Is it time to hire some help?
- Thread starter kyled86
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Fulthrotl
~Autocorrect is My Worst Enema.~
- Occupation
- E
i read the thread..... if it were me, i'd like the blueberry packing plant, and pass on the motel,
but you are down for both of them, and it sounds like you don't have the option of exiting
graciously.
the reason i say that, is for the points dan made, about it being a GC job. most of my experience
with GC's is sub optimal. i've found one excellent one, and four that sucked.
i've been doing this 35 years, and the small shop looks to me to be the hardest row to hoe.
all of the paperwork, without the volume to support the infrastructure, so you end up working
your butt off, doing it all. and usually crashing and burning.
back when, this is the sort of thing where a labor union shined. a pool of qualified people,
available with a phone call, for as long or as little as you needed them. need 5 people for four days
to get something done? they will be here by coffee time tomorrow. hand them checks when done,
no hard feelings.
that was the ideal. the reality differed somewhat, and on todays market, the new hiring hall
half the time is a home depot parking lot. :happysad:
if i was where you are at, i'd be going thru your phone numbers, looking for sparkies you've
worked with in the past, to see who needs some work. there is nothing better than a former
co worker to help you. you know what you are getting.
you *did* keep phone numbers of all the good sparkies you have met, didn't you?
growler
Senior Member
- Location
- Atlanta,GA
I was refering to the motel addition. Those do tend to be lowball type jobs.
Who knows maybe you did find the one motel/hotel addition in the country where they weren't looking for a lowballer.
I didn't mean to offend you are anything just to give an opinion.
No offense taken. I only work for one GC and this hotel addition is for him. He does quality work and has never had a problem paying for a quality electrical installation. Ive worked for him for years and have always made my share. The blueberry plant addition is also a repeat customer. Not a GC but an owner. He's one of those customers that I do all electrical for at least in the past and currently. I cant predict the future though. All your responses have been really helpful and I appreciate it.
Castrovinci
Member
- Location
- NJ
my take on it
my take on it
We were in your shoes not too long ago and here is what I have found. Depending on your situation you may want to:
Craigslist - You may get some dangerous candidates that are either looking because they are problem childs or are looking to work for you the min time and collect unemployment. Majority of the people we hired have costed our business so much money in problems. Maybe you find 1 in 10 but we haven't been that lucky. Even doing background checks and going through lengthy interview processes it can be hard.
Sourcing/temp Agency - This is a great option if you need help for a short time such as three of four weeks etc. You pay a lot more initially but in the end all your costs are covered such as insurance etc through the sourcing site. Theres a catch though..... Its rare you will get high caliber guys even if you choose a formen. I found its best to choose one or two cheaper helpers and watch them/instruct them directly. This helps you get the job completed in less time freeing you up for estimates etc. What you can do is hire these guys initially and see if you keep them busy for a few months. If you don't like the guy you can make a call and he is gone. You can hire them only for the days you need and can terminate them at anytime without issues. You do need to bid on the hi side if you choose this method.
Monster/Hotjobs- This is a great way to get a more skilled electrician, but does cost some money to list and depending on your line of work you may get skilled guys that no longer want to crawl through attics or do dirty work.
Hire an apprentice or journeyman directly: A lot of people want to hire a journeymen and this works for some people and doesn't for others. For us I have found that hiring apprentices works better for the simple fact is its hard to teach an old dog new tricks. If you hire an apprentice you can groom him to taylor how you like things done. A lot of the journeymen we have hired want well over the going rate and want to pick and choose there jobs and hate OT.
Someone had mentioned a payroll service....Its the best thing we did, especially for the few dollars it costs its a no brainer. Remember one thing... the bigger you get the more paperwork gets thrown your way, you will slowly have more admin things to take care of. Someone once said you are worth more doing business ends that physically working turning wrenches. Its up to you to find what works for you and only you as everyone's model may only work for them.
How is your flow all year? Are you always steady?
my take on it
We were in your shoes not too long ago and here is what I have found. Depending on your situation you may want to:
Craigslist - You may get some dangerous candidates that are either looking because they are problem childs or are looking to work for you the min time and collect unemployment. Majority of the people we hired have costed our business so much money in problems. Maybe you find 1 in 10 but we haven't been that lucky. Even doing background checks and going through lengthy interview processes it can be hard.
Sourcing/temp Agency - This is a great option if you need help for a short time such as three of four weeks etc. You pay a lot more initially but in the end all your costs are covered such as insurance etc through the sourcing site. Theres a catch though..... Its rare you will get high caliber guys even if you choose a formen. I found its best to choose one or two cheaper helpers and watch them/instruct them directly. This helps you get the job completed in less time freeing you up for estimates etc. What you can do is hire these guys initially and see if you keep them busy for a few months. If you don't like the guy you can make a call and he is gone. You can hire them only for the days you need and can terminate them at anytime without issues. You do need to bid on the hi side if you choose this method.
Monster/Hotjobs- This is a great way to get a more skilled electrician, but does cost some money to list and depending on your line of work you may get skilled guys that no longer want to crawl through attics or do dirty work.
Hire an apprentice or journeyman directly: A lot of people want to hire a journeymen and this works for some people and doesn't for others. For us I have found that hiring apprentices works better for the simple fact is its hard to teach an old dog new tricks. If you hire an apprentice you can groom him to taylor how you like things done. A lot of the journeymen we have hired want well over the going rate and want to pick and choose there jobs and hate OT.
Someone had mentioned a payroll service....Its the best thing we did, especially for the few dollars it costs its a no brainer. Remember one thing... the bigger you get the more paperwork gets thrown your way, you will slowly have more admin things to take care of. Someone once said you are worth more doing business ends that physically working turning wrenches. Its up to you to find what works for you and only you as everyone's model may only work for them.
How is your flow all year? Are you always steady?
Tiger Electrical
Senior Member
- Location
- Northern Illinois
Just to throw this out here...a guy that you can leave on a job without you and expect good production can be hard to find. However, having a guy who knows or can learn all the parts and plays "go-fer" can be an easy find. It will make you 3X more productive. The gofer can also do simple tasks while not running to the truck/van for tools and materials.
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