Hard to find help nowdays

[TnRiver46]

13 minutes ago, J Francho said:

I'm 47, and I still love splitting firewood by hand.  That looks like good fun, if it's not your daily job.

Exactly. I rented a primitive log cabin for 5 years with no central heat and only a wood stove. It was fun splitting it all but that's when back spasms began. 

29 minutes ago, Tennessee Boy said:

Obviously not all young people are lazy and not all old people are workaholics.  I know plenty of people in their 20s that make me feel optimistic about the future.

 

That said, the general idea that some on this thread are expressing does have merit.  Here’s a stat that I heard a while back on an economics podcast that l listen to.  I looked it up to make sure I got it right.   In the year 2000,  8% of men age 21-30 without a college degree reported that they had not worked in the past year.   By 2015 that number rose to 18%.    For the most part these guys live with their parents and spend much of their time playing video games.

 

http://www.econtalk.org/erik-hurst-on-work-play-and-the-dynamics-of-u-s-labor-markets/

Thankfully my parent wouldnt allow that! When we turned 18 she showed us the door and said " here's your hat, what's your hurry?" Haha. If my spine was broken or something she would allow it of course but her advice was always go to work and do what the boss says. Simple to me but hard for some 

[A-Jay]

9 minutes ago, J Francho said:

I'm 47, and I still love splitting firewood by hand.  That looks like good fun, if it's not your daily job.

When the power goes out - this is it.

A-Jay

[lo n slo]

college didn’t workout for my son. he wanted to work for the school system, coach ball, and retire with a pension. now he is a skilled finish carpenter. he lays some good hardwood floors and can tile anything. he is 32, i really admire him for his ability to come up with a plan B and work hard to see it through. sometimes life just happens.

[TnRiver46]

@A-Jay, you are a machine. I bust those big round pieces once (or twice) with a maul before attempting to pick them up. Hash tag sports hernia haha

[Mobasser]

54 minutes ago, TnRiver46 said:

Thanks! I'm hopefully staying put but you never know. I have several buddies that remodel homes and it's always crazy how much knowledge I can gain just following them around a weekend project. I guess I'm about to have to teach myself how to finish drywall. What kind of company do you work for? 

I worked commercial construction for several years. Now, I actually work for my oldest daughter. She buys older homes, and we rehab them. We just finished one that is on the historic registry. 113yrs old. We do everything. 

[TnRiver46]

2 minutes ago, Mobasser said:

I worked commercial construction for several years. Now, I actually work for my oldest daughter. She buys older homes, and we rehab them. We just finished one that is on the historic registry. 113yrs old. We do everything. 

Now that would be fun! I keep having homeowner related issues and it takes me forever to fix anything because I lack the knowledge that all my buddies have. Well that and I fish too much 

[Tennessee Boy]

8 minutes ago, TnRiver46 said:

I keep having homeowner related issues and it takes me forever to fix anything because I lack the knowledge that all my buddies have. 

Man I can relate.  Even my simplest projects require 5 trips to Home Depot.

[NHBull]

......and it's getting worse.

I work with high school aged kids.

When their parents ask me what their kids should do in the Summer, I tell them all the same thing, "get a job", preferably one that involves manual labor to help keep them in shape.  Most parents are not expecting that and are usually disappointed.  They want to hear about Summer sports camps and such.  It's not the kids, it's the parents!

[gim]

1 hour ago, Tennessee Boy said:

In the year 2000,  8% of men age 21-30 without a college degree reported that they had not worked in the past year.   By 2015 that number rose to 18%.    For the most part these guys live with their parents and spend much of their time playing video games.

 

Thanks for the stats.  Numbers do not lie.

[BassNJake]

4 hours ago, gimruis said:

The younger generation just doesn't seem to have a very good work ethic at all.  This is why most of them are not becoming home owners.  They would rather live in an urban area apartment complex and pay an association fee to do all the manual labor.

And which generation raised those kids?

The same generation that handed them participation trophies.

 

Everyone wants their kids to have an easier life than they had.

Some do this to the child's detriment.

 

My mom and dad let me ride around the neighborhood at 5am delivering papers on my bike.

How many of you are gonna let your kids do the same?

 

Many kids dont want to own a home because the saw their parents pay on it for 30 years, refinance it to help pay bills only to have it foreclosed on and taken away when they lost their job to outsourcing or couldn't afford their medical bills

[A-Jay]

We can blame the parents, and blame society but at some point - young ADULT Men & Women have a choice to make.  Unfortunately, it seems there could be an epidemic of allergies to actual manual labor.  When was the last time you saw a young person with callused hands ? 

Can't get that finger flicking a phone.

Really, I'm serious - bet there's a healthy population that don't even know what that term means ! 

Everyone has baby soft & supple wimp hands. 

Heaven forbid  . . . . .

Some of this is an exaggeration but there could be a little truth mixed in there.

Now get off my lawn !

