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Discussion Forum

bought my “kids” toolbelts today

dirtysanchez | Posted in General Discussion on May 31, 2006 05:51am

When I was a snot nosed little punk kid just starting out in this biz a couple of guys would ride me about my pouches. All day long every day I would hear things like “were those free with the lumber” and stupid stuff like that. Now that I am older and better and smarter and……. never mind about that. Anyways, I got these two “kids” on my job and they show up the first day with those aprons on and a framing hammer and tape. We hired them on as rockers. After a couple of weeks they seemed to be getting it and getting better so I talked with my boss and we split the cost of new bags for these “kids”. Now the stuff we bought them is nice,Occidental Leather drywall pouches and fastener bag and belts. Then to be a nice guy I also paid for new tools: hammers,tapes,chalk boxes,knives,rasps,saws and circle cutters.

Today was the day we gave them their surprise and it was funny. The boss comes out looking mad as hell and tells me and them to come over. Starts going on and on about the quality and quantity and talks about firing those guys. The facial expression alone were enough to win an oscar. He tells them to come to the truck to get their checks and the rest of us go to the window to watch. He opened the door and handed the guys these new rigs and they were the two happiest guys I had ever seen. They thanked him and shook his hand about ten times and ran inside to thank me. I told them that they were doing a good job and learning fast and to keep it up. 

So thats what happened , so my question is did any journeyman or boss ever give you anything that made you feel like a valued employee and that you were part of the crew other than a paycheck?

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Replies

  1. vanderpooch | May 31, 2006 05:55am | #1

    I wish.

    Technique is proof of your seriousness. - Wallace Stevens
  2. RW | May 31, 2006 06:00am | #2

    You know, my first boss, when I was 15, about midway through that summer we made a trip to the local hardware store and he got a toolbelt and a hammer, out of his pocket, and gave it to me. You want to talk about hero worship. I don't use them much anymore, but I still have them. I think I went to lunch wearing that belt I was so happy about it.

    "Sometimes when I consider what tremendous consequences come from little things, I am tempted to think -- there are no little things" - Bruce Barton

  3. Hooker | May 31, 2006 06:49am | #3

    Yeah.  My first job as a carpy's helper.  I had a cheap leather pouch from the previous summer's job when I started in the winter for a GC.  He bought me a nice pouch and a couple tools a few weeks into the job.  I was nineteen.  Turned out we split the $80 cost, but no matter to me.  I was prouder than a well endowed peacock the day I started wearing those bags.

    Couple years later, still working for him. my soon to be wife surprised me with a new set of Oxy Lites.  Dang nice wedding gift!  He (employer) was a good mentor for a while.  I learned lots from that guy.

    Nice story about you and your guys.  I like hearing about cool stuff like that!

    Neither cold, nor darkness will deter good people from hastening to the dreadful place to quench the flame.  They do it not for the sake of reward or fame; but they have a reward in themselves, and they love one another.

    -Benjamin Franklin

  4. User avater
    zak | May 31, 2006 07:48am | #4

    Great story.  I'm glad there are people like you out there.

    I got nothing at my last job except a semi-regular paycheck.  And I made them a lot of money.

    The one sign of respect I remember was at a previous job, logging out trails for the forest service.  My boss would give me the largest cash award he was allowed to each year, and that was great.  But he also got me a competition axe to carry in the woods- a beautifully forged, heavy, single bit axe.  I kept it razor sharp, and it would fly through a bound up log, or anything to small to get the crosscut out for.  It's wonderful to have tools that you can be proud of, and enjoy using.

    zak

    "so it goes"

  5. philarenewal | May 31, 2006 01:55pm | #5

    Most of my bosses gave me a lot of wisdom which is priceless, but I don't recall anything beyond a paycheck in the material rhelm.

    For my side of it, framing this past winter one of the crew stopped showing up (turned up in jail) so the boss hired an out of work landscaper to help.  Smart guy with an excellent attitude but no tools or experience.  For Christmas, I gave him a cheap rig (like $20 on sale) and one of the other guys gave him an old framing hammer, I think the boss gave him a decent tape.

    Likely among the best $20 I ever spent.  He became a "friend for life" plus he was much more of a help when he finally had some tools of his own (I hate lending any tools, even for a second -- I gave all the other guys speed squares so they'd stop borrowing mine -- they all still used carp squares and really liked the speed square).  ;-)

     

    "Let's get crack-a-lackin"  --- Adam Carolla

  6. User avater
    BossHog | May 31, 2006 03:10pm | #6

    I've gotten things a couple of times.

    One time my boss brought a Radio Shack catalog to work. I glanced at it, and looked at a digital multi-meter than I thought looked really cool.

    Two weeks later I found one of those meters laying on the seat of my car when I left work. I asked the boss, and he said that I had been doing a good job and he appreciated my efforts.

    That was really cool. I thanked him profusely and enjoyed that thing for many years.

    .

    At my next job, I found a gift certificate good for several nights at a motel chain. (On my car seat again) I asked my boss about it, and he gave me a long spiel about how generous he was being by giving it to me. (Nothing was mentioned about me doing a good job) He made such a big deal out of how generous he was being that it killed any feelings of gratitude I would have had.

