Thin line to tread

In April I hired a young woman for the lab, to run the washing machines. She had interviewed well, having put on the best she had in the way of clothes and letting me know she needed a job without the usual begging. It took about 2 days to figure out she was capable of more than running washers and dryers, and through course of conversation I learned she had 1 year of the Microsoft curiculum at the local trade school. At this time I was also looking for a clerk to handle all the inventory and lotting requirements I've been handling, as well as be a part-time secretary. I decided to give her a try. To make a long story short, she did better than I expected, assimilated the job plus a lot more in a month and a half, and has been a real benefit.

Obviously, since her desk is in the ante-room coming into my office, we interact a lot. I like to get to know all the people who work for me (often considered a weakness by my superiors) but have learned a lot about this one in particular. She is 24 and a single mother (never married). The father of the baby is drug dealer and she has served 4 months herself for being a 'mule'. She talks extensively about wanting to seperate herself from her past as a drug addict. Her baby spent part of the time she was in jail with a foster family, part of it with her family. She does not qualify for State assistance with health care and child rearing because she refuses to officially name the baby's father as such. Georgia has a law requiring this in order for mothers to get assistance, the State then goes out and recovers expenses from the deadbeat dads. The problem? If she names him in order to get the assistance, he automaticaly gets visitation and partial custody, and she doesn't want the baby exposed to the drugs, etc, he is involved with. So she chooses to tough it out and go it alone.

She has been doing good with her efforts to start a new life, but 3 weeks ago she started dating one of the contractors working for me. Since that time, her performance has dropped off, she looks like she is not getting enough sleep, and there have been a couple of days I have suspected she has been on something other than caffeine. Her attendance has deteriorated, and by the book I should have fired her this past Thursday based on attendance during her 90 day probationary period. Instead I had a long heart to heart about lifestyle choices, and how close she was to losing the job.

So, there are 2 days left in her probationary period. She becomes eligible for our health insurance on Wednesday. If she signs on, then goes into rehab, it's a problem. We are a small self-insured company. The premiums we all pay are based on total expenditures. There are 112 employees on our insurance at the moment. If she becomes #113, then we spend $100,000 on rehab, everyone elses premium goes up by $892/year or $74/month. Do I have an obligation to all the rest of the employees to avoid this risk? Or does this girl deserve a chance to turn her life around? Despite anecdotal evidence she is still making bad choices?

Aiy aiy aiy. I have 48 hours to decide.

Ain't life as a rich white guy boss a piece of cake?

So, do I take it back, or not....

Turns out the "something the wife had going on" on Memorial Day that kept the boss away from work was a battery of medical tests. After expressing that I hoped everything was o.k., etc, etc, he said, in a Snidely Whiplash voice,

"hehehe, I bet you all cussed my name all day that day, didn't you? Well. you never know"

Asshat

Un-Fucking-Believable

So, we're starting up a new piece of equipment. My boss, President of the company, is with us. He has a nasty habit of chewing tobacco and spitting in the nearest receptacle. Usually it's the nearest garbage can, but this being a brand new machine we don't have cans out there yet. So what's a man to do? Mostly he spit in a pile of rags which would soon have to be picked up by my new hire operator, a 19 year old name Tony. Soon after the Boss walks off Tony picks up his Dr. Pepper sitting on the operators station and, in that 19 year old boy way, throws about 1/2 of it down in one gulp.

Then throws up (literally) all over the electrical console and operators station.

You guessed it- his drink was full of tobacco juice.

I know everyone bitches about their boss, but I'm telling you- mine has serious issues. Everyone who works here is just a piece of property to him.

It's official

My boss is a jerk. About 9:00 he called me on my cell phone

"Where are you"

"I'm leaving the shop heading back toward FR"

"I'm in your office. Come meet me here."

So, I go back and find him just outside my office. We go in and sit down, and chit-chat about production and the new equipment we're buying. Directly he says

"Tell your regular salaried guys they'll be getting a check Thursday. It's a supplemental check for them working Monday. You and Jack don't get one."

