Re: Helper Woes

[Bob La Londe <none@none.com99>]

On 1/25/2021 8:08 PM, Airdorn wrote:
> Lately it's been very hard to rely on help. IE, good help seems increasingly hard to come by.
>
> Because of some tragic events, we had to cherry pick an installer to transition to a service tech role. This was about 2 years ago. It hasn't gone well.
>
> Latest example: The other day, this tech was tasked with hooking up a new customer that had an existing Concord 4 system, something we generally don't deal with but not beyond our ability to monitor.
>
> Today I had a service call to go check that new customer's system because it was acting strangely. What I found was shocking, and makes me wonder if it's time to clean house and get some new help.
>
> The other tech has never dealt with a Concord 4, but he proceeded anyway. He installed one of our generic summary-only communicators on the system and tested it. It worked fine. He used his phone to look up how to change the master code on the panel. He was able to complete this because the customer happened to know the existing code. Our tech then left the call.
>
> Today, I found the Concord 4 in a trouble condition. The previous alarm company had alarm.com installed, which includes an integrated communicator that enrolls as a superbus device.
>
> I used my laptop with an EEPROM reader to discover the installer code, accessed programming, changed the installer code and deleted the alarm.com superbus device. The thing works perfectly now.
>
> I'm dismayed that my fellow tech either didn't know or care (or both!) to make sure any previous company comm is removed, and left a new hook up without knowing the installer code and, thus, having full control over the system.
>
> It hasn't always been like this. Us technicians used to kind of battle it out constantly, in a friendly way, as far as to knowledge and know-how.
>
> My question is, is this my own unfortunate experience or are others seeing a general decline in quality and care about their tech work?
>
>


At one time I was gung-ho to be a big shot.  I had two full time
installers, two part time installers, and myself.  I also had 2 sales
people and an office assistant.  It was a constant struggle and I
personally often worked 16+ hr days 7 days a week.  Often those extra
hours were so I could cover payroll for labor on other jobs I had to
finish or fix myself.

One day I walked out of my office and fired everybody, and it got
better.  I tried just working one one guy at a time to train them up and
I again found myself working long days without a day off.

I fired everybody again, and have never had a direct employee ever
since.  The year I found myself working solo I was in bad motorcycle
accident.  While I was in the hospital two guys managed to max out a
gold card and a black card finishing one job.  (Turns out there is a
limit on a black card.)  When I got out of the hospital I was an invalid
in high interest debt and over my head in unfinished work.  That's when
I decided I was working for me.  Not for my employees.  I did service
calls out of a motorcycle with a sidecar.  I put my wheel chair in the
sidecar, my tool belt in the bike trunk, and strapped a short step
ladder onto the side.  I couldn't drive my truck, but I could lift my
shattered leg over he seat and slide onto the bike.  Ever seen a tech
with one good leg climb a ladder?  I did it when I had to.

As I started to get work back in order I decided not to take any more
work than I could do by myself and hire a temp to stand there if I
needed somebody to help feed wire.  I made more money and paid taxes
that year on more money than I had ever made before in my life.  The
next year was better.  The end of 2005 and into 2006 when everybody else
was dying due to the market crash I was still making money and turning
down work.  If you were around then you will remember that was when
customers started dictating terms and demanding all kinds of extras.
Ordinary customers were asking for additional insured, huge net terms,
and other things.  I told every single one of them to go pound sand and
I was still making money and turning down work.

I never had another employee after that.  I lost a couple of those I
told to pound sand, but they were only the ones I might have gotten rid
of anyway if I were the type to routinely fire bad customers.  I lost
three customers because I was a solo act and couldn't jump and run this
second.  Every one of them I would have been there that day, but because
I was solo I couldn't be there within the hour.  One was a decent
customer overall, but the other two I was glad to get rid of.

I once complained on this group about a lack of pride in workmanship,
and I got soundly lectured by a member (an employee tech) that I was
basically stupid and selfish and employees were really only interested
in getting the max amount of money for the least amount of effort
period.  Anything was just plane stupid.

So, your complaint is not a new one.  Some folks seem to have a talent
for making money off the labor of others and getting them to actually do
their fucking job.  I am not one of them.  I consider willful
incompetence to be theft.  AS a contractor who installed a lot of
security systems I could not afford to have thieves on my payroll.  If
you can learn to inspire people to be better for you then you will be
very wealthy.  Somehow you have to inspire people to be better.  My wife
did it in her business with constant pep talks and ego stroking.  I just
have a hard time telling an incompetent thief they are wonderful and I
look forward to seeing the new and innovative way they will fuck me
tomorrow.

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