Employee & mates

[JeepJeep]

We had one lad who had his Ipad set up on the dash of his Service bus... Watching films he was... In Service.
Another one, young wet behind the years knew it all and now behind bars but thats another story... let a 15 yo move his vehicle across a busy bus station.. Another one of ours was in and mentioned it and theonboard cams miraculousy worked and seen it all... Normally the CCTV had been tampered with and you got nothing.

" Ahh Can't sack him we've no men.." was the attitude which quickly fired a do as you likey culture into the place.

 

[flowerpot]

Who the frig wants people for ride alongs constantly apart from the mrs the odd time iv never been part of that carry on couldnt think of anything worse than someone ruining my peace an quiet and been on the phone constantly ball ache that but mybe thats because im a tad anti social ha .

Few years back i spread dung along with a contractors chap an between sitting on his phone finishing his call before loading again an running accross 2 fields to get to the gate onto the road to pick up his mates a dont know how he actually manged to spread anything but in fairness a prob spread the most of it pee'd me right off the boss got someone in so i we could get it done quicker feel like a would of done it quicker myself.

Unfortunately sounds like the young chap we had for a short time, he always had his phone in his hand. We heard he went to work for a contractor muck spreading!

 

[Tarw Coch]

My iPad is always with me day goes much quicker power harrowing for example if you can watch something, and when I say watch you don’t sit transfixed more glances

Bloody hell, I have a hard enough job driving straight without something to distract me!?

 

[ridger]

My iPad is always with me day goes much quicker power harrowing for example if you can watch something, and when I say watch you don’t sit transfixed more glances

Must be no stones to lift

 

[ridger]

Bloody hell, I have a hard enough job driving straight without something to distract me!?

Like this lol

 

[Al R]

Like this lol View attachment 859915

Your lucky yours come out! Most of mine are stuck in the ground

 

[ridger]

Your lucky yours come out! Most of mine are stuck in the ground

I enjoy fighting with them, better spending an extra week in the spring and having no wrecking at harvest

 

[Lofty1984]

I enjoy fighting with them, better spending an extra week in the spring and having no wrecking at harvest

I bet that big bugger was satisfying getting out

 

[Al R]

As in most of mine are attached to the ground, bedrock the size of an A4 paper sticking up 2-3” above ground in a few places in almost every field. The last dowdeswell that came here left in half

I enjoy fighting with them, better spending an extra week in the spring and having no wrecking at harvest

 

[ridger]

I bet that big bugger was satisfying getting out

Another 'daisy root'

 

[Sharpy]

As in most of mine are attached to the ground, bedrock the size of an A4 paper sticking up 2-3” above ground in a few places in almost every field. The last dowdeswell that came here left in half

Would it not be worth getting a JCB in with a breaker and dealing with the outcrops once and for all? A couple of fields a year would not cost too much.

 

[Al R]

A

Would it not be worth getting a JCB in with a breaker and dealing with the outcrops once and for all? A couple of fields a year would not cost too much.

there’s a few bits above ground but whole fields on average wouldn’t have more than 5” of soil, trying to get a 3/4” fencing bar down more than 8” requires a sledge every time to start a hole, we have to fence middle of stonewall hedges, nightmare of a job BUT at least it works.

 

[steveR]

Bloody hell, I have a hard enough job driving straight without something to distract me!?

Ahh, but you live on hill....??

 

[steveR]

in my youth II fitted a car radio into an open cab ford 5000, the old hands said how can you concentrate on the job with that noise (you could barely hear it with the engine running) going on.
Used to read books whilst ploughing its better then nodding of in a long field.
Saw nearly every ball of the 2005 ashes on a tv equipped dvd player whilst combining/working land.
How could I tell my employees not to use a mobile phone.
Tractor driving is a long boring job you need something to occupy the hours.

Known one or two lads with a telly or DVD when on spud land prep work... On a long stretch of land I can understand it

Prefer R4 myself... Or an audio book.

 

[Tarw Coch]

Ahh, but you live on hill....??

Well, yes, technically correct, the house does stand in an elevated position approx 10 feet above the farmyard, IIRC there’s about 15 foot of fall across the rest of the land.?

Our two steepest fields are called the hill and the bryns, I know plenty of people who class them as flat.?

 

[e3120]

Like this lol View attachment 859915

Be able to get rid of that bucket of wee ones in the hole

 

[puppet]

Your lucky yours come out! Most of mine are stuck in the ground

Where they should stay

 

[jd6820]

