# Going to fire someone today.



## Calidecks (Nov 19, 2011)

All City said:


> It is hard when you have feelings. I got some advise years ago, just before you look him in the eyes and shake his hand, ask yourself can I fire him, if needed. I have fired family, granted it was my wife's side but it was not easy. Bottom line you need to fire this guy.


The hardest guys to fire are the ones that don't cut the mustard knowledge wise. I had a guy that tried really hard and was a nice guy. He said he was experienced and wasn't quite what he claimed to be. I payed him for the whole day relieved him of his position and ill be damned if he didn't start crying. It was horrible. I felt really bad, but he lied to me.


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## cleveman (Dec 28, 2007)

I'm so dense, if it weren't for the other posters I couldn't figure out how to run the back side of the board through the saw before the front side of the board. I was thinking to myself, "so he ran the board through the saw with the wrong end pointing forwards. Why does it matter? And how can there be a wrong end to the board?"


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## tenon0774 (Feb 7, 2013)

Jrnoodle said:


> - Cut a board on the table saw by sending it through backwards!
> .


I think he meant sent the board through the outfeed end of the saw.

That could have been tragic!


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## cabinetsnj (Jun 10, 2012)

Jrnoodle said:


> So we hired this guy last week and he started on Monday. Did a personal one hour interview, asked him a lot of questions, and today he is being let go. I feel bad for him and this is a little difficult for me because I have never done something like this in the 7 years we have been in business. Everything in the interview checked out, he said all the right things. My brother (our PM) didn't get a good vibe from him, but we ended up hiring him anyways because everything else checked out. This wasn't just a carpenter or helper we are looking for, the position was for someone with experience with bathroom and kitchen remodeling who could do the projects for us from start to finish. Except for some of the trade work.
> 
> Here's what has happened since Monday:
> 
> ...


Maybe he had to try to get a job or his unemployment would be finished. Then he screwed it up so he could go back on unemployment.


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## Calidecks (Nov 19, 2011)

I don't know about other states but if you get fired in Cali and its your fault, you can't collect UI


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## schaefercs (Jul 10, 2008)

Californiadecks said:


> I don't know about other states but if you get fired in Cali and its your fault, you can't collect UI


In ny you have to be with your employer at least one fiscal quarter. And you have to be fired to collect. Sounds like he wouldn't be able to collect. Even though he was fired it wasn't his "fault" for being let go, it was more that he misrepresented himself, if he were with his employer longer than just a week he would be able to collect. However if he didn't show up to work and got fired for that reason, he wouldn't be able to collect.


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## sancho (Apr 3, 2010)

Looking at what happened and reading the responses..

Yea he needed to go.

I had a similar situation many years ago at age 21. 

I was the screw up. I got hired by this guy. Real nice guy and a good boss.

But for some reason I cant explain it but I just screwed up the simplest task. No kidding, 

Ive done the work for a couple of years with no problems, 

But just had bad luck with that boss.

Cant it explain it. 
Things just went to hell in a hand basket.

Everything I touched just went to sh--t. 

Even the most remedial task.

I got fired after about a week or so.

I didnt blame the guy. 

I cant explain why I screwed up.

Maybe I was trying to hard.

I deserved to be fired and knew it.

Now at 59, I still dont know what happened.

Sometimes things dont work out I guess.


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## Young_Buck (Jul 19, 2009)

Safety issues are a good cause for dismissal... sounds like this guy needs to move on to another field...


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## jhark123 (Aug 26, 2008)

Californiadecks said:


> The hardest guys to fire are the ones that don't cut the mustard knowledge wise. I had a guy that tried really hard and was a nice guy. He said he was experienced and wasn't quite what he claimed to be. I payed him for the whole day relieved him of his position and ill be damned if he didn't start crying. It was horrible. I felt really bad, but he lied to me.


Nope, the hardest is an apprentice that never develops the knowledge to be a journeyman.


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## SAW.co (Jan 2, 2011)

I was wanting to give the guy a second chance.
until the part ware he ran plywood thru the table saw backwards.


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## Kent Whitten (Mar 24, 2006)

5 ish years ago, I was one of the managers in a sizable granite countertop company in the Boston area. The company I was working for just purchased a 2nd cnc machine and obviously the boss man wanted that thing churning out product all day long to make money.

I was the one programming both cnc's , but my duties were to manage the department, not do everything in the department. So we needed to hire a programmer.

Our search turned up a few decent ones, but we decided on this one guy who was programming for another company that was only keeping him busy one day of the week. He came with the best credentials for programming. We even called the company he worked for and they said we wouldn't have any problems at all, he's one of the best. He was a very high level Chinese defector, he had some serious background in journalism and education. like University Professor. Incredibly smart. Awards, the whole nine yards.

All good signs right? I work with him for a week. I show him how to program on the CAM software, which was so, so, so easy. I had designed a CAD to CAM workflow that ultimately made the programming a breeze. You could program in a minute or two. Simple. I did all of the leg work for him. A week went by and then I let him take over the reigns and practice. Nothing programmed yet, just practice.

Some reason he had trouble. Two days, three days went by...dead in the water. Couldn't figure it out. I showed him at least a dozen extra times. Gave him the manual to take home to study. Two weeks. Come in every day and practice. Let's go, we got **** to do.

By 3 weeks, I was getting short with the guy. He still could not make ONE mouse click on the screen and get it correct. I am just shaking my head at this point. I go to the lady who handles employees and she brings him in and discusses what needs to happen. She asks me to give him another week and show him YET again. A dozen or so more times go by. 

