How do people know when the worst time to quit is?

Karl Brogger

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519
Location
Dennison, MN
My one employee bailed on me. I'm staring at a stack of 91 drawers that need to be run through the widebelt, machined, sanded, assembled, sanded again, and drilled for hardware. grrrrr.

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With the amount of people out of work it always shocks me when someone gives up a job. Assuming he had a better deal somewhere, common decency would give you two weeks notice. I left a job that I absolutely hated (the only one in my career) and I still gave them two weeks notice :huh:.
 
My one employee bailed on me. I'm staring at a stack of 91 drawers that need to be run through the widebelt, machined, sanded, assembled, sanded again, and drilled for hardware. grrrrr.

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You have my sympathy for your loss (and work!) and I think you're asking rhetorically, but I'll answer anyway.

Loyalty.

Assuming the employee didn't quit due to winning the lottery or finding a much better (25-50% better pay) job, the employee didn't have any loyalty to you. He took one look at that pile of work, knew he was gonna quit anyway, and chose to avoid doing that pile.

I'm quitting my job too (though my employer doesn't know yet) but I'm loyal to my co-workers... so I'm quitting just after the big annual convention in two weeks instead of last week when I got the job offer I'm accepting. If I'd quit last week, my co-workers would have an extremely hard time pulling off a successful convention. I don't burn a bridge unless it leads to a place I no longer wish to go.
 
Sorry you are in a bind. Some random thoughts. It looks like mind numbing, repetitive, boring work, with little opportunity for improvement. Not the kind of job an ambitious young person would be happy at, unless I was a high school kid wanting to learn how to build cabinets and make some cash. Did the employee say why he/she was leaving? Maybe they would rather be a welder. Could be just a personality conflict. Are you a hard driving boss who expects a full days work for the wages you pay....good luck finding suitable help. Do you pay competitive wages? Do you jump in and help out from time to time to give them a break. Is there a way to build in some pay incentives for doing a good job. Have you considered a part timer that just comes in for jobs like this. I bet there's some trainable retired person with good motor skills that would love some extra cash.
 
well karl, the drive is a bit much for me:) but i also think that you could find a old man like me that is looking for work and would be that loyal person, providing you treated him right,, not necessarily high wages but respect and consideration go a long ways.. there are many folks out there looking for that and lost what they had possibly due to lack of loyalty buy the owner or other rreasons.... nuff on the negative... bad fat escaping:) put a ad in the local paper or better yet go to your local lumber yard and talk with the yard help.. back when i was a kid i had a job doing that and would have jumped on a chance to get into more of the business.. but we all, need to look at ourselves in this worker or owner positioning, and see why and what we could change.
 
Murphy's Law!

Sometimes it's a better offer and sometimes they are just burned out.

I gotta ask why your running those pieces thru the wide belt and then sanding them again after assembly? Were they cut out manually or on a cnc?
 
I suspect we will not be hearing from Karl for some time to come. He has a pile of 91 drawers to sand and assemble.:doh:
 
Whatever the reason, that was a bad dump. I assume he is not asking for references---

I really don't think that employees, who have never been an owner, can really understand what some of their actions do.

I think Glenn has done it correctly. I have never talked to one of his bosses who didn't say something like, "Best person who ever worked with/for me."

By the same token, anyone I have talked with who worked for Glenn said something like, "The best boss I ever had."

Good job kiddo.

Enjoy,

JimB
 
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Karl I can only say you got to look inwards. If there was a external say family type reason most of the time the guy would have come to you and explained. But leaving you in the lurch says he wanted to get back at you for something. You want to do some reflecting on what this may have been and consider it for next time.

Many business owners expect more from an employee than what they obligated to provide. When you hire someone they may be prepared to put up with it given they may have no choice but in the long run things do not stay the same and when it turns it they relieve the problem from their life.
 
tough luck karl, but that shop is just way too clean.

No such thing as too clean. Dirty shops are a hazard, inefficient, and just less happy a place to work



The dude was a flake, didn't like getting to work at anytime that I told him to. Basically a great worker, but a horrid employee. He worked for me for about two years. Oh well.

I've interviewed a couple of people, one would have been great, but I'm not sure I could give him what he needed for hours. He's freshly wiped out from a divorce, and needs some hours and wages to get back on his feet. It is really tough at this level to pay guys what you'd like to. The money just isn't there to do it. Especially when things slow down and we're doing BS stuff to just have something to do.

I've got a kid coming in today that is 25. Not real hopeful, he's 25 and has been working at a temp agency.... We'll see. Could be good, but my expectations are set pretty low.
 
at least you got help coming in karl to get you out of the bind,, i stil say if you could find a older guy looking for work you would be better off,, most of them know what to do when the boss says be here at 6am and if your not then you can hit the road.. and most will work till the job is done as well not be a clock watcher..
 
at least you got help coming in karl to get you out of the bind,, i stil say if you could find a older guy looking for work you would be better off,, most of them know what to do when the boss says be here at 6am and if your not then you can hit the road.. and most will work till the job is done as well not be a clock watcher..
Nope Larry got to watch them older guys. Boss man says be here at 6 am and he's gonna be standing around waiting on me for at least 2 hours.:thumb::thumb::thumb::rofl::rofl::rofl::rofl: Now I don't care if we have to work all night to get the job done but I aint getting up to be to work for 6 for no one.:thumb::rofl::rofl:
 
i must say that the present time schedule is nicer than the old one:) but i still got up twice this week to be in the shop at 6am to get enough done for the next scheduled appt.. tommrrow will be another one, but the shop time wont start till round 8.30 am
 
My furry alarm clock is more dependable and accurate than any mechanical or electronic device I've ever used.

Without fail he wakes me up at precisely 5:30 every morning to go out. I figure if I'm up, I'm up. I'm not exactly sure who trained who here, but this feedback loop we are on doesn't show any signs of stopping soon.

Works out fine for me since I have a really short commute and most of my coworkers are on the eastern time zone and I'm on pacific.
 
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