A-Jay

[J Francho]

Every new worker needs to trained how to work hard.  Today we have ways to work smarter, too.  I don't work in an environment that most would consider heavy labor (web development), but I work with a lot of very hard working people ranging from millennial, to gen x, to hippies, to baby boomers.  We all learned the value of contributing.  I don't see any correlation to home ownership and laziness.  Laziness is usually a sign of boredom, which I see as a kind of anger.  Find out what makes them happy, teach the to work hard and smart, hold them accountable, and you'll get contributions.

[TnRiver46]

4 minutes ago, A-Jay said:

We can blame the parents, and blame society but at some point - young ADULT Men & Women have a choice to make.

Unfortunately, it seems there could be an epidemic of allergies to actual manual labor.

When was the last time you saw a young person with callused hands ? 

Can't get that finger flicking a phone.

Really, I'm serious - bet there's a healthy population that don't even know what that term means ! 

Everyone has baby soft & supple wimp hands. 

Heaven forbid  . . . . .

Now get off my lawn !

A-Jay

When we first started dating my girlfriend thought my calloused hands were attractive. Fast forward 6 years and she always says "get those sandpaper hands off me!" Hahaha

[lo n slo]

2 hours ago, Mobasser said:

I worked commercial construction for several years. Now, I actually work for my oldest daughter. She buys older homes, and we rehab them. We just finished one that is on the historic registry. 113yrs old. We do everything. 

heck yea ?

[Mobasser]

About a year ago, I hired a young guy to do some plumbing on one of our projects. This involved copper 1/2 inch pipe, basically replumbing much of the basement of an old house. I delivered his pipe, fittings, map gas, solder and flux at 7:55 that Monday morning. He was already there ready to go. He came in with a brand new tool bag, and all new tools. Usually this might be the sign of a beginner, so I was a little bit skeptical. He told me his dad loaned him the money for his new tools, and he was paying him back weekly. I went on to another job to work that day, and when I came back to check his job later he was finishing up. He did what was probably the best plumbing job I've ever seen. Every sweat joint looked perfect, not one leak. He had cleaned up after his job too, swept up any trash, and layed the scrap pipe neatly out of the way. I was so impressed with his work, I added a cash bonus on to his estimate when I paid him. So you never know. This young man did a great job. Now he's so busy I can't get him back. He's in big demand

[lo n slo]

2 hours ago, TnRiver46 said:

Now that would be fun! I keep having homeowner related issues and it takes me forever to fix anything because I lack the knowledge that all my buddies have. Well that and I fish too much 

gotta make time for the fishing!

[Mobasser]

1 minute ago, lo n slo said:

heck yea ?

Around age 57, I started to notice some knee pain, and a little hip problems. My wife encouraged me to get out of the commercial work. I was off work about a month, when my daughter got her first house and asked if I could help out. Been doing it now for almost 3yrs. And yes, working for my daughter has its benefits. If I want to take a day off for fishing, it's not a problem. As long as it doesn't become a habit. She knows her dad loves to fish

[Mobasser]

1 hour ago, J Francho said:

Every new worker needs to trained how to work hard.  Today we have ways to work smarter, too.  I don't work in an environment that most would consider heavy labor (web development), but I work with a lot of very hard working people ranging from millennial, to gen x, to hippies, to baby boomers.  We all learned the value of contributing.  I don't see any correlation to home ownership and laziness.  Laziness is usually a sign of boredom, which I see as a kind of anger.  Find out what makes them happy, teach the to work hard and smart, hold them accountable, and you'll get contributions.

Well said J Francho. Accountability is such a huge thing, in any line of work. Set your alarm, get up and be there on time. If you make a mistake, learn from it and move on.  Show some interest in the job and try to do the best you can. If you can do this, you'll be successful in any line of work you choose. Employers will notice this too. I know I do. When it comes time for a raise, these guys will be first- always.

[Hammer 4]

56 minutes ago, Mobasser said:

About a year ago, I hired a young guy to do some plumbing on one of our projects. This involved copper 1/2 inch pipe, basically replumbing much of the basement of an old house. I delivered his pipe, fittings, map gas, solder and flux at 7:55 that Monday morning. He was already there ready to go. He came in with a brand new tool bag, and all new tools. Usually this might be the sign of a beginner, so I was a little bit skeptical. He told me his dad loaned him the money for his new tools, and he was paying him back weekly. I went on to another job to work that day, and when I came back to check his job later he was finishing up. He did what was probably the best plumbing job I've ever seen. Every sweat joint looked perfect, not one leak. He had cleaned up after his job too, swept up any trash, and layed the scrap pipe neatly out of the way. I was so impressed with his work, I added a cash bonus on to his estimate when I paid him. So you never know. This young man did a great job. Now he's so busy I can't get him back. He's in big demand

Had a similar situation..This guy who was 20 at the time called me for work. All he had was his tool bags and a skill saw, hmmm. The other minus was that he had no transportation, and lived about 25 miles from me. I took a chance, and offered to meet him as close to the job as possible. I was doing a huge double deck in the Hollywood hills. I  was a bit Leary, and offered him 10.00 per hr. told what I needed done, as I had to go to another job near by. Came back in 1 1/2 hrs..and he did about 2 1/2 hrs worth of work in that time, and did a great job. I had him work for me for another week, as we finished that job. He asked if I had more work for him. Problem was he didn't have a car, or better yet a truck. I told him I couldn't keep driving for 20 to 30 mins to pick him up every day. Anyway, I gave him 150.00 bonus for the week, told him if he gets a car, ect, to call me. Shame cause the kid was a ideal carpenter. So yeah there are young folks that do know what a good days work is.