I personally could program all the jobs for the day in an hour and this guy can't even make one correct mouse click? So I told him "tomorrow, you need to show me that you can accomplish SOMETHING" and the following day I sat him down and said "show me now"

He froze. 

I told him to go pick up his check, sorry and thank you very much. 

Later that day I get called in to the big bosses office. A rare occurrence. There sits this guy with boss man and the lady who handles employees (I am contracted through this particular company). I'm beside myself. This guy is saying "what do I do now? I quit the job I was working at for 12 years to come here, they already have someone else...I have no job...you promised me I could program..blah blah blah..."

The conversation just kept repeating over and over. Everyone was stuck. We were there for what seemed like an hour. He wouldn't leave, he just kept asking "please give me another chance, please give me another chance" I mean this guy was BEGGING and CRYING. 

We had to get security eventually and escort him out. He did go peacefully, but I tell you what, never in my life was I ever worried that someone was going to be waiting for me outside of work with a gun...until that day. Weeks on end I watched my back exiting that building. It was one of THOSE types of guys. Just gave me the absolute creepiest feeling.

You have to be careful with firing. You need to play it just right. It's easier to make them want to QUIT.


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## CrpntrFrk (Oct 25, 2008)

Wow Kent!

It's amazing what the activities of society has done to our heads. Fire someone for not doing a good job and you never know if they are going to blame you for it.

That's crazy. Glad you came out alright ol' boy.:thumbsup:


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## Jaws (Dec 20, 2010)

A good way to make someone quit is have them look for a non existent object in a 40 yard dumpster for a day or so.


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## Kent Whitten (Mar 24, 2006)

Exactly. A guy I used to work for long time ago told me that it is best to find a way for them to quit all on their own. He had a gun pointed at him after a firing. That has to make you soil your shorts some. 

After that, he would tell the guy he was a little slow on work and didn't need him that day, call him tomorrow. He would play that for awhile, give him a little work here and there, but not much, not even a full day...like 4 or 5 hours. Eventually, the person runs out of money and is forced to find another job. Problem solved. 

Or like John says, find a really nasty dirty crappy job for them to do and make them do it over and over. Like dig the power line trench. :laughing:


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## donerightwyo (Oct 10, 2011)

When i was in high school me and my buddy worked for a guy that had a concrete plant amongst other businesses. One day our boss tells my buddy to go behind the plant and dig a hole 8 feet wide, 8 ft long and 5 ft deep with perfectly square owners and straight sides. This was a several day project. My buddy comes in the following day and the boss tells him, the rain filled that hole in, we're going to have to dig it again.

My buddy tells me later, he don't think it was rain cause there was loader tracks all around that hole:laughing:

My buddy never quit though, he got fired about six times, but never quit.:no:


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## SAW.co (Jan 2, 2011)

Ya know once a guy hits 25 and he still hasn't figured it out their probably isn't much hope for him. 
I started in the trades when I was only 15 and that was a clumsy stage for me that lasted for about 4 years. If it were not for the almighty second chance I would probably be flipping burgers or stocking shelves somewhere.

Not every one is the same, some are worth it, some are not...


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## CarpenterSFO (Dec 12, 2012)

jhark123 said:


> Nope, the hardest is an apprentice that never develops the knowledge to be a journeyman.


I've been chewing on this very problem for a little while now. Got a guy who's worked for me for 3 years. Reliable, the most trustworthy employee I've ever had. But he hasn't learned journeyman skills and doesn't seem to have any ambition to do so. I can't grow the company with people who can't learn and grow in the job.


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## cabinetsnj (Jun 10, 2012)

Kent, sometimes I use that approach. I make guys want to quit. It saves me a lot of hassle.


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## KennMacMoragh (Sep 16, 2008)

What kind of test questions did you ask him at the interview? I doubt he worked for himself for 8 years. If he didn't know that you can't drag a refrigerator across a hardwood floor then he couldn't have had much remodel experience.


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## B.Scott (Feb 1, 2013)

KennMacMoragh said:


> What kind of test questions did you ask him at the interview? I doubt he worked for himself for 8 years. If he didn't know that you can't drag a refrigerator across a hardwood floor then he couldn't have had much remodel experience.


Sounds like he had eight years experience working for an appliance store. Those guys are brutal on new floors. LOL....


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## darthdude (Dec 30, 2012)

I personally have not used 12' sheets, but one of our yards can get 10' sheets. I think 12's would be mor useful.....


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## barry1219 (Oct 8, 2011)

Best job I ever had was one where I had to work for free until I was ready for the owner to ask me to do any task. His theory was if you keep showing up on your own dime and pass then I have myself a good employee and he has a skillset to make $50k a year to start.

Took me two weeks and I passed. Guy peeled off $300 for my time and gas and told me I had the job.

2 years later I was in charge of my own crew of 6 ( 5 guys and 1 girl--she was/is a tough chick) and we were a tight crew. 

His theory was you don't test a battleship in calm waters and his test was a worst case scenario.

I almost use the same theory with my own company now..but I push my guys to start their own specialty business and I sub them exclusively..I am of the theory that I want great guys working me and I want them to want to work for themself and I help along the way..telling them how I did it and feeding them side work.

It is tough to be a boss I tell them I have 4 kids of my own and I want them to leave me someday too..lol..so they are already 18 and it is time to get to stepping and I will call you when I need you.

Crazy I guess..but it is how I am. I do not want employees..I want guys that are great at what I need done to work for me when I need them and I want to pay them more than I would if they worked for me. It is cheaper in the long run and it breeds loyalty.


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## ArtisanRemod (Dec 25, 2012)

I get 28 1by1' pieces out of a sheet of plywood


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