"O.K. I'm sure they will appreciate the gesture"

"Goddammit G (the owner) is making me do it."

"Oh"

"So, what you doing this weekend?"

"I don't know. Rootie left town for a few days with #4, the others are off with friends whose families are going to the beach or something for the weekend"

"So, you're a bachelor this weekend"

"Yeah, I guess so"

"Lucky bastard. I wish I was, I'd go play golf. Anyway, enjoy the weekend"

"You too. I'll see you Monday morning"

Then, as he walks out my door he says, very sheepishly, "I won't be here Monday. The wife's got somethin going on"

Mother Fucker

Uncanny

Scott Adams hits just a little too close to home, sometimes

Hmmm

So, the HR Manager comes up to me a little while ago and says "The Chief asked me if I knew why you was so agitated. He said you seemed to be a lot more uptight than he's ever seen you."

Think fast Daddio......

"Well, it might have something to do with never seeing my family, and my wife's announcement that if I wasn't going to be around for the (non) holiday weekend then she was leaving to find someone to talk to for a few days."

"Damn"

"Yeah, and since The Chief reacted like I had just asked him if I could have sex with his daughter the last time I asked for an assistant, I can't promise Rootie it's getting better any time soon. Right now I'm just engineering and taking bids for this expansion. soon I'll be trying to train people and start it up, in addition to running my current job. I guess I'll just put me a cot in my office and hope Rootie will let me in the house for Sunday dinner."

"God Damn"

Knowing how good HR people are keeping your problems in confidence, I'm sure the Chief already knows about the conversation, which took place 15 minutes ago.

Bad case of the fuckits

We roll our product up on things called A-Frames. It is basicly a giant roll with it's own wheels. We have about 300 of these now, of which 75 should be condemned as unsafe. The journals are more weld thanoriginal steel. These 300 are of 9 different configurations, hving been bought a few at a time through the years. This makes it tough, because you have to hope that you can find one that will work on the piece of equipment you are trying to run.

So now, I'm in the midst of building a new $2.3 million expansion. There will be 5 new pieces of equipment that will wind on A-Frames. The bare minimum number I need is 90 to run everything 5 days a week. I was in a moth-balled plant last week with 420 identical A-Frames. I negotiated to buy 120 of them for $100 each (their value by the pound, as scrap iron, is about $65). I figure this allows for some product to be held for quality purposes, or maybe some A-Frames to be in the shop getting bearings replaced, etc. Anyway, it allows some breathing room without having to hunt for empty A-Frames.

The Chief changed the requisition to 70. I tried to explain that 90 was the minimum number, and offered to go through the calculations that brought me to that number.

"Oh I don't doubt you need 90. If you only have 70 you'll have to act like a manager and keep product flowing."

I can't wait to tell the owner that his $2.3 million expansion is idle for want of $5000 worth of scrap iron. I had budgeted $550 each for the 90, which was the cost of new ones. You'd think I would get an Attaboy for finding used ones at a good price.

I have a happy place!

I have a Happy Place! Go to www.sweetdaddio.blogspot.com

M%&*@$# F)#^&!

The Chief has decided that we don't make money when we aren't running (duh-huh you say), and that includes what is a holiday for the rest of the world. Not only are we running Monday instead of having cookouts and drinking beer like everyone else for Memorial Day, we are also running Saturday. The people can rest Sunday. I will come back later with statistics, but Labor Day last year we ran too, and productivity was 58% of standard. We didn't get any time off for Easter either, so we have to go back to Christmas to find a holiday we actually recognized out here. And we got Sunday and Monday off for Christmas. WooHoo 2 whole fuckin days. I can't remember how I spent them, I'm sure I wasted them somehow.

Happy Mother's, Rootietoot

A salute to the Mother of my children, Rootietoot.

