Labor Pains!!!

[zeke]

I had a guy work for me last year and it was a disaster. He was a friend who had no experience ,but wanted to make extra $$. I paid him $10/hr and by the time I repaired my eqipment he broke I lost my a--.
I had him to weedeat and blow on a job that takes me 1hr tops to complete, it actually took me over an hr with his help. That was his last day. By the way he is still a friend but he has moved to GA. What is the going rate for contract labor? Not an employee just by the hr/cash.

[lawnut]

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Zeke,

Your LUCKY!! Usually having friends or family work together doesn't work well. It usually ends up on bad terms. This is why I like to hire help who has little experience and who are strangers. Sometimes family members and friends see how much you are making and want a cut or want special priviledges. It doesn't work this way. We are all out there to make money and they just don't understand that they are an employee of you and your business.

As for the going rate for helpers, I usually pay around $8 for no experience and $10 with experience, but most of the time I am paying some overtime due to weather, or extra jobs like clean ups, or mulching that goes above and beyond cutting and trimming.

[dancom]

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When you first hire someone it is going to take you longer you need to train them. you will have to show them what you expect and follow up on it. but after you get them trained they will speed your time up alot. I pay my forman by the job instead of by the hour i am considering doing that to the helper too. i hav not made up my mind yet.

[Jocko]

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Isnt that funny how a helper can actually make a job take LONGER?

I had to let a few guys go last year because i thought that they just didnt get it. It's hard to train someone, expensive too.

[Seascape]

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I have found that if i advertise wages starting at $10.00 per hour that it atracts a better breed of workers. The most i have ever payed anyone was 12.75. I had to let him go for smoking pot in the trucks. He was nice to have around but had some issues.

[dancom]

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your most valuble asset is your employees, train them properly take the time to do it right, and you will be better off. too many people say its only grass and throw them in with little to no training. there is a little more to it than just cutting grass. if an employee fails because he was not properly trained you have no one to blame but yourself.