[ProLectric]

How do you find good help? It is so hard to find a journeyman that can pass a drug test, is clean cut, and has a good driving record. Add to that someone who actually shows up for work and works hard. They are few and far between. We are just a small company, relatively new. How do you attract good prospects? We run ads in local papers and on Craigslist. Seems like we get the same dead beats applying over and over. We pay well, have good vacation and paid time off, no medical.

Any suggestions?

 

[greenwire]

Looks like a nice place to work, if I got the right website.

Any apprentice training for 54 year olds?

 

[BDB]

We pay well, have good vacation and paid time off, no medical.

Any suggestions?

Might start with changing that.

 

[wolf56]

This is just my opinion, others may not agree.

Vacation and paid days off are really nothing. A 401k is better, health insurance is paramount!

You say that you pay well. do you really? Is the pay enough that the tech can pay for his own health insurance? Do the math, how can a person making say, $20 per hour ever afford to buy health insurance? (I understand that this may not be your business model) Medical costs are bankrupting America. The average employee can hardly afford the insurance, not having insurance is even worse.

:thumbsup: Many companies are dropping health coverage. If you were to offer health, that would pull techs from other companies. You could have them share the cost. A person cannot buy for themselves the level of coverage that a group plan would offer! Even if you made them pay 80% or more, its a better deal for them. You could get creative. My wife's employer makes us pay the premium for a high deductible plan, then the company funds the MSA! A pretty good deal, all copays and deductibles are paid by the company thru the MSA.

What I've noticed is that if a company cannot afford to give health insurance today, that they will still not be able to afford it even when the company becomes larger. This because they are not charging enough. Please don't take offence but you've been in business less than four years during a horrible economy, and yet you are very busy and are expanding. Businesses are going bankrupt, yet you are growing. This is a strong indication that you are not charging enough for your services. Have you used one of those cost calculators and included health and retirement?

Just my opinion for what its worth. I've taught my children to never - ever work for a company which does not give health, or at least compensate accordingly. To do so could be creating a lifetime of money problems.

Rick

 

[btharmy]

Hire out of the local union hall. They require annual drug testing. It will also be a good indicator if you are actually paying a decent wage. In order to hire out of our local union hall it would cost me about $56 per hour to pay a Journeyman his wages, benefits and workmans comp.

 

[mikeyrob]

This is just my opinion, others may not agree.

What I've noticed is that if a company cannot afford to give health insurance today, that they will still not be able to afford it even when the company becomes larger. This because they are not charging enough. Please don't take offence but you've been in business less than four years during a horrible economy, and yet you are very busy and are expanding. Businesses are going bankrupt, yet you are growing. This is a strong indication that you are not charging enough for your services. Have you used one of those cost calculators and included health and retirement?


Rick

some strong assumptions there.


If I were an employee I would rather have more money to purchase my own health insurance then be included in company health insurance. Health insurance is not that big of a deal if you are willing to take care of yourself and live a healthy lifestyle. I pay $149 a month for my wife and I, we have a high deductible policy. If you really are having a hard time finding good guys then I suggest hiring on moral and character value over electrical experience. Its easier to train a hard working guy then it is to trust a sleaze.

 

[hardworkingstiff]

Hire out of the local union hall. They require annual drug testing. It will also be a good indicator if you are actually paying a decent wage. In order to hire out of our local union hall it would cost me about $56 per hour to pay a Journeyman his wages, benefits and workmans comp.

You know, that's always seemed a very reasonable plan to me if you get 8 hours work for 8 hours pay and if you don't have work they go back to the hall.

 

[sbuck22]

I don't know what your pay level is at but if all you are getting is low quality workers maybe it is because you don't pay enough. Look at your area and pay for what you want. If you want a high end worker then pay high end.

 

[Switched]

some strong assumptions there.


If I were an employee I would rather have more money to purchase my own health insurance then be included in company health insurance. Health insurance is not that big of a deal if you are willing to take care of yourself and live a healthy lifestyle. I pay $149 a month for my wife and I, we have a high deductible policy. If you really are having a hard time finding good guys then I suggest hiring on moral and character value over electrical experience. Its easier to train a hard working guy then it is to trust a sleaze.

That right there is the real problem. To offer my employees health coverage, I would have to spend $1600.00 per month, just got the quotes, for them and their family of four. They can get it on their own, similar coverage, for about $400.00. What gives? Really, that much more for possible pre-existing coverage?

My employee is opting for higher pay, and to pay the insurance himself. That way, if he decides to leave, go out on his own, I go bust, whatever, he still has coverage at 1/4 the cost of COBRA.