She gives up so much to take care of the family. She drove aged mini-vans for many years, and is last on the wardrobe purchasing priority list. She is always here when they get home from school and listens to how their day went. She does laundry (lots of it) and cooks meal every night (except Sunday). I know sometimes she has to feel like we don't notice all she does, but we do. It has been many years since I didn't have clean socks and underwear in my drawer, and the boys can say the same. I notice, and the boys do too even if we don't always say so. And as they get older, they appreciate the full meal and the time at the dinner table every evening, talking politics, football, and current events.

Thanks Rootie, we all love you so much!

Mother bitch session

My mother, bless her heart, is buying a car for #1 son. She has taken to subtle comments, aimed at me no doubt, such as "well everyone seems to be kicking the poor boy while he's down, so I thought I would help him."

I guess I'm the one who's kicking him while he's down.

There's a widower my parents know who has a '91 Buick that was his wife's. He has decided to get rid of it, so my mother has bought it and is having a mechanic go over it. She will then allow #1 to make payments to her.

I'm certainly not opposed to him getting wheels, or to her helping him, but he will wind up not making payments, she will call me complaining about it, and I will have to tell her she made the deal with him and it is between them.

Why am I so negative about this? I have lived/known her for 43 years, and him for 19. I know with fair certainty how this will go down.

And she is enabling his behaviour, by making this easy for him. Now he will have more money for drugs and alcohol.

Progeny Bitch Session

Things are going well for #1 son at work. His boss is happy, his boss's boss is happy, the owner of the company talked with him at length yesterday then told me last night he was a firm believer in nepotism and that #1 was obviously bright enough that we should put him in management training.

So why am I bitching? I pick him up at 6:30 every morning. For a long time now, if I wake up early I will go on to work and have incredibly productive hours at before everyone else gets in. Now I wait for him. Several times I was done at 6:00 or 6:30 in the evenings, but his machine is still running so I wait till 7:00 or 7:30.

And really, I'm o.k. with it since it's a chance for him to get ahead. All I asked of him was that he save $300/month towards a car of his own. He was bringing home $340/2weeks on his old job, now he brings home $350-$365 every week. Last Thursday, the first milestone date we had agreed to, he showed a ticket from the ATM showing $305. Today I asked him if that money was still in his account, since he is supposed to have $600 by June 1. He went off on me, about how I'm trying to control his money and have since he first went to work at Taco Bell 3 years ago. All pissy because I made him pay his own car insurance. My deal to all the boys was/is I will provide a car for 18 months so they can save and buy their own, and I will pay insurance 3 months so they find a job and get started. If they keep a 3.0 GPA, I'll pay their insurance past that. He never achieved a 2.0 GPA, and blew the hell out of his money. 18 months in, all he had was his most recent paycheck.

Bottom line- he does not still have the $300. My deal with him was I would provide transportation for 90 days. Realistically, he should be able to save $1500 in that time. he will have nothing. I will quit giving him rides, and he will lose his job. It's 18 miles from his apt to the plant, a little far to walk.

And somehow, once again, his travails will be my fault. I guess in essance he is right. I failed to teach him what he needs to make it in the world.

Boss Bitch session

I would love to bitch about my boss, and his habit of "recycling" paper by printing on the back side of old reports and the confusion it has led to this week when the wrong side of the paper is looked at, but I probably shouldn't

The Preacher would be saying "SHIT" right about now

Sleeper B just ain't getting it. He walks off for a smoke break at bad moments, and when co-workers come over to help him in a bad moment (they all do that for each other) he steps back to let him have the trouble, or he steps out for a smoke. I have observed this myself, and so have his foreman and supervisor. He says everyone's out to get him. I am about to fire him again.

SHIT!

They aren't all bad

Lest I fall into the trap of the mainstream media and only report bad news:

Carl is 22, he came in as part of the 2nd wave, last August (the recent hirings are 4th wave). I knew he was going to be a father, he's been excited about it since he found out. Carl has been on time every day except when he asked to go for an ultra-sound with his girl friend 2 months ago. Monday I overheard a conversation between him and some of the guys from the other part of the plant in the canteen.

