Doing more than electrical work

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From past posts it sounds like stickboy has a good boss, but like greg y has said, things are slow now, maybe his boss is trying to get more work for him to do. Remember work is better then being sent home without pay. I hope things work out for him.
Lou
 
The company i am with is small but we are staying busy and i am asked all the time to do things on the way home or go on sat. and help out and will gladly do it it keeps me working.
 
I don't know why electricians think anything smaller than #14 is somehow not in their comfort level.
Our trade is the youngest of all, just over 100 years. Plumbing and Carpentry thousands of years.
Does any one work with plumbers that only do Kitchens , or only do Baths ?
It is 2009, Electricians should expand their skills if there are capable.
 
Here we call it "duties as assigned". right now I'm reconfiguing the plan valut, I'm an electrical inspector, why am I doing it, because they asked me and they told me they trust me to do it right.

I'm just glad that on the days my old boss had me clean the shop that he didn't cut my wages in half. Damn it Jim, I'm an electrician not a broom pusher. Work is work as far as I'm concerned.

My son-in-law who is 26 is making 100K+ a year programing computers, I had the same oppurtunity that he did, maybe even better, because I was taking classes when no one had a personal computer, but I chose to quit school to become an electrician.

So I guess my point is, if you're that good with computers, maybe you're in the wrong field.
 
iwire said:
I am often asked to do tasks that I am not specifically trained in, I have been introduced as an expert or so many things I can not begin to remember them all. Metering, video security, the code, sound systems, welding, fabricating, security systems, rigging, cement work and on and on. If the company sends me to do something beyond my comfort zone I let them know that. If they still want me to do it because they need it done I will do my best. My reputation is not at risk, the companies is and if they feel the need to risk it then I assume there are reasons for that. :smile:

I love the range of projects I am given and the majority of the time the customer is left very satisfied with the results.:smile:
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Exactly. And I have found that some of the companies I have worked with have taken note of my interest in other areas that benefit them, and paid for training and/or certification in some of these areas. This knowledge and these certifications have increased my value as an employee or contractor for the long term. I believe that it can work itself out in the end. Unless your employer is just a cheap prick in general, but that is a different situation.
 
Be careful what you wish for.
If you feel you should be compensated more for a particular tast you can do, then like others have mentioned, maybe you should be compensated less for the other jobs you can't do well or do not make as much money.

If you are unhappy about your paycheck, then by all means ask for a raise. Keep in mind your boss probably puts more knowledge and more back breaking work, on an hourly, basis into keeping his company afloat and you working on a daily basis then you ever will working for him so unless your willing to go packing tread lightly.
Your boss is obviously smart, he's hired someone with skills beyond himself and thus has allowed him to persue other avenues of revenue generation, which then allows you to maybe continue to keep working in slower times such as now. So unless you really think he's treating you unfairly be thankful hes found work for you to keep coming to.
 
My greenest mechanics set up computer networks. My most knowledgeable men do more technical work and make the most and the one that are whiners, moaning about how good they are are down the road. Because in my expierence they are VERY replaceable.

IN A HEART BEAT you would be gone.

As an electrician I have dug ditches, wired networks, built forms for concrete pads moved 10 of thousand pounds of batteries in a day and any other variety of work I did this then and I still do it.
 
brian john said:
As an electrician I have dug ditches, wired networks, built forms for concrete pads moved 10 of thousand pounds of batteries in a day and any other variety of work I did this then and I still do it.
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I'm about the money, thats about it. All I read on this forum is how much contractors should be charging, so now its my time to ask how much I should be charging my boss...
 
stickboy1375 said:
I'm about the money, thats about it. All I read on this forum is how much contractors should be charging, so now its my time to ask how much I should be charging my boss...
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Are you a great electrician? A Master? Are you a degreed IT person or just a DIYer with a better than working knowledge?

