[tony atkinson]

had breakfast at mi mates and wen i looked out the window seen one of my vans parked up no ladders on and could not see any1 so i went for awalk in the erea and there he was new lad traddin away on a block of terriced houses 8 in a row so i went back mi mates and waited to he was putttin ladders on van then i pounced on him he was shocked to see me i sed wats goin on he sed they were 1offs i sed wat 8 in a row he had no replie so i took the keys off him he has no lic to drive  told him 2 cum and see me later in his pockets was £78 in cash so looks like he has done afew jobs today i will be keepin the cash for usein my gear and van also i will be addin the work 2my buisness he is now down the rd  lost agood job £250 aweek plus bonuses silly boy he rang me told him not bother cumin seein me .

[mlscontractcleaner]

Gotta admire the lad's enterprise lol!!!!!

[H S and Son]

He might have been using your kit, which is wrong, but that doesn't make the money yours to take; particularly if you've sacked him as a result of it. If I was him you'd be getting a 'problem' you could do without.

[tony atkinson]

ha the lads boomin but its a bit cheeky my other lads tell me and add it to the round an i giv them a bonus evry time the work they pik up is cleaned ie a couple of pond on each job if its a big 1 they get more it all adds up on the set wage but you always get 1 with is own rules he a goner god knows how much more work he has got good look 2him but with no drivein lic he will not get far.......

[Mr. S]

Tony i sympathise with you! I know what i would have done, same as you and a good slap too! I found out one of my workers had done a single flat extra on a round and was trying to keep it quiet, he told the other lad working with him  not to say, but he felt so guilty and told me! I must add the first lad had it docked from wages and hence got no bonus and the boot!
 

[tony atkinson]

not at all there will be no problems at the end of the day he is robbin my buisness usein my company to trade also usein my insurance and my gear if he was out there with just a ladder and bucket he would of never  picked the work up he has got these houses through my hard work of building up my buisness and image evry 1 to there own but i will not be taken for a ride ....

[SunShineCleaning]

At £250 a week I'm not suprised he was doing extra work.

If you paid better rates you might get better behaved staff.

[bobplum]

well i am sorry to say i would have you court asap for stealing money of me,that money is not yours to take and i wouldn't blame him if he took you to the police or a industrial tribunal .
you should have taken say 20% for use of your tools

[andrewlefkas]

Seriously annoying but probably better to have him working for you rather than competition,
was he a good worker with good timekeeping ect ?,if he was then hard to find  and keep .
  And its Christmas - if he was okay before that give im a good slap and another chance .

[Pope vader]

why did you take his work,  what right do you have to do it form now on,  what is to stop him just taking all your other custy just by turning up and saying going out on my own do you want to come with me,  as i guess he know your prices and custys

[Pope vader]

if he hasnt got a license,  why has he got a van and keys

[Ian Rochester]

Tony,

Similar happened to me around 3 years ago with a couple of guys who worked for me, but it had been going on for a while, I eventually found out when a customer phoned me to say we'd left a bucket in their garden, but they weren't even on our list of customers.  They were earning £400+ every week with their bonuses but it obviously still wasn't enough for them.

You've done right, if he has been trading in your van and people think they are dealing with your company, then the money he has made is yours (possibly less his share for doing the work!)  Let him come to you for it then tell him you're contacting the police about him defrauding the company.

Things to do to prevent it happening again are:

- Keep the vans at a central workshop every night, don't allow them to take them home
- Move the teams around every month so that they do not have the same rounds every time
- Make sure you balance the sheets with the money at the end of every day
- Encourage people to pay by cheque or on line (take cash out of the equation)
- Send a letter out to all those people saying what has happened (I can send you a copy of the letter we sent out, it implies everything but says nothing libelous)

You've done the right thing, the two guys who worked for us said they were going to set up on their own and "take over all our business".  In the end they actually took only about 20 customers, mainly the elderly ones and I know they are making next to nothing.  

If you are going down the route of sacking this lad make sure everything for his dismissal is written down, give him the chance to put his side across before you wield the axe.  If you decide to give him another chance then make sure measures are put in place to stop it happening again

[creggan]

had the same problem with my brother in law 2 years ago,we live in a small town,most work is in bigger town. he still hangs his head to me every time we meet.still think he is something that you would get from a thorn

[tony atkinson]

He took the van from the other lad he works with hes only worked for me for 1month he went round this morning and got it of him he told him i seid he could borrow it today only just got intouch with him he dident know anythin about him doing the work at the end of the day he is in the wrong i am a fair with the lads in my eyes he is takein the p.

[Pope vader]

lucky he didnt have a crash then,  no insurance

[Paul Coleman]

He took the van from the other lad he works with hes only worked for me for 1month he went round this morning and got it of him he told him i seid he could borrow it today only just got intouch with him he dident know anythin about him doing the work at the end of the day he is in the wrong i am a fair with the lads in my eyes he is takein the p.

You are certainly within your rights to sack him.  IMO the money is less clear cut and I suppose he ought to have some of it at his hourly rate minus any expenditure he incurred for you in doing the work.
Obviously, from here, it's impossible to say but I do wonder if you may have potentially lost a good employee.  The ones who get caught can often end up the most loyal and grateful.  You know the guy.  I don't.  So that may be way off the mark.

[tony atkinson]

Thanks for the tips i do rotate there work and send them on diffrent rounds most of my work is all payed in bank only have 1round wich is cash as i use it for the lads if they need anythin he was a good lad and worker but the way he went about it was wrong all my lads have been with me for 6years and i have never had owt like it. Sunshine cleaning they get £250 a week even if it rains and they do halfday they also get job and knock on all my work they get bonus aswell for the work that comes in also i give them weekends aswell in the summer the are clearing £400+ to me that is good going

[gary999]

totally understand you doing what you did,but if that was me
you wouldnt of got the money out of my clammy hands

[pristine window cl]

hi tony, if he used your van without permission then !
if i gave my van for work i would have atracker fitted
will tell u online where it is, time, speeds etc

[Johnny B]

Hmmm. If I were in your situation, I think I would do this: If he were using your van and equipment without your permission, I would certainly give him his marching orders then and there. I would, however, let him keep the money he 'earned', and the houses he was caught cleaning at the time, if he picked them up of his own accord, and were not part of your round. He will need to find work, so why not let him have them, and maybe this will limit the damage he has done. I would also let my customers know that he no longer works for you, just in case he turns up and tries to nick your known customers!  

John