"Man, what'd you go and get married for. Now she won't get no money from the State"

"I don't care, he's going to have my last name on his birth certificate"

"Man, you stupid. Just shack up then she can get money from the State"

"I don't want money from the State. I want to be married"

"Man, you stupid"

Tell me at least part of the problem in the black community isn't cultural.

(Relatively) painless

O.K. All hired up and fully staffed after just 3 days of interviews. As mentioned earlier, sleeper B is back for a second chance, and one more young man was hired. He had the complete 2 year automotive course in high school, so maybe he can move up into a mechanic's spot later. Also hired- 1 young lady with computer skills. She's starting out in the testing laboratory, but she may wind up as a clerk for the production area.

The others are all 35 years old (+). One guy has what can only be described as contagious enthusiasm. He worked one job for 14 years, before the plant shut down. He then got his liscence to drive trucks, but didn't like being away from home. 2 other woment were hired as well for quality control and/or the testing laboratory.

Keep your fingers crossed.

Oh yeah this will do....

Interviewing again- I generraly trust my secretary to "pre-screen" applicants, but she occasionally lets one get through. Remember the young man with the hoodie covering everything but his eyes and nose?

So, she interupts my lunch saying she has one I "really need to talk to." O.K. I tell her to bring her on down. It turns out to be an extremely pulchritudinous young woman wearing a halter top and low riser jeans. She has enough metal through holes in her ears, lips, cheeks, and eyebrows to make a new machine for the plant. Tattoed on her right forearm in large letters is "Bossy", on her abdomen just above her jeans is "Delicious", in the back partially obscured by the elastic of her exposed thong is "Lickit". I give her the tour of the plant just like I do all the other applicants who make it past Lauri, and it becomes apparent she is acquainted with several of the guys on the floor. As we walk past each work area the guys stop to watch. "O.K. I'll have to fuss at the guys" I think. It's their problem, not hers.

Until we are walking out of the department and she stops at the door, leans forward to put her hands on her knees, and grinds her hips for about 1.5 seconds.

It took me 30 minutes to get the guys back on task. I'm afraid she might be a disruption.

I asked Lauri what the hell she was thinking. She implied she owed me one for something but was vague about it.

I didn't hire the young lady because she didn't have the computer skills I was looking for.

Second Chances

I'm giving Sleeper B a 2nd chance. His father works for me and swears the boy learned his lesson. Out of courtesy and respect to his father as much as anything I'm bringing him back. I am even a little optimistic that he will work out this time.

A little....

Travelog- click the link below

http://sweetdaddiosfirstenglishadventure.blogspot.com/

How does a guy...

get ot be just a little bit "dangerous?"


all my adult life people, especially women, have judged me to be "safe." Whenever we are out (the beach, NY city, etc) people ask me to take their picture with their camers because I look "safe" or "trustworthy." I guess I'm all... somebody (Ward Cleaver, maybe?) and not the least bit Hugh Jackman.

Today on the flight from Amsterdam to Birmingham (pronounced Birmnghm) I was seated next to a lady with a midlands English accent who was my age, maybe a year or 2 younger. We talked prior to take-off, but me being 6'3" and 265 lbs, and her having a Reubinesque figure we were a little tight against the arm rest between us. After we were airborn she folded the armrest up then shifted her weight to right hip, which pressed her left hip fully against me. She must have felt me tense up becauase she turned and said "It's alright love- I'm safe and so are you."

I replied "Oh no, I might be dangerous and one of those men your mother warned you about."

"No, your quite harmless. Your eyes give you away" and with that she turned back around again pressed against me with her left side.

So, how do I lose the Ward Cleaver and get a little Wolverine going?

Greetings from amster-Amster

dam-dam-dam

It's wierd- I'm tapped in through the wireless network at Schipol Airport, and all the blogspot instructions are in Dutch.

What's a Man(ager) to do?

O.K. I get permission from ownership this morning to add a foreman($10.50/hr), an operator($9.80), a serviceman ($9.20), and 2 wash machine operators ($8.00).

5 new people to hire, in addition to 2 replacements.

