Slow employees

[svh19044]

Slow does not necessarily mean unproductive, and vice versa. As stated, it also depends on the actual work being performed (if you're pulling cable, you go full tilt, no reason to be "slow"). But in this case...

I do not want a tennis shoe shop where everyone runs and quality is crap, but there is a line where efficiency comes into place. If nothing else for the customers side . How can you justify if 3 employees take between 15-30 min and another one takes 45?

Why is he slow? Is he on the phone? Is he taking breaks? Is he old? Injured? Unmotivated?

Ask your employee if there is anything you can do to help increase their productivity. There is ALWAYS a reason for someone working at 1/2 to 1/3 the speed of others.

 

[sparkease]

How do you deal with slow employees? I have one but He is very compitent and reliable but slow. I do not know what to do. Do I charge less? I am starting to feel like I need to.
Thanks.

inform them that in order for co, to make money work needs to be completed faster and then ask them for suggestions on how to get it done

 

[mjf]

No, we are just manning it more than we would normally, it is just compressed to the point where you are putting up devices on wet paint etc.

How did that pre-job pep talk go?

"OK men, we're starting a project Monday, we have a month to get it done."
"Normally, it would take us 2 months, but (the company) promised to be done in 1."
"Don't worry men, we can do it, (the company) will give us a few extra men."
"Don't forget, (the company) is counting on us, they should double their profit on this job, now lets get out there and get it done!!"


I know, I know, men are just happy to be working in this day and age.

Enjoy the day.

 

[ritelec]

Just one more thought about "too slow".

I have no employees, I'm a lone wolf.

But when I think of most of the work I will need to do (not just electrical), it most always takes longer than I think it would.

The "Dead Angelo Factor".........what ever you think it's going to take.........double it.


My point is maybe he's too slow, maybe I'm too slow.........or MAYBE you are not estimating correctly how long the job will really take to do.......



RIP Angelo.

 

[growler]

You choose not to go down that road and I respect that, but you will never make millions that way. Neither will I as I am hourly but the company will do very well.

Bob I'm the same way, I try not to get involved in these type projects were speed is the most important thing.

But I have worked on these type projects as an electrician, leadman and foreman. Sometimes the company makes out fine but at other times things don't go so well. The faster the pace the more likely it is that accidents or mistakes will happen and this can really slow up production.

When you play for big money on a tight schedule it is possible to lose big. You can run your crew right and not have a single accident or injury but still get slowed down by other trades that make serious mistakes.

 

[ritelec]

I do not want a tennis shoe shop where everyone runs and quality is crap,

You would like high quality too......

but there is a line where efficiency comes into place.

and how much $$$ you could make?

If nothing else for the customers side .

How noble of you............

How can you justify if 3 employees take between 15-30 min and another one takes 45?

To do what? Are the circumstances the absolute same? Are the 3 twenty yrs old carrying 4 rolls of romex from the truck at a time and the slow dude carries 2?

Do the 20 yr olds carry 3 or 4 lengths of 3" on there back and the slow dude carries 1 or 2?

Is the slow dude 20 yrs old and is just too slow for you "and" the customer???? If so.....

You could always fire him, and pay toward his unemployment benefits.

You could also cut his pay (of course he could get even slower) and you may force him to move on.



That's all.

 

[dkeaux@gmail.com]

How do you deal with slow employees? I have one but He is very compitent and reliable but slow. I do not know what to do. Do I charge less? I am starting to feel like I need to.
Thanks.

Speed will come, first it technic if he's there everyday thats half of it.

 

[cowboyjwc]

I'm kind of with ritelec on this. Is he slow or does he just appear slow. I had a guy tell me one time that he always thought I was working to slow, simply because it never seemed like I was working to hard, then he realized that I was always the first one done and the only trade he never had to worry about meeting a dead line.

While I know that bosses hate this attitude, I would rather look at it for a half hour and then take 15 minutes to install it, than the other way around. Same amount of time, but a better install usually.

 

[iwire]

How did that pre-job pep talk go?

"OK men, we're starting a project Monday, we have a month to get it done."
"Normally, it would take us 2 months, but (the company) promised to be done in 1."
"Don't worry men, we can do it, (the company) will give us a few extra men."
"Don't forget, (the company) is counting on us, they should double their profit on this job, now lets get out there and get it done!!"


I know, I know, men are just happy to be working in this day and age.

Enjoy the day.

It sounds like you want me to proivde easy chairs and card table so they can play bridge.

Sorry, work is hard if you can't pull your own weight in one way or another you are hurting us all and you have to go.

 

[growler]

Speed will come, first it technic if he's there everyday thats half of it.

He never said how old the guy is or how much experience he has.

I looked to be faster 30 years ago. I was in much better shape but I like to think that all that experience has taught me to work smarter and not harder.

As I get older I have had to change the type of work that I excel at. I'm not going to win any speed contest trying to rough a new house so I don't even try. Young and dumb still has certain advantages. :jawdrop:

 

[iwire]

You would like high quality too......




and how much $$$ you could make?



How noble of you............



To do what? Are the circumstances the absolute same? Are the 3 twenty yrs old carrying 4 rolls of romex from the truck at a time and the slow dude carries 2?

Do the 20 yr olds carry 3 or 4 lengths of 3" on there back and the slow dude carries 1 or 2?

Is the slow dude 20 yrs old and is just too slow for you "and" the customer???? If so.....

You could always fire him, and pay toward his unemployment benefits.