    I later found out a suppier had given him a whole bunch of the gift certificates, and he just didn't use them all.

    .

    Don't know if this counts or not, but...

    Back when I was in the Army, I got a letter of commendation from a general once. It told what a great job I'd done working on a construction project.

    Trouble was, I was never *AT* that construction project.

    Bumpersticker: On your family tree... you're the sap
    1. User avater
      kcooke | May 31, 2006 03:25pm | #7

      The best thing I ever got from my first boss was a valuable lesson.  He turned out to be a "hammer thrower", the guy who picks up your hammer, looks at it in scorn, and throws it as far as possible.  I thought I needed the work, and put up with the constant abuse for two years.  Straight paycheck, and the old scam of giving him "invoices" for my work at the end of the week so he could write me off as a subcontractor.  When I finally left, he had taught me the most valuable lesson of my life :   Never Work For A Jerk!

    2. Stray | May 31, 2006 03:32pm | #8

      This is a great motivator.  Many studies show that people are more motoivated in their occcupations by feeling appreciated than the amount of their paycheck. 

      I also think there's a direct economic impact to a good set of bags...making the employee more efficient/comfortable.  Productivity is bound to go up when you're using the right stuff.  Win-win for everybody.

      I never had a boss give me anything extra (except working for my father, who gave me more than I ever could have wanted).

       

       

       Ithaca, NY  "10 square miles, surrounded by reality"

  7. User avater
    JDRHI | May 31, 2006 04:25pm | #9

    The last guy I worked for felt I was doing such a great job, he gave me a $20,000 raise.

    Of course, it wasn't until I told him that I was going out on my own and the reality that he was going to have to start wearing a tool belt again hit home.

    Talk about a motivator. One day I wasn't worth an extra hundred dollars a week.....the next, he's offering to put me in a new tax bracket.

    Couldn't wait to get the hell outta there.

    This is the same guy who wanted to "buy me" a new truck. Seemed my ten year old pickup wasn't the "look" he wanted on his jobsite. Told me to sell it and he'd buy me a new one. Well....he'd buy the company a new truck that would be mine to drive exclusively. All I had to do was pay the insurance. Insurance on my beater was $600 a year. The new deal woulda cost me $5000 a year insurance. He was a hell of a guy!

    Glad to hear not everyone takes his example. Good on ya!

    J. D. Reynolds

    Home Improvements

  8. User avater
    draftguy | May 31, 2006 05:02pm | #10

    That's awesome.  They'll remember it the rest of their lives, will be more willing workers, and likely will do something similar for others in the future.  Good job.

    1. FastEddie | May 31, 2006 06:01pm | #11

      I was building a large shed, and the guy that showed up to help had zero tools, but he did have a good attitude.  One of my buddies sent him over to help and learn.

      We went to Lowes for lunch the first day, and I bought a simple one-sided tool belt and added a decent tape, utility knife, plastic speed square, and a 16 oz Estwing.  Didn't cost too much, but it made him a whole lot more useful and he he did enough work to make it worthwhile.

        

      "When asked if you can do something, tell'em "Why certainly I can", then get busy and find a way to do it."  T. Roosevelt

      1. bps | May 31, 2006 08:26pm | #12

        I have two tools that I was given, Both hammers. One is a nice roofer with a wooden handle. Can't even fathom the # of nails that sucker has driven. #2 is a great big Estwing framer that I call "Bertha, destroyer of thumbs". Bought my own bags early on and still use em.

        1. phabib | May 31, 2006 11:41pm | #13

          I had a house built about 10 years ago and the framers had a steady stream of "kids" (as in "kid, do this...) They'd usually show up late and never come back after the first paycheck.  After a while they hired a kid who showed up on time, worked hard, payed attention and asked for more work when he was done.  After about 3 weeks, they quit yelling "Kid" when they needed his help and bothered to learn his name.  They didn't make a big deal out of the transition as far as I could tell, but everyone could tell his status had changed and it was a big deal.

  9. arcticcat | Jun 01, 2006 12:08am | #14

    A contractor I work for took me up to a local Cabela's one day.  He saw me drooling over this rifle; next thing I knew, he told the clerk to box it up.  He said -You've made me a lot of money over the years, my wife and I wanted to get you something nice. 

    Needless to say, I was speechless.  Knowing the cost, I told him it wasn't necessary, but he insisted.

    Mike



    Edited 5/31/2006 5:12 pm by arcticcat

    1. bps | Jun 01, 2006 02:01am | #15

      Ooooohhhh, 30-30. One of my favorites! Or is it 45-70-gov't? Either way nice rifle and tange sight.

      1. Philter | Jun 01, 2006 03:28am | #16

        NICE!

         I do what you did...a lot... good karma/good people...

         "If 'tis to be,'twil be done by me."

  10. hvtrimguy | Jun 01, 2006 05:16am | #17

    This is thread is a perfect example of why Kids don't enter the trade anymore. I tink it's great you showed your appreciation. I've often given gift cards to the box store as a thankyou. I was also given a few nice items by my old supervisor and would still be working for him today if I liked our boss. Money is great but appreciation is better. Thanks for reminding all of us to say thanks to those who work hard for us. I'm going to get my helper a gift this week now dammit.

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