I will promote for the foreman position, so will really be hiring 2 operators. I am now faced with considering lowering my standards and hiring extra bodies to fill in for slackers. I really don't want to go there. If I do, the wage rate will be reduced to pay 3 people what 2 would normally make.

I ain't gonna do it. I will keep hiring and firing until I am staffed with good, reliable people. I have to remind myself that I have 190 people and 175 of those are stable. I have 2 sub-30 year olds with potential to be foremen.

(When I told HR I didn't want to talk to anyone under 30, he said "Aw, come on. There's some good kids out there" to which I replied "I know. And what I haven't already hired already have jobs, only the sorry ones are left)

Wish me luck. Anyone need a job? 50 hours/week, time and a half over 40. The cost of living is really low here.

Well, this one was really disappointing

Nick started work March 28. He interviewed nicely, well spoken, polite, dressed decently in a striped polo shirt and a pair of jeans that actually fit him. After the interview and on the spot job offer we chit chatted on the way back to HR to process paperwork. Turns out he's 19 year old half brother to one of #3 son's best friends. They have the same father. I know the family, a farm family. I was curious why he was coming to work here, but glad he was.

"My Granddad thinks I need experience outside the farm and family"

Well, I can appreciate that.

I placed him in the new warehouse/distribution center. His job was to stack finished product on pallets and make sure all the inventory control labels were facing the same direction. Being a strapping young man I thought it was a good fit.

1st day, he shows up and clocks in at 6:59. He drives a 3 year old dual cab Dodge 4 wheel drive truck with a diesel engine, gigantic tires, and a lift kit so high he has to climb what looks like a ladder to get in. Easily $35,000 worth of truck.

2nd day, 6:57. That would be the earliest he gets in.

3rd day, 15 minutes late. When explained to him that he was expected to be at work at 7:00, he said "Well the others get things started up and I don't really have anything to do till 7:15."

I explained that 1) that was my decision, not his 2) As he was trained there would be startup duties assigned to him requiring his presence and 3) that was my decision, not his.

His 2nd week, he was late 2 of 5 days. When I asked what was going on, he just said "I just have a hard time getting up. I get here as soon as I can."

Monday this week he again comes in 12 minutes late. I pull him aside and explain that scheduled hours are 7:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m., subject to be expanded in the evenings as business picks up.

"Look, I can still get my job done even if I'm not here at 7:00"

So I explained "All us Boss types have our hot buttons. Mine is attendance and being on time. You have never worked for anyone but your Grandfather so you don't have a grasp of things on a factory job, but let me make it clear- you don't set policy here."

Yesterday the marketing manager for the parent company was down from up north. He was explaining to the warehouse crew the importance of what they do and how they are the last to touch the product before the customer gets it. He is explaining to Nick the importance of stacking the product on a pallet neatly and presenting a professional package when it arrives at the customers dock. Nick is looking at the ceiling like some 2nd grader during math class. I say to Nick "Pay attention please". This causes the visitor to look up just as Nick rolls his eyes. Needless to say, that resulted in a minor tongue lashing for me.

Also yesterday Quality Control released the first production lot of a new product. This resulted in me scheduling the warehouse group to work till 5:00 the remainder of this week and also on Saturday.

"Naw, I'm racing 4-wheelers this Saturday. I won't be here."

"It is a scheduled work day. Attendance is not optional"

After the warehouse manager and I left to attend meetings he apparently (as reported by his co-workers) kicked in the front of a vending machine and walked out saying

"Fuck this shit. I just want enough hours to buy gas and go out on the weekends."

His mother is a friend of my secretary. She has told me today that she is one of these mothers who heaps praise on for all things, minor or major. Turns out Nick didn't like getting his feelings hurt over not doing a good job when the visiting dignitary fussed yesterday. And his mother didn't understand why I couldn't let him go to the races this weekend.

I'm sure Taco Bell or KFC will be glad to accomodate him. Of course, at $5.15/hour instead of $9.20 he'll have to work a few more hours. Bless his heart, it's just hard to live on minimum wage.