If you answer yes to both questions, then ask your boss for $75-$100/hr for the IT work and $50-$100 for electrical work. If he can't do that, take a hike. After all
stickboy1375 said:
I'm about the money, thats about it.
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stickboy1375 said:
I'm about the money, thats about it. All I read on this forum is how much contractors should be charging, so now its my time to ask how much I should be charging my boss...
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Exactly what you are worth and any more you can negotiate in discussions with him. BUT you came across as a whiner. Whiners talk to other employees complaining and stirring up problems. Best thing to do it cut it off. And IMO that means GOOD BYE......
 
stickboy1375 said:
I just finished up a job yesterday setting up a router for a T-stat that the homeowner can control anywhere he has a internet connection, I had to setup the router to bypass the firewall and setup the owners account. At least the owner gave me a C-note as I was leaving... :)
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Sticky, Their comes a time when we start thinking about starting our own bussiness. This skill you have is in great demand now a days. Esspecially if you can make cctv's watched from a computer some where. etc...Security is a big bussiness. It's time you start thinking about going out on your own.
 
marissa2 said:
From past posts it sounds like stickboy has a good boss
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This is true, my whole point of this thread was just to see if other EC's paid more for other than electrical work, the census seems to be no, I just wanted to know, I didnt feel like I was taken advantage of, just wanted some more information on how other EC's handle the situation.

Now for some more fun stuff... How as an EC do you charge out this kind of work?
 
stickboy1375 said:
This is true, my whole point of this thread was just to see if other EC's paid more for other than electrical work, the census seems to be no, I just wanted to know, I didnt feel like I was taken advantage of, just wanted some more information on how other EC's handle the situation.

Now for some more fun stuff... How as an EC do you charge out this kind of work?
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Network cable would be sold at 99 a run complete then extra time to set up network would be hourly at normal rates.
I would certainly talk to the boss to get an extra 100 bucks or so if I had to play network administrator to a clients comuter network.
You absolutely deserve it and it is not whining. A lot of ECS as they become more wealthy truly start to believe that they did it all themselves.
The real reality check is when some of them have to they still dont get it. They need to get knocked down a peg just as overconfident employees do occasionally.
However if they are lucky enough to have a steady stream of money coming in they never have to and simply dont. Incompetence has no bounds.
I will help a stray dog as a person who cares about others but if I am being taken advantage of I have no problem asking for compensation for any extra skills.
I have thousands of dollars of network equipment that I stock on my truck just in case I need to cover a call someone has to pay for this and it is not going to be me in the end.
This equipment makes me more efficient at this type of work.
I can now ping the router to read the mac address and prove that my cabling is good and I dont know why your oui player doesnt work right now but i will show you that all of my end is good one by one. 99 bucks apiece please.
 
stickboy1375 said:
This is true, my whole point of this thread was just to see if other EC's paid more for other than electrical work, the census seems to be no, I just wanted to know, I didnt feel like I was taken advantage of, just wanted some more information on how other EC's handle the situation.

Now for some more fun stuff... How as an EC do you charge out this kind of work?
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We have one of our younger mechanics that perform this for us, we bill it out as electric work.

I think if you look at what electricians do it covers a broad range of titles many noted in the previous post. we do labor work, carpenter work, plumbing, HVAC, IT you name it we do it. BUT in my opinion that is whats makes us better rounded and keeps the job from being a bore. Would you want to beat tin all day?
 
My 2 cents

My 2 cents

OK I have a pay differential between Resi and Commercial Work depending on the job. Do I distinguish between Low voltage networking or controls jobs and MC/Pipe Jobs.... NO. I have electricians that handle that either way some better than others. My job to figure out who is good at what. Now If I know you are more versatile (Don't Complain about what is assigned to you) I value you more.

Now with that having been said don't overestimate your value. For example you may be the most skilled, technically proficient man on the job but if all you do is complain don't be surprised when times like these come you are cut.

I had a Lead Electrician refuse to go to a job pulling/installing HVAC Controls wiring. "....it's not electrical work." he said. This is a man who had been working for me for several years. I was stunned at the time by that and brought it to his attention that I'm the one that assigns where you work and what you do while there not him. I let him go. He was dragging everyone down with his attitude.

IWire I don't think that your boss is trying to get over on you. He got this job and assigned you to it. Be thankful for the trust he has put into you. The customer obviously felt you went beyond the call be setting his system up in the manner you did and he rewarded you for it.(Nicely I might add, C-Note is a nice tip).

So the end result was that you got your pay increase for that day anyway.

Rick
 
r_merc said:
IWire I don't think that your boss is trying to get over on you. He got this job and assigned you to it. Be thankful for the trust he has put into you. The customer obviously felt you went beyond the call be setting his system up in the manner you did and he rewarded you for it.(Nicely I might add, C-Note is a nice tip).

So the end result was that you got your pay increase for that day anyway.

Rick
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You've just confused Iwire for Stickboy.
 
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