# Customers asking employees to do side work.



## SuperiorHIP (Aug 15, 2010)

How do you handle this? I'm lucky, I have a good employee who has told me immediately the 2 times it happened. First time was an odd situation, this time really aggravated me.
Installed 2 new slab doors (exterior double) for a new customer this morning. I took my time, as usual, to make sure all the edges were primed, all gaps were nice and even. Guy commented multiple time on how great my work was and telling his wife how great everything was. Sent my guy over to get a coat of paint on the outside and he said within no time the guy was asking him to come back and do some things on the side. 
I am not sure if I want to say something to them about how disrespectful it is to me (or any other employer) and how it is basically an attempt to steal from me. The wife asked for cards because her friends needed someone so maybe leave it alone? We are never short on work but I don't want to start pushing customers away either.


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## 480sparky (Feb 1, 2009)

Is such an action by your employee a termination offense?


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## overanalyze (Dec 28, 2010)

Give your employee a bonus for his honesty and to encourage him to maintain his loyalty while employed by you! Then have a calm discussion with the client explaing that your employees aren't for hire outside of your company.


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## concretemasonry (Dec 1, 2006)

It sounds like the "guy" is good and possibly underpaid, but is honest to report this to you. - You do not own him.


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## ohiohomedoctor (Dec 26, 2010)

+1 for giving him a bonus. This client would be placed on my naughty list.. :santa: :no:


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## Stunt Carpenter (Dec 31, 2011)

What work did they ask your employee to do. 

Is it work that you would normally do?


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## FRAME2FINISH (Aug 31, 2010)

Tell him how much to charge and split it lol


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## carolinahandyma (Jan 6, 2006)

Thank your guy for the honesty and reward him if you see fit. Also, you may want to coach your guy on how to handle such things in the future. I agree it is lousy thing for a homeowner to do that but frankly you don't own them and they can do whatever they want to do as well.


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## Walter Secore (Jun 2, 2012)

Give your guy a bonus. I would not trust a HO if he was trying to steel money out of my pocket. You do great work untill the ho finds someone who is a couple of bucks less. Why would you want to work for a HO like that.


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## Zewlander (Dec 18, 2012)

It sucks but,

I would leave it alone myself, not really any harm done.

The customer was probably thinking they could get your
employee to work for them cheap.

Your employee is a reflection of you and your company,
the customer probably thinks now 'that was a crappy
thing we did asking his employee to come back and do
work for us'.

Or they're sitting there drinking wine, feeding their faces
and couldn't care less.

As a subcontractor when I worked for the large natl.
companies like ADT, Best, Stanley, Johnson Controls, 
etc. If I had a dime for every time I was asked to do
work for a company, I'd have probably already spent 
the $ 4.20.

I would tell them though 'you want me to come back 
and do the work here?' and they'd say 'yeah'..I'd then 
tell them to 'tell the prime that you just want me to 
come back and do the work.

A nice way of saying 'Blow me'.


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## TxElectrician (May 21, 2008)

How long has the employee worked for you? You sure he's telling the truth?

I've only had a customer ask an employee 3 times(that I'm aware of) to work on the side.

A few times I've had a customer ask me if it would be OK for my employee to perform work directly for them that is out of our normal scope. I have said no. If a customer can hire one of your guys on the side for 20 bucks an hour, they will have a hard time understanding why you need to charge your hourly rate.


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## SuperiorHIP (Aug 15, 2010)

He has been working with me for 7 years, he does great work and I can leave him on a job start to finish and don't have to look at the finished product before I write an invoice (I always do, just saying I don't have to). There are some issues from time to time but overall things are good. If the customer was asking him to do things I didn't want to do and it wasn't on company time I wouldn't worry about it. 
Taking work from a customer, behind my back, for things we do all week I do feel is a serious problem. He wouldn't do it, thats not a concern I have. 
Tx, he wouldn't make it up...can't even think of a scenario where it would prove beneficial for anyone to fabricate that. Its been twice since we've worked together so its not a frequent thing.