No surprise, he didn't make it

C, 23 year old father of 5 by 2 different mothers, was allowed one tardy or abscence between March 24 and June 8, as detailed below. Last Friday (day after payday) he was 35 minutes late, and confessed to being hung over. This morning he didn't come in, then finally 1 hour 25 minutes after shift change left me a message on the voice mail that he had to go to the Dr but could I please give him one more chance. I have collected his time card, when he shows up I will escort him right back out. He'll beg and plead on behalf of his 5 children, and I will have to be a heartless capitalist bastard, but again I assert: I will help someone up to the same amount they are trying to help themselves. If he really wants to take care of his children he should quit caroussing and partying.

Let's see how this goes

My boss, the president of the company, is allowing #1 son to come to work here. He'll take some shit for being the son of the big boss, but it should allow him to get ahead a little instead of just subsisting.

Cross your fingers.

The Sweet Daddio Medal of Honor

And I do mean Honor.

The Sweet Daddio Medal of Honor is awarded for doing the right thing, not for doing things right.

I have a young employee. He's a friend of #1 son. He had been to the house for dinner a few times with #1. He is one of "the new friends" which #1 made after moving out on his own. He is not cut from the same material as the slacker country club kids #1 hung out with when we first moved here. I'll call him Ladd. Ladd has been on his own since turning 18, he is now 20. He has not seen his father since he was 10. I don't know all the details, but I know his mother moved them to the Deep South from upstate NY, possibly to get away from an abusive situation. Ladd was out on his own for very different reasons than our #1. His mother did all she could to support them, but when he reached the age of consent he went out to find his own way to give her some relief. He had been working at the newspaper (which is where #1 met him, but they happened to live in the same apartment building) and held that job for 2 1/2 years and was making $6.50/hour. He approached me when out at the house one evening, very cautiously.

"Mr. D, I was wanting to talk to you about opportunities for jobs where you work."

"Sure, I'll be glad to talk to you. Are you ready to leave the paper?"

"Yes sir. My girlfriend is pregnant and I want, I need to make more money now that I'm going to be a father."

"Are you going to get married?"

"Yes. She needs to stay on her parents insurance until after the baby comes, so we will get married after the birth. I'm definately going to marry her and raise my child."

"Good, that's the right thing to do. Come out and put in an application and tell the HR guy to put my name at the top."

So, I happen to have a honey of an opening for a warehouseman/inventory control person in the new warehouse/distribution center we completed last fall. No one was surviving on the job mainly because it is both a thinking and working position. It is also the highest paying wage position I have. I put him on the job and never looked back. He took ownership of the job, suggested ways to streamline the process, keeps the new forklift looking showroom new, and has not had an incorrect shipment or inventory error. I rarely "throw my weight" around in personnel matters, but I raised him to top pay 30 days quicker than the norm. I can't say enough good things about the kid. His immediate supervisor is happier than I am with the situation as well.

3 weeks ago his baby was born on Saturday morning. A healthy boy, 7 lbs something. He was on time to work Monday morning, walking 6 inches off the floor. He was obviously happy, and announced he would be getting married in about a month. He moved out of his small but affordable apartment into a house trailer in the country, so his son would have a yard to play in when he starts walking. He's been through the usual new parent issues of dragging a few days from shortage of sleep but hasn't failed in his duties.

Until yesterday.

He is always early, at least 15 minutes. Yesterday he was only 2 minutes early (which is great in my book) but looked very shell shocked. We had some incoming finished stock from the manufacturing plant to locate in the warehouse, he put in the raw materials warehouse. The first outgoing order for the day he pulled the exact right quantity, just wrong color. Something was obviously wrong. Finally about 1:00 his supervisor called and said Ladd wanted to leave early. It seems a DNA test indicated he was not the father of the baby. Obviously, he had a lot to tend to.

This morning he was there 15 minutes early (that location starts the day at 7:00 a.m. so 15 min early is an accomplishment). He and I went for a walk through the warehouse.

"Mr. D I'm sorry about having to leave yesterday. I'll go ahead and start pulling yesterday afternoon's orders right away."

