Warning: $5k in damage from one dumbass employee and a Stihl trimmer

Hired this new guy last month thinking he'd handle basic edging on commercial lawns, but he revved the Stihl FS 90 like it was a race and chewed up $5k worth of new sod on a HOA job. PSA to all you bosses out there, train 'em on equipment basics or watch your profits turn to mulch. Saw a similar rant in the Landscaping Professionals Facebook group last week.

fuckin employees man, they treat your gear like its disposable. i lost a whole mower deck last year to some kid who didnt know throttle from reverse.

document everything from day one, makes firing easier. try quickbooks for tracking hours and incidents.

start with a full day of hands-on, no solo runs til they prove it. saved my ass on a few jobs.

we use checklists for every startup, covers equipment checks and site rules. cuts down on stupidity.

my crew wrecked a $3k exmark once joyriding during lunch. fired on spot, no second chances.

ugh, been there. knees still hurt from the overtime to fix it.

insurance covered mine but the deductible stung. shop around for better rates on tools coverage.

damn right, these noobs cost more than they make sometimes. collective rage against bad hires.

feels that pain, lost a full day resodding after my helper overtrimmed a clients prized shrubs.

another one bites the dust. my back thanks you for the warning.

hell yeah, i had a guy strip the gears on my bobcat loader first week. $1.5k repair, out he went.

frustrated as hell, spent weekends training just for them to ghost after a month.

yep, same cycle. hire, train, damage, repeat. exhausting.

insurance guys love us for these claims. rates jacked up 20% last year because of it.

cross train with other trades, borrow a plumber buddy to show safe tool handling.

every damn time. my loader flipped cause some idiot overloaded it with mulch.

haha, at least yours was just a trimmer. i had a full tree taken down accidentally. client laughed but i cried inside.

ive been in this spot, team morale tanks when one screws up for all.

we're in texas so heat makes em sloppy, but still no excuse. pair newbies with vets always.

frustrated beyond words, quoted $8k for that repair and client blamed me.

use apps like jobber to log training sessions, proves you did your part if it goes south.

fuck pe and their rollups, but bad employees are the real enemy here.

helped a buddy recover from a similar mess, key is quick action and apology installs.

damn, that hits close. lost sleep over a fence smash last summer.

collective bullshit, why do we even bother sometimes?

right? fire fast, hire slower. learned that the hard way on a patio pour gone wrong.