problem with tech

We have a technician who does great work but we've noticed a suspicious amount of fuel usage on jobs he's working on.  I think the tech is filling up empty chemical jugs with gas and taking home for his personal use.  This technician seems like a likable friendly guy but he also seems like he would take advantage if given the opportunity.  As the owner, how can I control the work that's being done while I'm not present?  For example.. let's say I have a job lined up that's a good 200 miles away..   What's to keep the technician from trading for other jobs while in the area and working on a cash basis to line his pockets while I as the owner am out the expenses such as chemicals, fuel, and equipment overhead?  Anyone else run into this problem and if so, how did you deal with it?

Thanks,

Steve

Nightrider, I appreciate your reply.    Our technician is paid by a percentage of the job.  I only used 200 miles as an example.  There are companies who service corporate accounts all over the country without a home base in every town they work in.   We established percentages with this guy before he began working for us and we were more than fair.. As a matter of fact.. the company he previously worked for paid him percentages on hotel rooms and paid him hourly on public areas.. I personally didn't think this was fair to the technician so we decided to structure the pay based entirely on percentages.  The technician seemed very happy about our decision.  I believe in being honest and upfront and I expect the same of people I deal with.  Frankly, if I were going to pay travel time, I wouldn't have agreed to pay him percentage on the work.  I would have just payed him hourly straight through the job.  I think the main problem with this guy is that he was basically broke when he recently came to us looking for work.  That's still no excuse to lie and use deception for personal financial gain.  It's no different than outright theft.  Is there any trustworthy people left in the world?

Steve 

Steve, we don't know each other.......... do we.......the answer naturally is NO.

Steve, you did not know your tech either at first.

Trust begins slowly in short baby steps, and as an employer you must always give the benefit of the doubt to your employees.

Within time, theives & liars usually catch themselves and expose their character & colours to who they really are inside as opposed to their outside appearance.

The fact that you knew that there was a possibility of financial difficulties with your tech before hand, attention should have been devoted to that point and perhaps an advancement of pay could have been in order ( sort of like a draw against commission ) providing your company had that privilage.

We are all human,and as humans we take drastic measures when faced with drastic times.

Confront him/her with your concerns and see if things don't turn around in your favour.    Good Luck

                                Nightrider

 

You have to answer these simple questions...

does he do good work???

do your customers like him???

does he come to work on time????

does he get every last job done????

is he kind to your equipment???

is his paper work in order???

if all these are yes or at least most of them..... you might need to pay this guy more... or turn a blind eye to the extra gas...

good people are hard to find

Edited by MR. STEAMER

All very good points.. We are faily new at using technicians.  We've always been in an owner/operator situation and now we are trying to branch out a little.. I'm probably putting everything under a magnifying glass because I don't want to lose money and I would like to be able to trust the people who are working with us.   Nobody inluding the technician has a problem with the amount of money he's making.  I'm sure he just thought no one would notice.  My business partner is somewhat discouraged by the new technicians actions and he's ready to just go back to doing all the work ourselves and forget about expanding.  I don't necessarily see things that way.  I'm sure everyone who has hired an employee in the past faces these type issues all the time and I'm confident it can be resolved.   The bottom line should be the main focus.  The technician does do exceptional work and he has a professional attitude for the most part.  I just think his personal finance problems are bleeding over into his profession which happens to be my business.  I really am trying to keep an open mind and make it a win/win situation.    Just out of curiousity, what percentage do most of you pay your technicians?

Steve

Ken, does that include his helper, travel time, and meals while working out of town?

Yes it does. These guys are all my nephews, so I treat them well. When I first started I was paying them 60%, but as my rate climbed up to .50/ft from .10/sq ft over the years, I had to cut it back. I needed to pay them 60% to be well paid at .10, but not when I got up to .50 in 2001 and since.