[poleman]

Got a young chap (23 years old) that has been working for me for the past 4 months

I put him on a 3 month trial bases and at the end of it I had to extend the trial for a extra month because of his bad attendance and at times not listening to me

He isn't a bad window cleaner and this week I was going to give him a full time job! because his attendance got better but this morning he said he was going to be late in because his new babe daughter had to be taken to hospital but then phones back and says he wont be in today as he has to take his daughter back to the doctors (I should add he has a wife)

Any way, I'm ped off as lost a days work out of him! and end of the day business is business do I really wont someone is going to taking day of from work to look after a small child!

Your views please....should I keep him on full time or look eles where

[Grant C]

It would be easy to say get rid.... but if you think he could be a good window cleaning and therefore a good asset to your business then you perhaps need to let him know how close he came to losing his job and if he wants to continue with you and get full time then he will be on a 6 month extention to his temp contract and any further non attendance issues will result in instant dismissal.

p.s this is my first post on this forum so go easy on me boys and girls 

[Bobs Window Cleaning]

You're peed off 

How do you think he is feeling if he has had to take his baby to hospital?

[Pope vader]

sack him, how dare he take a day off to look after his own sick child, why didnt his wife phone in sick so he could go out and make you money,

next he will be wanting days off for funerals,



this is the joys of business, people take days off and you have to put up with it,  go out make money and have a chat with him make sure every thing is ok,  becasue if some one said to me i was going to sack you for taking aday off to look after your sick kid, i would tell them to stick there job

[AS Window Cleaning]

I'd have to agree, in this instance its understandable. sounds like you've had probs with reliability thru out. I'd let this one pass, but if the habit of being late/time off/whatever your not happy with continues, take it up with him. u need to know can rely on him.....under normal situations.

[Paul Coleman]

Got a young chap (23 years old) that has been working for me for the past 4 months

I put him on a 3 month trial bases and at the end of it I had to extend the trial for a extra month because of his bad attendance and at times not listening to me

He isn't a bad window cleaner and this week I was going to give him a full time job! because his attendance got better but this morning he said he was going to be late in because his new babe daughter had to be taken to hospital but then phones back and says he wont be in today as he has to take his daughter back to the doctors (I should add he has a wife)

Any way, I'm ped off as lost a days work out of him! and end of the day business is business do I really wont someone is going to taking day of from work to look after a small child!

Your views please....should I keep him on full time or look eles where

The issue for me wouldn't be about taking time off for a sick child.  It would be whether he is telling the truth about it.
Personally I would let it pass this time.
However, maybe some consideration could be given to an attendance bonus? £x per week for being on time and no days off.  It needn't involve extra money but could be part of the bonus system that you will eventually pay him.  That way, if he does let you down, at least you can claw back some of the lost profit by not paying the attendance part of the bonus (whilst making the attendance bonus a large proportion of the money to encourage him to be reliable).

[Bushboy]

if you think it's not genuine , then get rid , it will bite you on the rear
If you give him a permenant contract later down the road .

If he is however genuine then support him , but explain what his absence % is
Over he past 3 months & discuss & set some next steps around his conduct
For having time off , could it be that he has unpaid leave say for domestic
Reasons etc as this would be the sign of a caring employer .

I was a area mngr for quite a few years & it used to annoy me with sickness .

We looked after the needy & were hard on the pi!! Takers .

Which one is he .
 

[Helen]

Got a young chap (23 years old) that has been working for me for the past 4 months

I put him on a 3 month trial bases and at the end of it I had to extend the trial for a extra month because of his bad attendance and at times not listening to me

Should have got rid then, he didn't come up to scratch then, so why would he in the future....that is the point of having a trial basis

He isn't a bad window cleaner and this week I was going to give him a full time job! because his attendance got better but this morning he said he was going to be late in because his new babe daughter had to be taken to hospital but then phones back and says he wont be in today as he has to take his daughter back to the doctors (I should add he has a wife)

Ok, so he did the right thing and put his family first....wouldn't you? perhaps his wife can't drive or was not well herself or perhaps they wanted to go together

Any way, I'm ped off as lost a days work out of him! and end of the day business is business do I really wont someone is going to taking day of from work to look after a small child!

Whoaaaaaaaaa..he could just as easily not let you know or even say he was ill himself. If their was no-one to look after your kids what would you do...oh of course you'd go to work and let them fend for themselves
You extended the original trial basis, now go to the end of that and make your mind up.

Your views please....should I keep him on full time or look eles where

[Mike_G]

Got a young chap (23 years old) that has been working for me for the past 4 months

I put him on a 3 month trial bases and at the end of it I had to extend the trial for a extra month because of his bad attendance and at times not listening to me

He isn't a bad window cleaner and this week I was going to give him a full time job! because his attendance got better but this morning he said he was going to be late in because his new babe daughter had to be taken to hospital but then phones back and says he wont be in today as he has to take his daughter back to the doctors (I should add he has a wife)

Any way, I'm ped off as lost a days work out of him! and end of the day business is business do I really wont someone is going to taking day of from work to look after a small child!

Your views please....should I keep him on full time or look eles where

If he's genuine and his daughter is ill then I would of made him take the day off, who knows how bad she might be.

