Subscriber Discussion

My Technician Won't Stay Off His Cellphone, But I Can't Fire Him.

U
Undisclosed #1
Apr 20, 2017

I'm seriously at the end of my rope here. This one tech I got is slower than everybody else. I would fire him but he's the only guy I have that can troubleshoot problems! And he knows it too. So if I send him home or fire him I won't have anybody to send to service calls, because he can find and fix problems nobody else can, not even me. I've talked to him, and he stays off his phone for a few days, but then he just slips right back into it.

Ideas?

MM
Michael Miller
Apr 20, 2017

What is your cell phone use policy? 

U
Undisclosed #1
Apr 20, 2017

Use your cellphone all you want on your lunch or before and after work. I'm not running a kindergarten here. 

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MM
Michael Miller
Apr 20, 2017

I have 17 people now so trust me I know but it is a lot easier to deal with if you have a policy in place and a procedure when that policy is broken. 

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JH
John Honovich
Apr 20, 2017
IPVM

Mike, what's your policy?

UE
Undisclosed End User #2
Apr 20, 2017

You want to keep the guy?

What do you think will happens if you force him off the phone, you wont loose him to? isn't better to kick him off then?

Try to be a manager, not general... my 0.2$ 

JH
Jay Hobdy
Apr 20, 2017
IPVMU Certified

You probably have to have a real come to jesus meeting....

 

Customers do not like it, and it is unprofessional.

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U
Undisclosed #1
Apr 20, 2017

Well, what would you do? The guy is pretty convinced I can't fire him. And he's right, I'd be in a real bind if I did. 

How do I convince the guy to just cool it with the Instantgram already?

UI
Undisclosed Integrator #4
Apr 20, 2017

Dock pay!  Reduce his pay for every infraction.  If he quits, then you were never going to salvage him anyway.  It's either that or learn to live with it.  High skilled people get preferential treatment.  The higher the value, the more you can get away with.  It's terrible but true.  I once worked for a larger company where the top sales guy would not call/no show appointments once or twice a month, probably because he was coked out of his mind.  Problem was he produced double what the next guy did, with good margins.  By the time I got there they had stopped even confronting him when it happened.  I didn't understand then, but I do now.  You do the math on what he's costing you vs. what he makes you, and the more he falls on the "makes you" side the more you learn to deal with.  The biggest issue is how it affects your other employees, because it can be a real team killer.

(1)
JH
Jay Hobdy
Apr 21, 2017
IPVMU Certified

First you need to look at the business model. If the systems are that hard to troubleshoot, then maybe it is time to start upgrading them. Is the the only guy in town that can troubleshoot these? If you can not fix them, can other dealers? 

Having your business hinge around 1 employee is something I would avoid. What if the guy gets hit by a truck?

I was in the office equipment business and we had this particular fax machine that was just a piece of garbage, and we had a bunch of them under contract. When the annual contracts came up for renewal, I raised the contract price, and gave a killer deal on a new model with warranty etc. I think we converted every single one to the new model.

I broke even on those deals, but it in the long run I saved money by avoiding time consuming repairs, and customer perception improved (doesn't matter the machine is garbage, we service it and when it breaks, it is our fault)

 

I think you want to know how to get the guy to stop, and that doesn't seem like it will happen. 

I would look for ways out of this. Train your new techs, start upgrading equipment, etc.

 

And if the guy is that irresponsible to disregard your repeated warnings on the phone, who knows what else is going on. 

 

 

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UI
Undisclosed Integrator #4
Apr 21, 2017

There is one more part of this that is relevant.  I am as far from a bleeding heart as you can get, but I do understand treatment vs. punishment.  It seems that issue is more to do with social media than calling, and repeated studies have shown that social media activates the same parts of our brains as recreational drugs, making it highly addictive.  When it comes to addictions treatment is always more successful than punishment.  There are actually screen rehab programs across the country.  Perhaps even the mention of said treatment would be enough to wake him up to the depth of his problem.  Further, several apps exist to track usage habits.  Again, encourage him to use for his own sake without your involvement.  I'm sure he'll be shocked at how much he uses.

