Disassembly Required

HeatingHelp

Disassembly Required

What I learned, once again, is that if your goal is to disassemble your business, regardless of its size, all you have to do is hire knuckleheads. They come in all shapes and sizes and they will always be your best tool for that job. Hire them and don’t train them properly. Then all you have to do is sit back and watch. The disassembly will take care of itself.

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TML

Dan, great story and one filled with sage advice. Thanks for continuing to make me smile with your writing talents!
I am a retired mechanical engineer who can relate to your experiences. Keep 'em coming!

mattmia2

There is no one I would trust more to assemble a grill than @DanHolohan .

I suspect it isn't so much in who they hire but how they treat them and how they bog them down in policies and unnecessary procedures and evaluate them based on metrics that aren't what matter to their customers(IE how much did you sell, how many tickets did you close, not did you sell them what they needed and wanted, did you solve their problem), especially since you experience the same thing from all the employees.

About 6 months ago I needed to replace the rotted siding on an addition on my mom's house which is about an hour away from where I lived. I wanted to give the local supply house the business instead of the big box stores because I know they can do things for me that the big store's don't think is profitable enough. I call the supply house while I'm at work near my home. I try to order the siding over the phone, I ask them what they have in a medium wight product so that I can look at the manufacturer's web site and spec what I need and order it. They refuse to do it over the phone over concerns I won't like it and they will have to take it back. This is mainly a maintenance project, as long as it is a medium to light gray and a decent weight product no one involved will care beyond that. I'm not going to drive out there in a special trip or spend a couple hours of my work days to go to the supply house to pick out siding. That night I end up looking at the 3 local big box stores' web sites. I find that the Menard's local to my mom's house has a middle of the line light gray siding and trim in stock so I order it from them and schedule it for delivery. I really wanted to work with the local business but they didn't want to work with me.

DanHolohan

Thanks, guys. That one wrote itself.

fixitguy

Spot on Dan, I hate that place and the poor quality stuff that they sell equaled only by my dislike of condensing boilers!

Kickstand55

Many of these comments seem so true from various scenarios.
I was working for a mechanical contractor a few years ago. He had his favorite guys who were coddled we'll say. The others felt slighted. The service manager gave his notice to go work for the brother's company. (Sign post). Later I told him the pay rate was irritating his help hoping to remove the blinders. Long story short, in just a few months, there were three out of twelve or thirteen techs left. Word is out and all he can find is "Knuckleheads" There is more to tell but this is enough.
If you have good help, take better care of them. What you put on the wheel of life seems to return.
I work for myself now and am very satisfied with my pay.