assets are at stake.
 

kwired

Electron manager
Location
NE Nebraska
Trust is a big part of the relationship you have not only with your employees, but also your customers, suppliers, partners, inspectors, spouse, children, MH forum members, anybody.

Until someone proves they can't be trusted (usually more than once - we do make mistakes) you have to give them a chance or you will never be able to trust them. If you don't trust them they will not trust you and whatever relationship you have with them will never be a pleasant one.
 

Martinelli

Member
Location
Novato, CA
The employee trys really hard, he has never been late, but he has been getting very forgetful. He has had to buy several new hand tools because he is not checking for power. He has left customers without power because he forgets to reenergizing circuits after working on them and numerous other careless mistakes. It is becoming clear that his head is not on the job. How many mistakes are hidden behind walls or in junction boxes waiting to be discovered? If he is forgetting to turn a circuit back on, how is he testing it?
I Know everyone makes mistakes but This is my company and I have worked very hard to get where I am. He will be looking for a new job soon.
 

ksmith846

Senior Member
Today it's a circuit tracer on top of his van, another day it may be a safety step he forgets, the real issue is his mind was somewhere else, your lucky to discover his faults, before a more serious problem comes along.

He made a mistake. What does that have to do with other underlying future problems?

I forgot to pay a bill once.....does that mean I have other undetermined problems? Like I might now blow all of my $ and become a broke crack head because I forgot once?

Yeah my guy now will probably lose more stuff and fall off a ladder or something because he erred. Sorry get real.:grin:
 
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