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UE
Undisclosed End User #10
Aug 17, 2017

Social media addiction, wounder if he can file a workmans comp claim or for disability?

U
Undisclosed #3
Apr 20, 2017

Man your better off just firing him and going through the pain of finding someone to replace him. You will have some short term extreme pain until you find and train someone to take his place, but its alot better than a slow and nagging pain that he is giving you right now. I would also recommend that you go through the pain of basic troubleshooting.

OR, you can give him one last chance to see if he will turn around. Basically a meeting that says "if you dont fix this your fired", but you better be ready to follow through on that.

The fact that he knows that you wont fire him and he is taking advantage of it is bananas. Their is no way you should put up with this. 

I mean this as a friend from one manager to another: Step up and be a man and do the right thing, your company and your other employees deserve it!

If your not a man, apologies, but you catch my drift.

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Avatar
Marty Major
Apr 20, 2017
Teledyne FLIR

Dude - seriously?

you can't fire him?

if he can do stuff you can't do, then either find another player with a better attitude who can - or crack the books man.  Troubleshooting surveillance systems aint exactly rocket science.

You are falsely elevating this slacker to a status he does not deserve.

Attitude trumps skills every time - because skills can be taught (and learned).

Attitude is a much tougher mountain to climb.

 

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U
Undisclosed #1
Apr 20, 2017

Troubleshooting surveillance systems is easy. 

Troubleshooting alarm systems is hard. 

And I got an aging customer base, with hundreds of 10+ year old alarms out there that need occasional troubleshooting. Right now, putting up with this joker's BS is cheaper than just replacing the wired alarm circuits with wireless sensors every time we get a zone with intermittent problems. That's mainly what I use him for, alarm service calls. 

NOTICE: This comment has been moved to its own discussion: Troubleshooting Surveillance Systems Is Easy, Troubleshooting Alarm Systems Is Hard

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U
Undisclosed #5
Apr 20, 2017
IPVMU Certified

I would fire him but he's the only guy I have that can troubleshoot problems!

Pay per problem.

RS
Robert Shih
Apr 20, 2017
Independent

I'd say start the interview process and let him know he's being replaced. Also, it's not as if I don't have to play tier 3 tech for all of my dealers already. Hopefully, your distributor has the knowledge-base to back you up when you need to transition between your top techs.

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UM
Undisclosed Manufacturer #6
Apr 20, 2017

Start interviewing his replacement, and fire the dude after you've found him.

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UI
Undisclosed Integrator #7
Apr 20, 2017

Maybe you should have someone with him all the time so THAT employee can learn what this tech knows about troubleshooting.  First of all, you should  have more than one knowledgeable person...

Btw, entice the employee to learn all he/she can by offering them a promotion.  I wouldn't let on to the bad tech about what you're doing because that could backfire on you.

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U
Undisclosed #8
Apr 21, 2017

1.If you can get detail Cell Ph report

2.Filter which ph calls are private

3.Total number of min/hours per month

4.Show to him and tell him that You will deduct next time from Him :)

 

U
Undisclosed #5
Apr 21, 2017
IPVMU Certified

What's his e-mail?

Ill send him an IPVM invite to the discussion :)

(3)
Avatar
Mark Jones
Apr 21, 2017

He does not have a problem, you do.  If you have one guy that is irreplaceable because of experience or certification, you are in a bind and you put yourself there. That is your first goal.  Fix that problem.  Then you can have any conversation you want.  

We have a saying here in our little kingdom; if you have only one certified person, you have none.

Our policy is no phones on your person while in the customer's building.  Period.  It is disrespectful to the customer and you are wasting company time.  If you need tech support, step out of the building quietly.  

1st infraction is a day without pay.  2nd is 2 days without pay.  There is no third.

Good luck.

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U
Undisclosed #5
Apr 21, 2017
IPVMU Certified

1st infraction is a day without pay. 2nd is 2 days without pay. There is no third.

Third is "You're fired!"