As for losing a days work out of him surely you could of covered that? Afterall you posted this at 10.21 and if your that worried about the work perhaps you should be out doing it, afterall it is your business

[H S and Son]

Got a young chap (23 years old) that has been working for me for the past 4 months

I put him on a 3 month trial bases and at the end of it I had to extend the trial for a extra month because of his bad attendance and at times not listening to me

He isn't a bad window cleaner and this week I was going to give him a full time job! because his attendance got better but this morning he said he was going to be late in because his new babe daughter had to be taken to hospital but then phones back and says he wont be in today as he has to take his daughter back to the doctors (I should add he has a wife)

Any way, I'm ped off as lost a days work out of him! and end of the day business is business do I really wont someone is going to taking day of from work to look after a small child!

Your views please....should I keep him on full time or look eles where

I would reserve judgement, but answer this, do you think he should have come to work to earn you a few pennies or taken his ill daughter to hospital?

[Neil Williams]

Am I missing something here?
The whole idea of putting someone on a 3 month trial is that it gives them 3 months to prove that they have what you want, and if all is going well you offer them a full contract......NOT....I'll keep them on a bit longer and see if they improve. he had his chance and remember there are something like 2.5 million out there unemployed and if that doesn't focus his mind then nothing will.

You've missed your chance now and have dug a nice hole for yourself. You'd be a braver person than me to 'sack' someone because he took a child to hospital.
If you have doubts about this being the truth then why don't you as 'A Caring Employer' just pop around his home without warning, under the pretense you just want to make sure everything is ok. You'll find out then if there is a sick child or a sick adult holding a hang over from a day in the pub.

Sometimes you have to think like an employee to catch them out. They think nothing of texting you at 8.10 am to say they won't be in, so likewise pop around his without warning.

[Pope vader]

i can see you point neil, but the bloke might be better off unemployed if he is livin gin  a rented house,  if he gets sacked becasue it wasnt working out he will get dole,

how much an hour are you paying him pole man

[Mike #1]

had a lad helping me out for a while a few years back now got fed up with his attendance and feeble excuses basically lying when he could'nt be bothered to work had 2 kids and a partner to support ,   he was a good worker when he turned in but i got fed up in the end and got rid ,     If you feel you are been messed about mate get rid .  MIKE

[bobplum]

Am I missing something here?
The whole idea of putting someone on a 3 month trial is that it gives them 3 months to prove that they have what you want, and if all is going well you offer them a full contract......NOT....I'll keep them on a bit longer and see if they improve. he had his chance and remember there are something like 2.5 million out there unemployed and if that doesn't focus his mind then nothing will.

You've missed your chance now and have dug a nice hole for yourself. You'd be a braver person than me to 'sack' someone because he took a child to hospital.
If you have doubts about this being the truth then why don't you as 'A Caring Employer' just pop around his home without warning, under the pretense you just want to make sure everything is ok. You'll find out then if there is a sick child or a sick adult holding a hang over from a day in the pub.

i agree,this guys got form over the last three months,he wont change get rid and move on,you have tried to be a good person by extending his probationary period,i promise you this will a regular story

Sometimes you have to think like an employee to catch them out. They think nothing of texting you at 8.10 am to say they won't be in, so likewise pop around his without warning.

[russ_clark]

wave goodbye

[Johnny B]

I had a young lad work with me for 3 years. I had known him most of his life, and he had had a succession of jobs which he had lost.

I gave him plenty of chances, but he sadly took advantage of my good nature. By this I meant that I would go miles out of my way to pick him up and drop him off, always gave him the easiest work to do, he was on his phone much of the time, and he was often off sick. It came to a head when, on the first day he was due back from another 3 week sick stint, he told me he had been offered some temporary work with a friend. The work turned out to be unpaid (he didn't tell me this at the time) but I told him that we were calling it a day. This left him with no job, and fewer prospects of getting another. It is a tough world, but I had to do it for my own sanity. 

Moral: it's your business. If someone or something is getting in the way of its smooth running and success, change it.

John     

[jouk45]

if somthing was wrong with my wife or baby,  the last thing on my mind would be window cleaning, employees do  have rights, i use to have 7 employees at one time, illness was a regular ocurance, but i had to get on with it,

[EandM]

For 15 months I looked after my two children of 8 months and 2.5 years while my wife was unwell and living away from us. I managed to do this by working 3 days a week, when they were in nursery and caring for them at home on 3-4 hours sleep per night. Working was essential for my sanity but there were working days when I was just toast, dropping the kids of at nursery and then sleeping all day.
I suppose the point of my post is don't underestimate how difficult 'just looking after kids' is. Easier for me because I was working for me, but had I been employed I doubt I could have held down a job as well.

If this chap is on the level, talk to him with a view to giving him a break.
If he's winding you up - sack him.
You need to find out which it is.

[Moderator David@stives]

1/ You are dealing with people not machines
2/ Does he make you money
3/ there is no such thing as Mr Right, every staff member has good points and bad points
4/ Do the good points outweigh the bad

[StockClean]

I would offer him your full support, even offer to help perhaps picking bits and bobs up now and then to hospital.

Make him aware of the issues you are having with his work ethic, give him some time to get through the difficult situation he is facing.

Remind him that he is still on probation, extend it a bit if you want but let him know that after this little obstacle has passed, and he and his family are back into the swing of things again, he's really got to demonstrate that he wants the job, and turn up 5 mins early ready to work every day throughout the rest of his probation.

Put the pressure on a bit, after this little blip has passed, some people need a kick up the backside to get them motivated.