Dedicated to your employer? - Electrician Talk - Professional Electrical Contractors Forum

threewire · 02-18-2008, 09:48 PM

I am in quite an awkward position i think. The company i work for is in a bit of a slump, we haven't had anything to do for like a week now and I'm not exactly sure what to think or do. I typically do all the service work and when there is no service work to do i help out on the contract jobs, but now there are no contract jobs going on nor any coming up in the near future, so we sit and wait for service calls. I guess my question is what would you do or expect from your employee's in the same situation. I would expect that most employers would be knocking on doors to keep their company in business but for some reason our company is not.

Thank you for any response

nap · 02-18-2008, 09:57 PM

have you filed, or considered filing an unemployment claim?

480sparky · 02-18-2008, 10:02 PM

You can ask your employer for a letter stating you are on a temporary lay-off. This will allow you to collect unemployment until things pick back up. And no job search, either.

gilbequick · 02-18-2008, 10:06 PM

Temporary unemployment also means you only receive partial unemployment pay. Better than nothing, but it sounds like it's time to move to to greener pastures.

oldman · 02-18-2008, 10:10 PM

the big question is...are you being paid still? or are you commission based and not making any money?

if you are hourly, don't be in such a rush...they haven't laid you off for a reason...maybe they have things coming up that you just don't know about...

Joefixit2 · 02-18-2008, 10:34 PM

If you're being paid you could re organize all the vans and the shop. Wash the vans. Read code books. Anything to keep busy and make you more valuable.

480sparky · 02-18-2008, 10:59 PM

If nothing else, study up and test for the next level in your licensing.

nap · 02-18-2008, 11:04 PM

Somehow

nap · 02-18-2008, 11:08 PM

http://users.techline.com/allen/index.htm

miller_elex · 02-19-2008, 07:56 PM

I work for a really awesome and great company.

At previous shops if things were really slow, or they had a habit of treating me like the whipping boy and put me away when they were done, I simply moved on... But, I could go back to anywhere I've been before with a phone call, never burn't any bridges and always busted my ass.

The shop I'm on with now, has a bad reputation as a 'sweat shop' but I don't see how. Its like that with a few good shops I know of, once you work for a shop with that reputation, its like, who is spreading this ill word? Usually a few disgruntled employees who can't get along no matter where they work. This is no small shop, its got over 1000 hands. Somehow, someway, this shop has got real talent when it comes to nurturing leadership.

So you gotta ask yourself, are you a high quality, high quantity producer? Do you get along well with others? Are you more than a one trick pony? If you answered YES to all of the above, you should have no problems when it comes to employment.

brian john · 02-19-2008, 11:29 PM

What's the work like in your area?
Are other shops slow?
What's the scuttle butt at the supply houses?
Have you considered going to see service customers and drumming up business?
What are you doing as you are sitting waiting for service calls?
Is this a new company and this is the first slump they have experienced?
Have you discussed your concerns with your bosses?

JohnJ0906 · 02-20-2008, 07:16 PM

I think a sit-down talk with the boss is in order. Express your concerns.

Are you being paid now, or are you commission?

brian john · 02-20-2008, 08:38 PM

Why post such an important question and then not respond to some valuable input?

threewire · 02-20-2008, 09:00 PM

The shop and vans have never been so clean and i have used the down time wisely by studying up. Unemployment is something to consider but i am getting just enough hours not to be eligible for unemployment. Everything near by is really slow but thats not to say its isn't possible to get a new job. The company i work for isn't new just awful........yes awful at winning bid's. There is absolutely nothing coming up and if we were to win a bid on something now it will be a couple months before any electrical is actually done, so looking for a company who's on there feet might be the better way to go at this point.

Sorry for not posting sooner.

LawnGuyLandSparky · 02-20-2008, 10:54 PM

Always look out for, and do what's best for #1. And that's not the company you work for.