During this festive time of bright colored lights & sparkling garland, Christmas & New Year's can be prominently PINK! Most people do not realize that this is the most prominent time for companies to give employees the...PINK slip! Yes, even during this time of joy & togetherness, employees can experience disappointment & loss.
Most companies, not just seasonal contractors, at this time of year let employees go. How can a company be so cruel to let someone go right before the holidays, you say, well the reason for this timing is strictly a business practice. Companies that are struggling feel the end of the year "pinch" to make changes before going into the next year. See, most companies "fiscal year" follows the calendar year. A "fiscal year" is the company's financial reporting year for internal management summaries, shareholder reports, and tax returns. Without going into great detail, "people" are the largest expense for most companies, and the quickest cost to control or eliminate.
In fact, most companies think they are doing the employee a favor by keeping them on until the holiday break, and then giving them a couple of weeks for you to find or prepare for another job. The caveat here is that there are good "people" available for companies needing or looking for motivating employees!
January can be a "festive" time for employees to find good employment and turn that holiday PINK into some long term "GREEN".
Dec 27, 2007
Dec 5, 2007
Seasonal Workers In the Midwest do "Take It on the Chin"
Seasonal workers .. like those working for a landscaping company in the Midwest... really do "take it on the chin!". Seasonal jobs are very hard on employees. First, they are only guaranteed work usually 8 months out of the year. The other 4 months (winter) usually consist of being laid off and collecting unemployment. Unemployment benefits fall short of their normal weekly gross wages. Some employees will do snowplowing for the same contractor, but those days are far & few between now with global warming effecting the amount of snow fall.
Second, these same employees are required to work long & hard hours during the normal working seasons. Sure they get 70 hours plus, and collect time and half over 40 hrs, but that comes at a price. They must work 6-7days per week, from sun up to sun down. Not only is this physically challenging, but it puts a real strain on a normal family life. Most landscaping workers can not participate in family functions due to time constraints and being physically tired. I hear a lot of outsiders say, " Well they get 4 months off a year! That's not bad." How would you like to have the WINTER off and not get a check! I guess it would be different if they had July off and can beach bum the summer away!
A little unknown factor is the bad habits of eating that is inherent with this type of work. Usually, most construction or landscaping workers skip breakfast. Lunch time usually consists of a quick stop at McDonald's or Burger King. Lastly, they come home late, usually after 7-8pm and eat some late night dinner. Shortly after eating, they go to bed and repeat this cycle again.
Contractors of these employees usually experience a lot of turnover and usually have younger workers who are not married or have children. Contractors have to pressure construction and landscape workers to work long & hard hours, maybe at the expense of their families, even when they go home to their own family.
The next time you have any landscaping or other seasonal construction workers at your house, please be as understanding as you can to their plight... Usually a respectful and polite client is all they ask.
Second, these same employees are required to work long & hard hours during the normal working seasons. Sure they get 70 hours plus, and collect time and half over 40 hrs, but that comes at a price. They must work 6-7days per week, from sun up to sun down. Not only is this physically challenging, but it puts a real strain on a normal family life. Most landscaping workers can not participate in family functions due to time constraints and being physically tired. I hear a lot of outsiders say, " Well they get 4 months off a year! That's not bad." How would you like to have the WINTER off and not get a check! I guess it would be different if they had July off and can beach bum the summer away!
A little unknown factor is the bad habits of eating that is inherent with this type of work. Usually, most construction or landscaping workers skip breakfast. Lunch time usually consists of a quick stop at McDonald's or Burger King. Lastly, they come home late, usually after 7-8pm and eat some late night dinner. Shortly after eating, they go to bed and repeat this cycle again.
Contractors of these employees usually experience a lot of turnover and usually have younger workers who are not married or have children. Contractors have to pressure construction and landscape workers to work long & hard hours, maybe at the expense of their families, even when they go home to their own family.