I have absolutely no problem with a quick call to a mate, along the lines of.... yes I know I’m meant to be out tonight at 8, I’m still at work, be there as soon as I can. When it is blatant gossip on the phone for hours each day to the point of not being able to phone him myself to say I need you to do x y z then it is a problem. To solve this he will be banned from bringing his own phone to work and will be provided with a crummy old Nokia 3310. Call history will Then be itemised and scrutinised. Having the radio on so loud you can’t hear the phone ring means he can’t be concentrating fully on what he’s doing, hence negligence, carelessness, whatever you want to call it.
when he lets a mate drive the tractor unauthorised then I consider that a major breach of health and safety and grounds for instant dismissal. He has signed a list of authorised machinery operatives for that exact reason. If I Do or don’t dismiss him that is my decision based on numerous other business reasons.
Any major damage caused to machinery by negligence is also grounds for instant dismissal and again needs considering in the broader picture.
if this behaviour continues after a formal disciplinary meeting then he won’t be employed for long. He also won’t get a good reference From me when he tries to go and work anywhere nearby.
As for posting this on social media... I’m asking for guidance from those who might have gone through this already. If that opens me to some sort of liability then that is my risk. I hope this is anonymous enough with no names mentioned so far...
So, my final thoughts.... when at work, behave as though you are at work, not on some sort of modern jolly. Just because you might be out there working alone for a long time doesn’t make it an extension of your private life. You are being paid to do a job to a satisfactory standard. If you can’t put your phone down for a few hours and behave appropriately then sign on the dole and prepare to live your life on the equivalent of a handout for the rest of your days. You won’t find many serious farming businesses who will stand for this sort of crap. It’s no wonder we have such a high fatality rate for such a small amount of the workforce if we’re prepared to let these sort of issues go unchallenged. I will not allow an employee to jeopardise the future of my business, no matter how desperate I might be for help.

Sounds like you've given plenty of warnings and been fair. If the employee was using their phone during quiet times, for example waiting whilst spreader is loaded etc... Then I'd let phone use slide, but using it whilst on a job that requires concentration i.e. driving or rowing up along a fence line is totally unacceptable. If someone rings me and I'm busy if really important I'll pause and answer with "I'll ring you back shortly" and carry on till I'm at a point suitable for taking a call or not answer at all. If you are calling them as a work related exercise you would hope they answer...

As for the mates, depends if you know them or not and the circumstances. If the employee has been working a long shift and their mates land up with food, then I can't see a problem if work isn't affected and they are operating safely. If you know the mates are capable operators I can't see an issue with them taking over driving or helping out whilst onsite. I know my liability insurance is such that it covers casual labour and machines are all fully comp with owners permission. I have regularly been drafted in myself when calling in on a mate after finishing on the spanners. Probably slightly different in that I knew the boss well and have driven for them in the past...

It is making me chuckle a little at the number of people comparing Agriculture to other industries. What is being forgotten is how different Ag actually is, maybe further behind might be an appropriate description. I'll list a few things I can think of...

Wages - usually way below average for the skill and hours, often no overtime pay. A big contrast to industry where employees often expect overtime the second they roll over normal working hours, a company pension, etc...

Working hours - often farm workers or employees are working long hours and breaks are missed/ fitted round the job, never mind working through the night if chopping/drilling etc... Not a chance in the construction industry! Start at 7.30-8.00am and finish at about 4.30-5.00 with all the breaks in between, weekend work is rare.

Health and Safety - Most jobs require method statements/risk assessment and much more besides just to complete tasks we do daily without even thinking about it. Then if the slightest thing is wrong i.e. a split rubber boot allowing oil/grease to leak the machine can be parked and deemed unfit for use. The employee usually then waits for the item to be repaired before carrying on or being allowed to continue. Not seen in Agriculture generally?? As for MOT's trucks, cars, van all require an MOT to travel on the highway, why not tractors? After all, they are using the highway and need to be mechanically sound an MOT would be an easy pass surely?

Sorry for the essay, I think everyone has raised a lot of good points both advocating the use of phones and allowing friends to operate machinery in the right circumstances and from that it is clear we cannot have an absolute answer to the original question that 'fits' all scenarios. @Fendt you seem to have judged the situation and the employee for their merits and drawbacks. Ultimately I think you know the correct way to proceed. If their conduct is affecting the business without bringing benefits to outweigh this, then the decision is simple. It can seem harsh at the time but you've got to look after your own business because often others won't. I'd have drawn the line at machines getting damaged, the profits in this job are minimal and machine damage is an easy way to end up worse than you started off!

 

[Spud]

My point is this. If this lad is happy to get his mate on the tractor and let him have a go at driving it WHILE I AM IN THE SAME FIELD WATCHING IT HAPPEN then what the hell goes on when I’m not there looking at him? I cannot stand by and watch my farm and business be put at risk by an employee who thinks he knows best. He will be getting it explained to him tomorrow with his second letter to take home and read.
All too many of my calls to him go straight to voicemail because he’s chatting away already, he’s had several bumps and scrapes of machinery because he’s probably distracted but I can’t prove it as I wasn’t there, etc etc.

An employee not answering my calls during work time because they’re yakking to their mates is a major pet hate for me. We have handsfree and I don’t mind a call or two when were busy, but if I’m ringing you, in time I’m paying you for, I expect priority over any other calls. I’m not likely to be ringing just to chat. Unreasonable?

 

[Spud]

Two blokes from H&S drove a car into the field where I was silaging some years ago. I didn't stop because I thought they were reps that should have more sense.
More sense be damned! One of the idiots jumped on the step of the moving forager tractor, which was going at a fair lick, and opened the door and identified himself. He was lucky that he identified himself immediately or I would have stopped and put his lights out with a knuckle sandwich.

Did you give him stern advice about his actions? I would of!