[Mobasser]

2 minutes ago, Hammer 4 said:

Had a similar situation..This guy who was 20 at the time called me for work. All he had was his tool bags and a skill saw, hmmm. The other minus was that he had no transportation, and lived about 25 miles from me. I took a chance, and offered to meet him as close to the job as possible. I was doing a huge double deck in the Hollywood hills. I  was a bit Leary, and offered him 10.00 per hr. told what I needed done, as I had to go to another job near by. Came back in 1 1/2 hrs..and he did about 2 1/2 hrs worth of work in that time, and did a great job. I had him work for me for another week, as we finished that job. He asked if I had more work for him. Problem was he didn't have a car, or better yet a truck. I told him I couldn't keep driving for 20 to 30 mins to pick him up every day. Anyway, I gave him 150.00 bonus for the week, told him if he gets a car, ect, to call me. Shame cause the kid was a ideal carpenter. So yeah there are young folks that do know what a good days work is.

It's a shame he didn't have transportation. Sounds like he could work on his own too, which is always a good thing. Had he gotten a truck, I would have worked him on a couple more jobs and bumped up his pay a good amount. Hard to find guys like this for sure

[N Florida Mike]

My dad taught me hard work . His dad left his family , went over the mountain and started a new family. So my dad was the man of the house and as a teen he had to support his mom and brother and sister. And it was the depression years. So the man had to cut the mustard and did.

We worked every Saturday in the yard and garden and if we got done in time, went fishing. Directly because of him , I learned to work hard and enjoy working. Worked on a farm for several years and loved it.

Have mostly lost the calluses now due to me doing sales work now . So

I think it’s both the parenting and a personal choice. Sometimes you can lead a horse to water but can’t make em drink!!!

But I also believe if the horse got thirsty enough, he’d drink !

If a man got hungry enough, maybe he’d HAVE to work.

Oh I forgot, there’s always the government....

 

 

[Hammer 4]

1 minute ago, Mobasser said:

It's a shame he didn't have transportation. Sounds like he could work on his own too, which is always a good thing. Had he gotten a truck, I would have worked him on a couple more jobs and bumped up his pay a good amount. Hard to find guys like this for sure

 

Absolutely..

[Way2slow]

There are exceptions, but they are few and far between.  Last fall, I needed some help pouring concrete for a 12 x 20 slab, using 80# bags of quickcrete. I live too far from major civilization to get ready mix delivered in small batches. Going to the hardware store, I saw to young high school boys cleaning up a yard.  I stopped and asked them if they would be willing to work for me for four hours and I would give them $50 each.  The jumped on it.  It was hot and those boys busted their a** mixing (I had and electric mixer) but 100 bags of quickcrete, still had to be lifted and dumped in it two per batch, dumped and spread.

We finished the job in three hours, I paid them their $50 each and gave them an additional $25 each for how hard they worked.  They lived with their granddaddy about two blocks from me and they said they would be glad to help me anytime I needed them.  A couple of months ago, I need some help and went to see if they wanted to work.  There was an empty house with a for sale sign in the front yard.   I got another teenager to help and he was absolutely useless.  Everything I asked him to do. if it required much effort, it was either too hot, or he had some kind of a problem that kept him from being able to do it.  After about 30 minutes, I gave him $10 and sent him on his way. 

 

As for splitting wood, fire places and fire wood was the only source of heat we had when I was growing up.  I was 17 before my dad bought our first chainsaw.  So, I am well acquainted with and ax and the art of splitting wood.  That's why, when I built my wood fired oven a couple of years ago, I built me a 30 ton, hydraulic log splitter to go along with it.

[Bankbeater]

I work in a cube farm during the work week. I’ve been at the same job for going on 33 years. What I’m seeing is a lot of entitlement with these young people coming straight out of college. It’s all about parking places, windows, and keurig coffee machines. When I was hired I thought I was lucky to be getting a job. 

[Mobasser]

Here's something I think applies to many of us. If you had a father, or grandfather who came from the depression era or WW2 era, you probably grew up with a good work ethic. This was a tough, non quitter group of Americans. For many of them, hard work was all they knew. Laziness was not accepted. My own grandpa and dad were this way.

What can we do about this problem? Is there a way to solve it?I'm only one out of thousands who are effected by this. It's bigger than we would all like to admit. In other countries many young guys work- and work hard! Maybe because they don't have any other options?