Frame2finish, he said the same thing...actually he said to tell him how to price it 50% higher than I would normally would.:laughing:

I do realize this type of thing happens, just bothers me and wasnt sure if I should say something, not work for them any longer, or just pretend it didn't happen.


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## griz (Nov 26, 2009)

If your employee refused to do the side work....

pretty much speaks volumes....:thumbsup:





Your employee would be in the best position to say something...

"Hey thanks for the offer but I don't work behind my bosse's back"...:thumbsup:


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## ohiohomedoctor (Dec 26, 2010)

Yep. I had one guy side step me. I drove by the job on Saturday by chance and busted him. I was really nice about it Monday when I talked to him, and then he lied to me which is a fireable offense in the republic of ohiohomedoctor..


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## Zewlander (Dec 18, 2012)

ohiohomedoctor said:


> Yep. I had one guy side step me. I drove by the job on Saturday by chance and busted him. I was really nice about it Monday when I talked to him, and then he lied to me which is a fireable offense in the republic of ohiohomedoctor..


Thought you were going to say 'I was really nice to him,
I didn't back over him with my truck after I ran him over'.


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## 480sparky (Feb 1, 2009)

Is this situation addressed in your contract with the customer? :whistling


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## ohiohomedoctor (Dec 26, 2010)

480sparky said:


> Is this situation addressed in your contract with the customer? :whistling


Nope. Neither is when I have to chit its going to be in one of your toilets..


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## Zewlander (Dec 18, 2012)

ohiohomedoctor said:


> Nope. Neither is when I have to chit its going to be in one of your toilets..


Well said....you should be a political speech writer.


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## 480sparky (Feb 1, 2009)

ohiohomedoctor said:


> Nope. Neither is when I have to chit its going to be in one of your toilets..


I was asking the OP. If I was asking you, I'd quote you. :whistling


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## ohiohomedoctor (Dec 26, 2010)

Well then..


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## Jaws (Dec 20, 2010)

ohiohomedoctor said:


> Because I'm not mormon and my wife takes faithfulness seriously..


Mormons arent palagamists , palagamists are palagamists.


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## Zewlander (Dec 18, 2012)

Californiadecks said:


> What's the difference between being loyal to the contractor or the wallet?


I take it your wallet has to be pretty big to feed
that moose you've got there.


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## ohiohomedoctor (Dec 26, 2010)

Jaws said:


> Mormons arent palagamists , palagamists are palagamists.


Are there Texan Mormons?


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## Zewlander (Dec 18, 2012)

Jaws said:


> Mormons arent palagamists , palagamists are palagamists.


That is true.

I was working in Mesquite Nevada doing cameras 
at the Western Village and saw this guy with 2
women that were twins.

This one other contractor told me those were his
wives.

I actually thought (until then) it might be cool to
be having a threesome all the time with 2 wives.

Seeing that guy with his 2 twin wives looked like
a friggen' freak show.

Along with what if they're PMS'ing was synced? 
I'd blow my own head off inside of a week.

One broad PMS'ing is bad enough!


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## Zewlander (Dec 18, 2012)

ohiohomedoctor said:


> Are there Texan Mormons?


Mormons are every where, it's just where is Polygamy
legal. I think it's only legal in Utah.


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## ohiohomedoctor (Dec 26, 2010)

I have some mormon clients. They are very very nice people and only one wive.


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## Zewlander (Dec 18, 2012)

ohiohomedoctor said:


> I have some mormon clients. They are very very nice people and only one wive.


Because they are very smart.

Back to the thread.

I have seen quite a few guys get their license 
and steal a customer or 2 from their previous
employer.

The community of contractors in the field I was
in, the news would spread like wildfire and those
guys were always looked at like the scurge of
the earth.

Pimples on the ass of society!


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## jamestrd (Oct 26, 2008)

CScalf said:


> I had a former employee go to a site once and unlock the trailer and get tools he needed for side-work. Homeowner called to ask me if if I knew the employee was getting tools out of the trailer (he knew we didn't work on Sunday) and I said no, why was he there? He said yes. So I showed up early Monday morning and the homeowner let me park my truck in the garage and I hid around the corner and called the employee saying I would be late...caught him putting the tools back and fired him on the spot, the entire time the homeowner was laughing and clapping!:clap: As the employee drove away, the homeowner says to him "don't **** where you eat" lol!
> 
> Lesson learned, never under any circumstances let an employee have the ability to access tools & equip. after hours. Also have them sign a non compete.


