Employees wasting time

jackchips_2 · August 2006

my words Scott and they could be taken as being pretty serious.

Not the case.

Thanks for the head slap.

Jack

John R. Hall · July 2006

AOL did a survey of 2,706 workers and found that they averaged 1.86 hours of wasted time during an 8-hour day. I wonder how many field mechanics they interviewed. Probably zip. First of all, if they surveyed any (earlier this month) I doubt they would find too many that were "only" working 8 hours and secondly, not too many field mechanics can surf the Internet, e-mail friends, or throw a football between cubicles while working. I'd like to see a survey of just people in the field service industry. I'm willing to bet that 1.86 is a lot lower and the 8 is a lot higher. No wonder kids prefer to work in an office environment!

Empire_2 · July 2006

Good point John

I find myself usually working through lunch because I am so wrapped up in my work. 5 min to eat is all I need. Hi temps do take it's toll on worker's, but I think for the most part, they give me a solid 7 hour day.

Mike T.

Paul Fredricks_3 · July 2006

As an average...

> AOL did a survey of 2,706 workers and found that

> they averaged 1.86 hours of wasted time during an

> 8-hour day. I wonder how many field mechanics

> they interviewed. Probably zip. First of all, if

> they surveyed any (earlier this month) I doubt

> they would find too many that were "only" working

> 8 hours and secondly, not too many field

> mechanics can surf the Internet, e-mail friends,

> or throw a football between cubicles while

> working. I'd like to see a survey of just people

> in the field service industry. I'm willing to bet

> that 1.86 is a lot lower and the 8 is a lot

> higher. No wonder kids prefer to work in an

> office environment!

Paul Fredricks_3 · July 2006

As an average...

I'm thinking that's right. Most techs get a half hour for lunch and will take it all. I bet there aren't many that don't push that longer. A stop for coffee in the AM, an easy 15 mins. A trip to the supply house, if it were less than a half hour I'd be suprised. A stop for a Coke, another stop for coffee. It adds up very fast. We are very on top of our techs and I'll bet we still loose quite a bit of billable time. Just the nature of things.

Gene_3 · July 2006

for us, I think the most important thing

is the dispatcher. I've worked for co's that really think this is a 20K position for a numnuts.

this the most crucial of positions in your organization and is worth much more for the right person.

I've been sent 25miles on service calls to a building where we already had a tech doing maintenance!!!!!!!!!!!

I've past my fellow techs on the hiway going the other way, he was going to the town I was in and vice versa.

but the cherry was the one I quit a job over, they were already looking very unorganized, I came out of a annual maintenance to see one of our vans ACROSS THE STREET, did he live there?? NO, he was on a service call, came from several towns over, when we were done we both got sent many miles back to where he was originally, and they wouldn't do anything about this bozo of a dispatcher
.........so.exit....... stage left, plenty of jobs and I didn't need the agravation.

ScottMP · July 2006

I waste

two hours a day just reading the wall !!

My GAWD think how much Brad White waste ???

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Rich_29 · July 2006

Brad's time

That,s not wasted time. I OD on Brad's writings Thanks Brad keep it comming the {knowledge wit and humor}

Brendan

Supply House Rick · July 2006

Right at this moment

I am wasting time. Whoops here comes the boss oh wait, err akk yikes. Peace Out *Scott absolutely, I can take a joke*

Rick

jackchips_2 · July 2006

Brad and I

have similar but quite different jobs Scott but they both involve deadlines and commitments (did I just steal that?).

We meet them and in between we do things that keep our heads from spinning so quickly we can't think and that is quite a challenge for me and my vertigo.

Keep the words coming Brad.

Jack

ScottMP · July 2006

Come On

Can't you guys take a joke ?

I know Brad can.

Scott

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JohnNY · July 2006

5 billable hours

> Can't you guys take a joke ?

>

> I know Brad

> can.

>

> Scott

>

> _A

> HREF="http://www.heatinghelp.com/getListed.cfm?id=

> 237&Step=30"_To Learn More About This

> Professional, Click Here to Visit Their Ad in

> "Find A Professional"_/A_

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JohnNY · July 2006

5 billable hours

I attended a seminar that Local 1 gave in NYC a couple years ago where we were shown how, on service, a crew averages 5 billable hours in a day. I'm still trying to prove them wrong but with traffic, parking, set-up, clean-up and the requisite 10 minutes of job recap with the customer before payment is rendered - 5 hours is about as good as it gets.