MC
Marty Calhoun
Apr 21, 2017
IPVMU Certified

You need offer a more patient approach with technicians that have it very hard in the field. First offence when you get a sudden sickness call give them 3 days uptown to recover (I hate for anyone to work while sick), second offence 2 weeks uptown, and if they attempt to push your buttons further give them the address of there next 'service call' which is the local Unemployment office on pink paper. Do not take any bullshit, you give them one inch, they tell each other and ride you like a dog.

And another thing if you dont have GPS, start shoot pins everyday, every call, it works wonders on time tracking and its free from every wireless phone.

 

 

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U
Undisclosed #1
Apr 21, 2017

What are 'shoot pins'?

MC
Marty Calhoun
Apr 21, 2017
IPVMU Certified

Shooting pins is something that all smartphones have. When you are at any location it triangulates a readable map of the address you are at and puts an 'pin' on your exact location. So if your guys say they are at Miss Jones until 5:30 have them  -shoot you a pin- when ever they are done, or whatever your situation may be. It will send you a graphic of there exact location, FREE. You can tell me you have never wondered if someone was actually where they say, at that moment, well now you can and the best part is it is 1OO% free....

or sometimes demand a picture of then location, same thing, you have them boxed in, NO LOAFING....

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U
Undisclosed #9
Apr 21, 2017

you categorize sudden employee illness as an 'offense'?

sounds real magnanimous of you.

MC
Marty Calhoun
Apr 21, 2017
IPVMU Certified

I set the rules, I dont approve of laziness. Like it, lump it, I am fair. Respecting a job is very important, its not a casual thing, someone depends on you to be prompt and on the job. Maybe we could learn something about that from the Chinese?

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U
Undisclosed #9
Apr 21, 2017

as usual, you ignore the actual point and instead, erect straw men to beat on.

And your throw off 'learn something from the Chinese' comment is both superficial and obtuse.

again, as usual. 

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MC
Marty Calhoun
Apr 21, 2017
IPVMU Certified

Thank you for the entertainment, everyone should take advise from people that hide behind "Undisclosed".

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U
Undisclosed #5
Apr 22, 2017
IPVMU Certified

...everyone should take advise from people that hide behind "Undisclosed".

Especially if the people asking for advice are Undisclosed...

(1)
U
Undisclosed #1
Apr 21, 2017

Thanks for the ideas, everybody.

I am going to sit down with my second best guy, promise him a promotion and a raise if he can learn how to troubleshoot older systems better. Then I'm going to partner him up with Kim Kardasshian so he can follow him around, learn his tricks and stuff. 

I'm going to have to promote a guy to replace my second best guy- he's my go-to for new wiring. Which means promoting basically everybody. And getting a new apprentice for the bottom of the chain. 

 

I'm also going to give my troubleshooter a really talking-to, tell him that the next time I catch him on his phone I'm going to send him home for the day.

Never really been a fan of confrontation but this has gone on for too long already. 

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UE
Undisclosed End User #2
Apr 21, 2017

Good, you will need to confront him strongly, and remember everybody is replaceable... even chiefs and CEO in my humble opinion.

Never be afraid to replace people, either he take your advices, or he quit.

However, be fair, if you also start to be unfair, he will for sure leave (Thats my personal experience when one of my former chiefs started to break promises, then i told him to fuck off, and went to better things in life)

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RM
RICK M
Apr 21, 2017
IPVMU Certified

Promote him to a supervisory position and give him a trainee. Let him pass on his experience to his trainee. This gives him more responsibility, keeps him busy training taking up his phone time, and may be the one thing that changes his behavior.

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U
Undisclosed #3
Apr 21, 2017

i disagree, never promote someone thinking that the promotion and extra busy work will correct them. It wont, trust me from experience.

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U
Undisclosed #5
Apr 21, 2017
IPVMU Certified

I've noticed over the years that the more you pay someone, the less they work.

Except for me, of course :)

JH
John Honovich
Aug 11, 2017
IPVM

Update: new statistics post on this - Cellphone Usage Issues For Integrators.

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