 

[greenwire]

Hire out of the local union hall. They require annual drug testing. It will also be a good indicator if you are actually paying a decent wage. In order to hire out of our local union hall it would cost me about $56 per hour to pay a Journeyman his wages, benefits and workmans comp.

Hey 8tharmy, are you Independent? I wouldn't think Union and IEC would commingle But, then, I did once; it was a mistake!

Where in Indiana are you?

 

[flyboy]

Might start with changing that.

+1 :thumbsup:

Medical is an important benefit.

 

[chicken steve]

Good help takes care of themselves and is always healthy, never needs sick days, so no need for HC....


~CS~

 

[BBQ]

Health insurance is not that big of a deal if you are willing to take care of yourself and live a healthy lifestyle. I pay $149 a month for my wife and I, we have a high deductible policy.

I am having a hard time believing you have decent coverage for that amount.

As of now my kids have racked up at least 40k in health costs since jan 1 I bet closer to 50k.

I would not even consider a job without health insurance or my hourly would have to increase a very large amount.

 

[flyboy]

Here's what I would accept as reasons for not providing medical coverage for your employees (not that what I think should really matter ):

1. Your a start-up and have a clear written plan to add medical benefits for your employees in a reasonable amount of time, because your a responsible, intelligent and a compassionate business person.

2. Your employee is covered by their spouse and doesn't need it. In which case you may choose to compensate them better in their hourly/salary pay.

3. Your employee is chicken steve. :laughing:

 

[chicken steve]

Just don't hire anyone over 50 and/or with kids, too many HC concerns....

~CS~

 

[mikeyrob]

I am having a hard time believing you have decent coverage for that amount.

As of now my kids have racked up at least 40k in health costs since jan 1 I bet closer to 50k.

I would not even consider a job without health insurance or my hourly would have to increase a very large amount.

I have Aetna. It's a high deductible policy. I am responsible for the first 7500 dollars a year and than it is unlimited after that. If I get cancer or whatever It's 7500 and that's it, I'm covered. It also gives us unlimited free visits to my primary care physician and I have real good dental. Just got my teeth fixed this month. We spend less money in doctors visits then if we had a higher insurance premium and were always covered in case of an emergency. Like I said its beneficial for people who try and live healthy life styles.

 

[yrman]

We added health insurance 18 months ago. Started out paying $100/ mo towards the employee only because that is all we could afford. It is still better than nothing. This year we increased it to 50% or $100 whichever is greater of the employee only with our share of costs increasing over time. Its not full coverage like flyboy, but still more than most small shops offer. The ultimate goal is to pay it all.

We have seen it become easier to attract good people. Same with offering paid holidays and vacation. We may not be able to afford it, but its a lot easier to win jobs and make customers happy with motivated employees, which makes it easier to afford... We got a couple of great guys and they are now bringing other guys over that they have worked with in the past and like. We are getting much higher quality employees this way. The best people have no trouble finding jobs, in order to get them you have to be a place theyd want to work.

 

[knowshorts]

We added health insurance 18 months ago. Started out paying $100/ mo towards the employee only because that is all we could afford. It is still better than nothing. This year we increased it to 50% or $100 whichever is greater of the employee only with our share of costs increasing over time. Its not full coverage like flyboy, but still more than most small shops offer. The ultimate goal is to pay it all.

We have seen it become easier to attract good people. Same with offering paid holidays and vacation. We may not be able to afford it, but its a lot easier to win jobs and make customers happy with motivated employees, which makes it easier to afford... We got a couple of great guys and they are now bringing other guys over that they have worked with in the past and like. We are getting much higher quality employees this way. The best people have no trouble finding jobs, in order to get them you have to be a place theyd want to work.

Deal. I'll email you a W4 and I-9. I am only available on Monday. But I can't work that day, so you could just mail me a check for the holiday pay. The next available days that I won't be able to work is 7/4 and LD. Hopefully I will also have some vacation built up by then.

Good job, by the way.

 

[wolf56]

some strong assumptions there.

I agree, I did look at the OPs website first. That's how I knew how long in business, and that they are expanding. Their rates though are an assumption by me. I wonder what else is causing the business to do so well? The only other thing I can think of is that they could have an unusually large amount of $$ put into advertising. That usually is not the case though.

RW

 

[wolf56]

Just don't hire anyone over 50 and/or with kids, too many HC concerns....

~CS~

Even though that would be illegal, it's a common practice. No one wants an old guy, too slow.

I once worked for a company that I think only hired me because I had the license they needed for a certain job. The first day upon seeing the twenty or so other guys at the shop I noticed that they had one guy 30 yrs. old, all the others were in their 20s. I was 45. When that one job ended I was let go.

RW