The next time you have any landscaping or other seasonal construction workers at your house, please be as understanding as you can to their plight... Usually a respectful and polite client is all they ask.
Dec 1, 2007
Alas! NOVEMBER Poll Results ...
Well 64% of those responding to this month's Poll .. DO NOT ask or get any proof of insurance from the contractor they hire! I have 2 words for you....BUYER BEWARE! I know that you are not going to ask every contractor you hire, like a furnace cleanout service, for proof of insurance, but when you are doing any substantial home improvement project, my advice is that you do.
In the State of Michigan (like most States), if any of the contractor's workers are injured, and the contractor does not have any or enough coverage, you the homeowner, can be held liable. This falls under the "Buyer Beware" laws. If a worker is seriously injured on your property, a good lawyer is going to seek damages , not only from the contractor, but also from the homeowner.
I advise that you request a copy of the contractor's Insurance Binder (a summary page of coverages) prior to signing any contract. I would wait until you have made a decision on which contractor you are going to use from the bids you received. When you call that contractor to proceed with the bid, ask them to supply a copy of insurance at the time you sign and place the deposit. If you want to test the contractor's to see if they follow instructions, you can request they supply one with their respective bids, not just a line in their fine print that says they are "insured". You can use this factor to eliminate any contractors that do not follow your simple instructions. All honest and reputable contractors will have no problem performing this task, it's just good business!
The most important coverage for you to inspect is the contractor's Workman's Compensation coverage. This is the insurance that covers any worker's injuries. Liability coverage is also important because this will cover any damages to your home or property. Most contractor's carry Umbrella coverage which is additional dollars that can float to any of their insurance coverages if needed.
In the home improvement, landscaping, contracting industry, make sure that their minimum Work Comp coverage is 1 million. Most established and reputable contractor's have this easily as a minimum. Liability coverage of $500,000 or more is exceptable. Most cases this is plenty enough to cover any home or property damages. The Umbrella amount is extra coverage that will "float" to add more dollar coverages to Work Comp, Liability, etc.. so this amount, added to the other dollar amounts, is the true amounts of coverage.
So, do not take your "liability" for granted next time unless you plan on climbing the ladder, placing the shingles on the roof, digging holes for trees, or splicing the wires.
In the State of Michigan (like most States), if any of the contractor's workers are injured, and the contractor does not have any or enough coverage, you the homeowner, can be held liable. This falls under the "Buyer Beware" laws. If a worker is seriously injured on your property, a good lawyer is going to seek damages , not only from the contractor, but also from the homeowner.
I advise that you request a copy of the contractor's Insurance Binder (a summary page of coverages) prior to signing any contract. I would wait until you have made a decision on which contractor you are going to use from the bids you received. When you call that contractor to proceed with the bid, ask them to supply a copy of insurance at the time you sign and place the deposit. If you want to test the contractor's to see if they follow instructions, you can request they supply one with their respective bids, not just a line in their fine print that says they are "insured". You can use this factor to eliminate any contractors that do not follow your simple instructions. All honest and reputable contractors will have no problem performing this task, it's just good business!
The most important coverage for you to inspect is the contractor's Workman's Compensation coverage. This is the insurance that covers any worker's injuries. Liability coverage is also important because this will cover any damages to your home or property. Most contractor's carry Umbrella coverage which is additional dollars that can float to any of their insurance coverages if needed.
In the home improvement, landscaping, contracting industry, make sure that their minimum Work Comp coverage is 1 million. Most established and reputable contractor's have this easily as a minimum. Liability coverage of $500,000 or more is exceptable. Most cases this is plenty enough to cover any home or property damages. The Umbrella amount is extra coverage that will "float" to add more dollar coverages to Work Comp, Liability, etc.. so this amount, added to the other dollar amounts, is the true amounts of coverage.
So, do not take your "liability" for granted next time unless you plan on climbing the ladder, placing the shingles on the roof, digging holes for trees, or splicing the wires.
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