So my helper sprained his ankle (not at work) three weeks ago and I’m pretty sure he’s not coming back. So my question is where have ya’ll found help? I can’t see going through a temp agency but it would really be nice to find someone that was a worth two dead flies since that would be an upgrade…
Thanks for any input.
Typically temp agencies won’t let their guys on ladders or use pressure washers. If you need an employee, hire one full time. “Helpers” are generally not covered my insurance, workers comp etc.
A Christian church, it’s worked out so far 
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Is there a minimum number of hours that a “full time” employee has to work to be covered under your insurance?
If I were to hire a full time employee…he would only work 10hrs a week, at most.
I wasn’t meaning health insurance. I’m not sure about a minimum number of hours. My point was, don’t grab guys from the Home Depot parking lot, social gatherings etc and put them to work without them being covered under your business insurance to operate your equipment, drive company vehicles, covered under workers comp in case they get hurt, W2’s on file etc.
Yeah, I was thinking that was what you were saying, I was just wondering if you were aware of hour rules for those that you hire.
PTemp agencies here have candidates with with OSHA training and you pay more for it. Part of the payment you pay to the agency also covers workman’s comp for that individual.
General labor. Prepare to pay $12/hr.
Drug tested, background checked, and osha trained. Prepare to pay $18-$20/hour.
Also prepare to pay upfront. It sits in escrow. I’ve used temp and no matter if you get general labor or better qualified get 2 because one likely isn’t showing up anyway.
Retirees have been my best PT helpers. Never make excuses. Always show up. Love them.
Here’s a different approach. Recruit out of a half-way house and get the enormous tax benefit of hiring a newly released ex-con. The halfway house can supply you with an endless stream of strong-backed workers who may or may not work out, but who WILL always be there and easily replaced.
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Hahaha…always heard “Takes one to know one”…guess it is true.
That’s how the company who’s been in KC the longest do it. He pays half their wage and the state pays the other half.
I couldn’t do it. Part of my business model and marketing relies on background checking and drug testing everyone I employ. PT or FT, or sub contracted. All the above. If they want work they gotta come back clean.
I think people deserve a second chance, but not on my liability or conscience. I won’t put an ex-con in anyone’s home with their wives and kids. No offense to you George. Keep doing what you’re doing, but it’s not for me here in Crown City.
I had a rough time out of the halfway house, ended up slinging boxes for wal-mart, unloading containers in heat and cold. Once unloaded two containers of air conditioners by myself one day, got a whopping $25 bonus
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MSV…I admire the way you have gone about resurrecting your honorable life.
Good for you!
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You’re a hypocrite, Rowdie. Now you’re killing me: how frequently are you inside someone’s home with their wives and kids to pressure wash? Gimme a break here.
I love you brother, but be consistent with your words (integrity). Either people deserve a second chance or they don’t. What you’ve just done is what politicians call NIMBY, Not In My Back Yard.
And just like that craziness came out. There is no hypocrisy. I also think some people deserve a second chance. Not all, some. But that does not mean that I will put credit, insurance, business etc on the line for it. I will donate or give to help though.
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… as well have you both @squidskc and @Innocentbystander, but the craziness coming out seems a bit over the top. I WILL hire ex-cons for commercial work, probably not to clean windows inside someone’s home. I get that. BUT, recidivism begins when business owners look at a past misdeed and discount the potential good in someone. If you truly believe in second chances, try to nurture that potential into real goodness.
I’m not really into looking for the potential good in employees. But, the good thing is it’s my business to run how i feel is best.
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Do you get to meet the ex cons before you hire them. Also are you giving the information of what they did and how long they served. Also how long have most of them been out of jail.
Absolutely. They are interviewed just like everyone else, and their complete backgrounds are fully exposed by the person in charge of employment for the halfway house. No secrets, no surprises. They screw up, they go back to prison. Simple as that.They know that they are under a great deal of scrutiny from all sides, and the good ones WILL rise to the top You just throw the others back with no recourse. It’s a great deal for everyone.
Our realities are colored by our experiences. I have no experience as a cop or a veteran, or even a fireman. However, I would never discriminate because someone has been any or ever all of the above. We’ve all come up short in life at one time or another, and as the saying goes, “Forgiveness starts at home.” So to those like my brother Rowdie (who I know has integrity in spades, BTW) I encourage you to consider what you’ve been forgiven in the past, and just maybe try to find some way to pay it forward. Hiring someone with a sordid past (to borrow from IBS) might be an effective way to do so. The tax benefits might be just icing on the cake.
