Line up to be taken advantage of...

Talk about a rocky start to 2008. Aside from the fact that I am taking a beating in the stock market right now, it is the beating closer to home that is really taking its toll on me.

In a Monday morning meeting held on yesterday (Tuesday) because I was out of town on Monday, my partner and I were accused of "taking advantage" of our lead employee. Allow me to set the stage for this drama...

Our "employee" moved here from California in 2006 originally to do our trim work as well as other odd jobs around our job site. At that time, we have 26 homes being built at the same time, so there was no shortage of work that needed to be done. The original agreement was a salary of $600 per week, and entailed roughly 40-50 hours per week. During the first 6 months of his tenure, he was allowed about 14 vacation days, all of them paid, so he could travel back to California to visit his fiance.

During that time, he asked for a pay increase as well which we gave him taking him to $650 per week.

In November when we had the split with one of our partners, this "employee" stepped up again and demonstrated he was capable of running the entire operation, and was again given more money, this time going to $700 per week As 2006 expired and 2007 began, more vacation time was necessary, and again he took off 5-6 days during the first quarter of 2007. They were all paid as well.

In August, again we were approached about more money, and an agreement was struck moving him to $750 per week, but this time with certain conditions that had to be met on his part.

And still he excelled.

In late October, early November things slowed down a bit, and he was told he could relax a little bit due to the slowdown. The thought process was that he could rejuvenate and start back fresh and anew for us in 2008. What was offered by us, a couple hours here and there, turned into whole days, and then several days at a time that he didn't work. But he sill got the full salary agreed to.

And then he took a second job.

And lied to us about what was being demanded of him at that job.

And told us that he needed to leave us early every day to go to the other job as he was needed there.

So his participation in his salaried position went from 35-40 hours per week, to barely 30 (if we were lucky).

Which actually caused us to lose work.

Because his lack of desire to work for us was seen by the people paying us to do work.

So we started losing work.

Which brings us to yesterday morning when my partner and I confronted him about his lack of motivation for our company. And we were told that he felt like we were taking advantage of him, and that he deserved more money.

So playing the devil's advocate, I asked, "What things have you done to warrant this pay raise?"

To which the response was simply, "I don't know, I just deserve it. I feel like you guys have taken advantage of me."

Let me get this straight, I am paying you for a 40 hour work week, I am barely getting 30 hours out of you. You have taken another job that pays you the conflicts with the time you are supposed to be working for me, and I am taking advantage of you???

How about our other employees who are true hourly people, who if we don't have work for them, they don't get paid for that time? How about the fact that we lost work because of you, which directly affects other people's livelihood? How about the fact that you are "double dipping" in working at the same time for 2 different people, and the person being asked to shoulder that burden is me?

Perhaps it is time we shake hands and go separate ways.

See if you can find another employer who allows you as much liberty as we do, and pays as well as we do.

The winds of change are a blowin' and how it plays out is being written by the employee. For you see there was a time when this employee was not expendable, a dream position to be in as an employee. But in his own arrogance he has made himself fully expendable, no, he has done even worse than that, he has made it absolutely necessary to get rid of him as he no longer contributes in a positive way to the company.

I am sad about this, but while my partner and I will likely take the blame, the truth is the employee is the one who created his own problem.

How many of you out there would line up and take on the role he has abandoned???

For now, take care...