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Brad White_9 · July 2006

Absolutely, Scott-

Thank GOD for folks like Chris (J.C.A) who keep the cash flow going while you count the sheckels...

But Scott- if you are here two hours a day, that just tells me that I can type faster than you can read... and I never touched the brown acid at Woodstock...

I took a management course years ago and they said that once you got to about 50 employees, the equivalent of one of them was being paid to be in the bathroom. Chances are, 2% of your employees are in the can at a given time... Trivia you Did Not Need....

And before I forget-

Thanks Brendan!

Thanks Jackchips!

Back to the salt mines....

Brad

Unknown · July 2006

another thing

No smokers on the jobs with me, add another 10 to 20% to aformentioed list to time wasting standing outside just to smoke cigarrettes and clean up the butts,

Mike Thomas_2 · July 2006

Billable Time

I attended a seminar last year. The guy doing the talking was with a company that researches that sort of thing and he came up with a figure of 42% of the day is billable time. This was the average for most service companies. Most service companies average 3-5 employees. It seemed to fit our company. Now that doesn't take into account new installations, where you will be there for longer periods of time, just service work. Go figure that into your hourly rate!

scott w. · July 2006

wasted time

Don't forget employees with cell phones waste alot of time. First the wife calls, then one of the kids call asking to go somewhere or for money. Then mom calls or friends who have a desk job and have time to kill they call just to shoot the breeze. Employees should leave these devices in the truck.

larry_15 · August 2006

cell phones

Yeah Scott:

leave them in the truck so when the other techs call you don't have to explain the anything about the customer they are going to or his equipment that you were working on last. Or if you run across a problem they need help on. Then you have dispatch calling to try and finded out why you charged this or that and not this at some customer. Or to tell you they are going to lunch (who cares?). Or the boss calls and want you to stop everything and run over to important customer so and so becuase they have a problem thats more urgent than anything your doing right now.

Yeah that way all those calls can be missed and you can do what your supposeto do "work".

Larry

Paul Fredricks_3 · August 2006

One big tongue in cheek

We have a few techs that insist that the phone is too big and heavy and they can't carry it. Drives us nuts. I think the basic problem is trying to run the office from the field. While it's true the field doesn't always know what the field guys are dealing with, I think the reverse is more true. Communication is the key.

Leo · August 2006

Private cell phones

Larry,

If the company issues a phone then the calls you described are acceptable good or bad. What bothers me is the guys with the private phones. Girlfriend calls, calls about who picks up the beer tonight etc etc etc. In this case keep the phone in the truck or if I was the boss and it couldn't stay in the truck bring it home and stay with it. I worked with two guys who had to drop everything for these calls. Without the phone their work was marginal at best.

Leo

larry_15 · August 2006

Leo

Leo:

I have two guys on the job now, one a frist year apprentice and the other a 40 year vet.

I agree with the girl friend not calling or the booky, or brother who has to make sure the other one knows what you are doing because you are to lazy to go to school and learn how to do the work youself.

The kid does not use the cell phone on the job like others I have had, but the vet is on the phone more than he works. which is fine if your doing service and can bill it to the customer but when your on a contract job then what do you do? You need the man for service and you want to keep him happy. But construction work isn't the same as service. Tell it to him he's working and it all pays the same. (They think) And he is helping out the young guys. But when all is said and done the job tanks because of it.

Larry

Leo · August 2006

A little thought is needed

Larry,

I understand the difference between service and install. I prefer service as installs have always kicked my butt. On service BETWEEN jobs the personal calls can be done. That's when I stretch my legs and grab coffee which is always to go I never sit in a coffee shop. I don't work where I live so if I get hung up speaking to someone it is a customer, I justify it as public relations. I also have to add I am an employee not an owner. The first company I worked for you called in after every job, never any down time. Now things are different but I get board if there is too much down time.

Leo

Employees wasting time

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