Home/Operations/💬 General/Hired my first helper for yard cleanups and he's already slacking - how to handle?
Hired my first helper for yard cleanups and he's already slacking - how to handle?
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WeedWhackerWiz
·1mo·9 replies·10 participants
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WeedWhackerWiz⚒️ JourneymanOP1mo
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Been running my general handyman side gig solo for years, mostly doing yard cleanups, fence repairs, and basic deck builds around here in rural Ohio. Finally pulled the trigger and hired a helper last month to speed up the bigger jobs, thought it'd be a game changer. But this guy's showing up late, half-assing the leaf blowing with my old Stihl backpack blower, and disappearing mid-job to scroll TikTok. I get it's entry-level pay but damn, quality matters when customers are paying for a clean yard before winter hits. Saw a similar rant in the Handyman Nation Facebook group where folks suggested a trial period, but not sure if that's enough. Anyone got tips on getting a newbie up to speed without firing them day one?
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NailGunNinja13🔧 Apprentice1mo
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man, first hires are always a crapshoot, had one guy show up late every damn day with my stihl and just scroll his phone while i busted my ass in the ohio mud.
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NotAnElectrician5⚒️ Journeyman1mo
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fuckin entry level hires are the worst, always late and glued to their phones instead of working. in rural ohio youd think they'd want the hours but nope, they're all bs.
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WireWizard10⚒️ Journeyman1mo
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man, i went through three helpers last year who all thought blowing leaves meant barely turning on the damn stihl and then ghosting for smokes, its infuriating when youre trying to build a rep in this gig.
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TileTerror3⚒️ Journeyman1mo
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ugh, these newbies show up thinking theyre landscapers after one tiktok video, had to babysit a guy all last season just to keep the stihl from getting wrecked. cut him loose after two weeks of that crap, better solo than dragging dead weight.
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GarageGuru11⚒️ Journeyman1mo
14
tell him if he keeps scrollin' tiktok instead of blowin' leaves, you'll make him the yard's new social media influencer... at minimum wage for selfies with the rake 😂
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FrameFreak4⚒️ Journeyman1mo
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took me three hires to land my rockstar helper but now we're knocking out double the yards in half the time with that stihl blower, feels damn good.
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FloorFumbler⚒️ Journeyman1mo
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been there with my first yard helper, showing up late and half-assing the blowers just like yours. sucks when you're paying them but they're treating it like a tiktok vacation.
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RustyNails22🔧 Apprentice1mo
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set clear expectations day one like no phone till breaks are over and track his time with a simple app like toggl so you got proof if he slacks, shoulda done that with my first gig helper and saved alot of headaches.
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KeyMasterMike3⚒️ Journeyman1mo
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fml, same crap with every helper i hire for lock installs, they think it's a break room not a job site. just lay down the law on day two or cut bait early, saves headaches later.
