There are three reasons to fire a plumbing tech. Fire, as soon as you find out their technical skills are below average. Fire if you have character issues. Fire if they refuse to follow your rules. Don’t make the same mistakes we made by holding on to guys too long. Fire quickly.
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3 Golden Nuggets
- These are grown men. You are responsible for providing a safe work environment, respect, a good wage, and clear expectations. That’s all you’re responsible for. Not for them to be happy.
- In a service company, you don’t want to be training. Especially not in the beginning. You want guys that are already able to plumb. That is the expectation.
- They must follow the rules. As soon as they know they can get away with something, they are going to do it. Soon the whole shop will get away with it.
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Show Notes
Firing an employee
A lot of guys who start their own plumbing business have never fired anybody, and not firing can be one of their biggest mistakes. So, it’s a big deal.
(6:24) Personally, I’ve fired hundreds, more than I wanted to. The first time I had to fire one of my guys, I was up all night. I was so nervous. It’s never easy and I don’t want it to be easy for you. I want you to keep your hearts.
(7:09) Have you ever heard of Sun Tzu? He was a great Chinese commander back about 400 BC who wrote on military tactics and how to command men. He was a great leader who wrote The Art of War. The military academies study him to this day. It’s a small book I like my clients to read because we are talking about leading men. Tzu talks about mistakes that generals make. Things like hubris, being too proud or being too meticulous.
(9:51) One of the mistakes I see, and I’ve made this mistake myself, is that we love our men too much. We want to keep them safe, and when it’s time to send them into battle we just don’t have the heart to do it. We won’t fire them even though it’s detrimental to our business. We think “I can change him.” We get caught up in thinking their lives are our responsibility. We worry about their families and their life.We find excuses to not do anything because we feel bad for them. But is it that, or is it too scary to fire?
(12:10) These are grown men. You are not responsible for their lives. You are responsible for providing a safe work environment. Respect. A good wage. Clear expectations. That’s all you’re responsible for. Not for them to be happy.
Do they have below average technical skills?
(14:14) Fire the tech who has below average plumbing skills. The keyword here is average.
I’m not talking about holding them to the highest level. They may never be as good as you. We expect them to do a good plumbing job because that’s what they get paid to do. Are you getting call backs on basic things? Are they making decisions on the job that aren’t up to standards?
In a service company, you don’t want to be training. Especially not in the beginning. You want guys that are already able to plumb. That is the expectation.
Do they have good character traits?
(17:27) Fire a plumbing tech if there are character issues. Things like:
- They can’t get out of bed on time.
- They are always late.
- They cause drama. Your techs shouldn’t cause problems in the shop.
- They lose their cool in front of Mrs. Jones, or say things that are inappropriate.
- Always calling in sick.
- Taking plumbing jobs on the side.
- Driving your trucks for personal business.
- Stealing or dishonesty.
Don’t let them think they can get away with it. Once they know they can get away with something, they are going to do it. And soon the whole shop will get away with it.
(19:54) Character is a big thing. It’s not your job to turn boys into men. You don’t want to be in the business of counseling.
Do they refuse to follow your rules?
(22:59) You should expect your plumbing techs to follow your rules and business program. Are they walking away without giving options? Deciding what jobs they’re going to take? Are they just writing things up instead of doing the flat rate tasks you have for them? Maybe they don’t like your pricing and just decide to do their own thing.
That is just disrespect. Are they working for you or are you working for them? In my years of dealing with men I’ve learned that as soon as you’ve lost respect, you never get it back.
(27:18) Don’t make the same mistakes we made. Fire a bad hire quickly. Fire, as soon as you find out the work is below average. Fire if you have character issues. Expect them to be there on time. Expect them to keep their truck clean and to follow your program.
Richard’s Call to Action.
If you want to learn more about numbers that matter and how to best run your plumbing business, why not schedule a free 30-min strategy call with us? Let’s talk about your goals and where you want to be this time next year, and we’ll help you create a path to make that happen. Schedule your free strategy call here today!