"Ladd, if you need to talk I'll take my boss hat off and we'll sit here on these pallets and talk."

He teared up. "Mr D, I love little Ladd, and I'm going to be his Dad even if I'm not his father. Missy and I have a few things to work through. She says the father is the abusive ex-asshole she was involved with before me and that he came back around for a few days 10 months ago. He's one of those guys with that kind of affect on women. She's got to work out the details with him, but I want to marry her and adopt Little Ladd. I can't let him grow up with an abusive asshole for a father. I just can't."

Having a baby out of wed-lock was not doing things right, but he is certainly doing the right thing.

Oi! Kids these days

For those who remember Sleeper B from earlier, he fell asleep on the job again 2 weeks after the first incident. Again, it was on a Friday, the day after payday. You can guess the scene when I let him go.

I was traveling on business Mon and Tues the following week, so I let one of my Leutenants interview and hire the replacement. On top of needing a replacement we also expanded by 2 more that week, so we hired 3. Lt A has a poor track record hiring, but I gave him instructions on what to look for, mainly I wanted more mature workers this time. Hiring sub-25's hasn't been working too good. Since he did the screening interviews, I don't have any good stories. He narrowed 8 down to 3. 2 I agreed with, the 3rd I was sceptical of, but Lt. A wanted to "give the young man a chance." So I relented. This past Thursday was his 2 week anniversary. In that 2 weeks, he has been tardy 4 times, 3 20 minutes or more.

Today (Saturday) we were scheduled to run the entire plant. At 8:03 the night shift man due to be relieved by "C" came up "Where dahells my relief?"

Lt. A said "He'll be here, so you go on. I'll cover the job till he gets here." At 8:20 I told Lt. A to call his house. 5 minutes later he reported "He said he appreciated the opportunity for some overtime but he would pass this week."

"Did you explain to him it wasn't optional?"

"No, I just told him it wasn't good."

So I called his house. A female answered. "Can I speak to C please?"

"He ain't here"

"O.K. give him a message. This is Mr. D, the Big Boss at work. Tell him if he isn't here by 9:00 to not bother coming back."

"He cain't get a ride"

"That's not my problem"

At 8:58 he came in. This is where it gets interesting.

I brought him into the office. "C, I need you here. This a 3 shift operation, and it needs to run 24 hours a day. Do you understand the importance of being on time?"

"Yessir, but the man in the other part over there don't fuss about it so much so the people I ride with don't have to get here early."

(To clarify- I take direct control of the new part, which is really the future of the company and let the manager of the "other part over there" run the day to day operations and minutia, like attendence. I will get involved a little more now.)

"Then drive yourself"

"I don't got no car"

"You told Lt. A in your first interview, and me in the follow-up, that you had a car"

"I know, but my ex has dat car and I don't get to drive it"

"I hate to be cold, but that's not my problem. Running this plant is my problem. Your 90 day probationary period ends June 8th. I will allow you one more tardy because I know shit happens, but 2 tardys and you are gone. You will not get any raises during this time."

''Mr. D, I'll work late all you need me to, but I really like to do things on Saturday"

"Then you need to go find another job that's just part time"

"Mr. D I got 5 kids. I got to have a good job. I need to make more than I'm making now."

Shock. "How old are you?"

"23"

"23 and you have 5 kids?!"

"Yessir. Me and my first lady had 2, then while she was pregnant with the 3rd I went looking for a little action on the side and got another lady pregnant, and my first lady threw me out. The 2nd lady had twins, we livin together now but the judge is making me pay a lot of support to the first lady."

After I recovered I said "Well, that's really none of my business. You made your choices, it's your problem to deal with the results. What I said earlier stands. 1 more tardy in the rest of your probationary period and no raises."

"Come on Mr. D. You ain't gonna hold it against a guy cause he needed a little action are you? She'd done cut me off at da house."

And I thought I had problems.

Why I moved

I recently hired one of #1 son's friends, and for legal/ethical reasons I became concerned with the connection and the possibility one of my employees might read what I was writing.