You could also cut his pay (of course he could get even slower) and you may force him to move on.



That's all.

In my opinion this is a bunch of BS, if you are the boss of a group of people you know who is slow and who is not.

Some people are in fact slow workers and as a boss you must deal with that.

 

[cowboyjwc]

He never said how old the guy is or how much experience he has.

I looked to be faster 30 years ago. I was in much better shape but I like to think that all that experience has taught me to work smarter and not harder.

As I get older I have had to change the type of work that I excel at. I'm not going to win any speed contest trying to rough a new house so I don't even try. Young and dumb still has certain advantages. :jawdrop:

:happyyes: There you go, you let the young, fast guy rope the house and I'll follow behind and do the makeup.

 

[rbalex]

In my earlier career, my company did some fairly healthy analysis and determined that, for the smallest design buid projects of the type we were interested in, a schedule of 22 months was the minimum. Of course, the sales department routinely “sold” 18 month schedules. When the project was actually completed 22 (or more) months later, the sales group was long gone - after they had collected their bonuses. Most clients were still happy because the end-product did exactly what they wanted.

Fundamentally, you get to pick two out of three priorities: Schedule, Accuracy, or reduced Capital. All are still important to achieve cost effectiveness; but one, possibly all, will usually get broken if the priorities aren’t balanced properly.

 

[ritelec]

In my opinion this is a bunch of BS, if you are the boss of a group of people you know who is slow and who is not.

You're entitled to your opinion..................more BS coming at you..........what is slow?
(no offense but) I guy could be a considered a speed demon wiring away in some southern state .
But then goes to work up in the northern tri state area and could be considered working as slow as molasses.

Not knowing, Is "the boss" new at being "the boss". Maybe he's young. Maybe he put his time in right after high school, took a test and set him self up at 23 yrs old.
Maybe he wears tennis shows and expects everyone else to.........again, not knowing but......

Some people are in fact slow workers and as a boss you must deal with that.

+1 :thumbsup:

I'm kind of with ritelec on this. Is he slow or does he just appear slow. I had a guy tell me one time that he always thought I was working to slow, simply because it never seemed like I was working to hard, then he realized that I was always the first one done and the only trade he never had to worry about meeting a dead line.

While I know that bosses hate this attitude, I would rather look at it for a half hour and then take 15 minutes to install it, than the other way around. Same amount of time, but a better install usually.

+1 +1 :thumbsup:

 

[petersonra]

Beat the slow guy with a stick. If that does not improve his speed, use a bigger stick.



Really, there are people who are slower workers than others. Some will be faster than average, others will be slower than average. I have not noticed there is all that much correlation between the speed of the work and the quality of the work (or lack thereof).

 

[petersonra]

How did that pre-job pep talk go?

"OK men, we're starting a project Monday, we have a month to get it done."
"Normally, it would take us 2 months, but (the company) promised to be done in 1."
"Don't worry men, we can do it, (the company) will give us a few extra men."
"Don't forget, (the company) is counting on us, they should double their profit on this job, now lets get out there and get it done!!"


I know, I know, men are just happy to be working in this day and age.

Enjoy the day.

I suspect most workers would prefer to be told the truth, so this kind of pep talk might well be appropriate. People in general tend to do their best work when they feel like they are appreciated and if you are honest with them, it helps them feel that way.

Best work is not always the "fastest" or the "highest quality". Some times it is one or the other, but usually some mid-point between the two.

 

[ritelec]

Beat the slow guy with a stick.

VERY FUNNY!!!



Gonna bow out here........just gonna mention one more thing though.

I went to work for a industrial contractor when I was a couple yrs in the trade (had worked for an industrial contractor prior)......I was new....not great (still not) but OK.

Well, I was given a 60 amp 3 phase run to do to a machine.....the run went up about 25 feet then had to go through a 30' cubby hole (with 2 walls) back out another 40' or so down to a machine (with threaded rod hangers).
Pulled the wires and the machine was running by the end of the day.
They had given me a helper for this job. He spoke little to no english and had one week in the business.

The next day, "the boss" said I was too slow........that maybe I should get into residential and let me go.

What is too slow?

 

[satcom]

If your doing commercial fit-up work, the projects will vary, but one thing in common will usually be, the fast paced schedules and drop dead move in date, if you fail to keep up with the schedule or miss the completion date, you stand to loose a lot more then simple profit, the penalties can mount to a small fortune, so what Bob said about the boss knows his men, is the key, a craftsman knows how do do his job, and the boss knows his crew.

 

[ritelec]

I went to work for a industrial contractor when I was a couple yrs in the trade (had worked for an industrial contractor prior)......I was new....not great (still not) but OK.

Well, I was given a 60 amp 3 phase run to do to a machine.....the run went up about 25 feet then had to go through a 30' cubby hole (with 2 walls) back out another 40' or so down to a machine (with threaded rod hangers).
Pulled the wires and the machine was running by the end of the day.
They had given me a helper for this job. He spoke little to no english and had one week in the business.

The next day, "the boss" said I was too slow........that maybe I should get into residential and let me go.

Just to mention also.........this was about 1981..........And here I was patting myself on the back thinking I did a good job (not bad for 5 bucks an hour)...............USERS!!!!!! ha ha ha



OK.Now I'm out.

 

[growler]

The next day, "the boss" said I was too slow........that maybe I should get into residential and let me go.

A man may say I'm slow an get away with it but if he insults me he may see a faster side of my character.


Before I get through clubbing him like a baby seal he may wish I would slow down.