I feel bad for your wife if she ever decide for divorce cuz that some real stalker type ****e...you could have done the same without all the drama and 007 stuff...geez


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## CScalf (Dec 18, 2008)

jamestrd said:


> I feel bad for your wife if she ever decide for divorce cuz that some real stalker type ****e...you could have done the same without all the drama and 007 stuff...geez



Hey at least I decided to not play the mission impossible them on my mp3 while I was doing it...:whistling


and besides where's the fun by not playing 007...


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## ryanshull (Nov 1, 2012)

CScalf said:


> I had a former employee go to a site once and unlock the trailer and get tools he needed for side-work. Homeowner called to ask me if I knew the employee was getting tools out of the trailer (he knew we didn't work on Sunday) and I said no, why was he there? He said yes. So I showed up early Monday morning and the homeowner let me park my truck in the garage and I hid around the corner and called the employee saying I would be late...caught him putting the tools back and fired him on the spot, the entire time the homeowner was laughing and clapping!:clap: As the employee drove away, the homeowner says to him "don't **** where you eat" lol!
> 
> Lesson learned, never under any circumstances let an employee have the ability to access tools & equip. after hours. Also have them sign a non compete.


Atleast he was bringing the tools back.......


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## BamBamm5144 (Jul 12, 2008)

Anyone give jobs to there guys?


I've had a few that weren't really worth my time so I tell them if they're interested, I can have one of the guys call them. I then let my lead guy know and just ask for $25 if he gets the job.


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## Mud Master (Feb 26, 2007)

BamBamm5144 said:


> Anyone give jobs to there guys?


Yes I do. 

40 hours a week, 52 weeks a year.


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## Jaws (Dec 20, 2010)

ohiohomedoctor said:


> Are there Texan Mormons?


Yes. My brother converted with his wife while in college.


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## BamBamm5144 (Jul 12, 2008)

Mud Master said:


> Yes I do.
> 
> 40 hours a week, 52 weeks a year.


You know what I'm talking about.


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## Mud Master (Feb 26, 2007)

BamBamm5144 said:


> You know what I'm talking about.


Simply answered no I personally do not. But I'm in a different arena too.


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## Jaws (Dec 20, 2010)

BamBamm5144 said:


> You know what I'm talking about.


I get asked by friends to do work on homes, especially rentals, by friends and collueges quite often. They cant afford me, I have hooked my guys up many times. Most dont want to do side work, but one of my top guys is a single dad and he is always working weekends. If it required a liscence here, I wouldnt, but no GC liscence here. My brother ( foreman) is as ambitious as I was as an employee. He does side work also, none of it encroaches on my livleyhood.

On what Mud said, I always did side work, even when making $50,000+ as a commercial super. If I made $150,000 a year Id want more, and hqve no problem working long hours to get it.


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## BamBamm5144 (Jul 12, 2008)

Yeah I understand. I just don't see the point for myself to drive 30 minutes for a roof repair estimate in cities I don't like.


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## Jaws (Dec 20, 2010)

Mud Master said:


> Simply answered no I personally do not. But I'm in a different arena too.


If I was still in comercial zi would not hook them up either.

When I was doing commercial, I did simple decks, showers and production trim for a large semi custom builder and a spec builder. 

I took side work to another level, I grossed 17000 one year, almost all production trim.


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## A&E Exteriors (Aug 14, 2009)

ohiohomedoctor said:


> You dont work with Paulie anymore?


Sure do, however lying to the PM is not tolerated


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## Youngin' (Sep 16, 2012)

I completely understand firing an employee for using your tools without permission to do his own side jobs. If he got a side job (unrelated to your current clients) and took only HIS tools that he stores in YOUR trailer without asking beforehand would that still be ground for dismissal in anyone's opinion?


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