How long before an employee can do jobs on their own?

I was wondering how quickly you could realistically train an employee to perform soft washing, pressure washing, roof washing, gutter cleaning and Christmas lights on their own, and how quickly should I expect them to learn these skills to that degree, if I am aiming for aggressive growth?

What are some red flags that indicate that an employee won’t last?

looking for answers from actual employers.

Probably 2 weeks for basic house washing to be semi efficient and familiar with techniques, chemicals, different types of material, and basic equipment problem solving. Ladder work, gutter cleaning and roofs probably a bit longer till they can demonstrate a steady pattern of common sense, you’ll know within a day.

Hiring good people is a struggle at times in this industry, it’s not really anyone’s idea of a career more of just a job, look for people that have commitments, house, married, children, those people tend to want to be at work and work. Younger guys (not all) tend to count the days till Friday, I don’t blame them I was the same when I was young and working for someone else but I’m not anymore so different outlook on who i have working for me.

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I spend 5 days training them before I set them free. They are usually good to clean a house by day 4. I’ll drive separate and let them work. Come back towards the end to check their work. You’ll know if they can’t do it by themselves. I fired a kid after day 4. I left and came back to a dirty house and him packing up. I said the house is still filthy. He said, “I know but it won’t come clean”. Nice kid but stupid.

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Be mindful of the labor laws in your area.

TO be honest, and you won’t want to hear this, the hiring and retention of quality employees is a worldwide issue that no fortune 500 company has solved. They pour a ton of resources into it.

A lot of people on here have talked about using single moms because they are driven, but you will likely have to employ them around their schedules for kids. You could look at retirees as an option, some just want a little pocket change and they have already worked 25+ years. Maybe hiring a “fleet” of part time retirees might be a good idea. My friend hires retirees in batches, some stay longer than others. Most will leave after a bit as they did retire from a job. My advice with retirees is don’t hire ones that have been retired too long (several years without working), they get lazy. THe only other retiree I would suggest hiring are the ones who did not plan to retire properly and need the money, that will be a good one. One other thing about retirees, many have a lot of doctor appointments, it comes with age.

Training and development is a lengthy topic, so here is my answer: How long did it take you to figure it out (and you were motivated)? Double that time for an employee. If your just looking for a monkey for a task, that is different. If you want them to think, well, that is a whole other complex issue.

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Veterans.

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